July 26 2013:The head of Syria’s opposition has told U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry that the country’s situation is “desperate” and called for the United States to arm rebels quickly.
In a statement issued after his talks in New York with Kerry, the Syrian National Coalition’s newly elected Ahmed al-Jarba also urged Washington to push harder for a political settlement in Syria.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says more than 100,000 people have been killed since Syria’s civil war erupted more than two years ago — pitting President Bashar al-Assad’s forces against rebels who are seeking to end his family’s four-decade rule.
President Barack Obama, having withdrawn U.S. troops from Iraq and seeking to end the U.S. war in Afghanistan, has been reluctant to get involved in Syria.
Based on reporting by AP, Reuters, and AFP
