Alhurra TV Interviews Senator Corker and al-Jarba on Syria Crisis
Alhurra television interviewed Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) and Syrian opposition leader Ahmad al-Jarba after their May 7 meeting at the Capitol Hill, during which al-Jarba appealed for more and better weapons to defeat Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces.
Corker, who has visited Syrian refugee camps twice, told Alhurra’s Congressional correspondent Rana Abtar that the meeting was “very good”, but that he wished “we were doing more to help the moderate opposition.”
“We have been trying to get the administration for some time to help in a bigger way,” he said. “They obviously keep their effort secret for some reason.” He added that “this is a very odd way of conducting foreign policy, but the administration doesn’t want to share with anybody except through leaks to the newspapers, which I guess they think make them look good but from a standpoint of sharing with Americans what they’re doing, they’re not.” Corker commented that he is very dissatisfied with “where we are in this. It seems the type of support that the US is giving, is still very limited.”
Al-Jarba also hoped to be able to persuade both the Administration and Congress to increase supporting and arming the opposition, citing a more unified anti-Assad movement. “I do not see sharp divisions in the opposition. This was in the past. We are in a new stage. The international society recognizes and supports the coalition and the disaster in Syria is huge,” said al-Jarba.
On the upcoming Syrian presidential election, he said he hoped that the international community would respond to the opposition’s concerns this time, saying “the Syrians refused this election three years ago. Non Syrians and international society should support us in this.” Al- Jarba added that currently the the presidential election is “an insult to the Syrians, and carelessness toward the international society.”