U.S. Ambassador to Damascus Robert Ford told Syrian opposition dissidents that he could not provide any guarantees regarding the Geneva II confernece, on the sidelines of the meetings of the General Authority of the Syrian National Coalition in Istanbul.
Ford told the opposition they should earn media and global public support because the official international support is correlated to public opinion and that officials cannot make any decision regarding the opposition without the approval of their own people. He also pointed out that there has been no military strike against the Syrian regime.
Ford reminded the oppositionists of the meeting two years ago at Bassam Ishaak's home, telling them: "I told you earlier that we will not intervene militarily", and also told them that he believed no one should die of hunger in Syria and that Western aid has been delivered inside the country.
When the opposition asked for guarantees, Ford said that such guarantees put the reputation of the United States and Russia at stake.
One of the dissidents responded, saying, "you promised a lot of things, but you have kept none of them."
Ford said the U.S. is providing relief aid and medicines continuously.
"If you want to embarrass the regime, you should go to Geneva, which is an opportunity to dismantle the regime," Ford reportedly said.
Some opponents asked the Americans to provide weapons, telling Ford: "As long as you do not want to intervene militarily, send us `weapons, provide humanitarian corridors and a no-fly zone". Ford, however, reportedly said he believed that this would lead to military intervention.
Translated and edited by the Syrian Observer
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