The Defense Minister with the Syrian Interim Government, Asaad Mustafa, said that his policies rest on coordinating weapons and funding sources.
Mustafa told Ash-Sahrq al-Awsat that "we are supposed to get weapons and money now, but both are not available. We have to communicate with many parties."
"There should be one center for this process. There should be an institution or group to get these things, not a specific person. This institution should decide where should the money and weapons go, according to the requirements of battlefields inside the country," he said.
Mustafa said that the union may include the Islamic Front, the Islamic Union for Ajnad ash-Sham, the Army of Jihadists, but it will definitely exclude the Nusra Front.
"Despite the poor capabilities of the Syrian rebels, they are fighting the regime, Hezbollah, the Brigade of Abu al-Fadl al-Abbas and other extremist divisions, including the ISIS. All these are heavily supported both by money or by weapons from Russia and Iraq. This is no secret," Mustafa said.
Asked about the recent American statements about weapons, Mustafa said: "We are optimistic…especially regarding the statements of the Secretary of the State John Kerry and the minister of defense Chuck Hagel. All these statements are for the benefit of Syrian people who sacrificed everything and are committed to all that is required. Meanwhile, the regime has not commited to anything and continued committing its crimes. We are certain the promises from the United States, the western and Arab countries that they are going to help us defend ourselves are serious promises and we trust and hope that they will be put into practice soon."
......
