While the U.S. says it’s considering providing arms or other support to Syrian rebels, Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird says that Canada is working closely with allies but continues to oppose the idea of funding militants due to “radical Jihadists” making their way into the movement.
Baird told CTV’s Question Period that while the government “abhors” the violence used by the Syrian regime against its own people, it is growing “increasingly alarmed” by the number of “radical jihadists” joining the opposition rebel forces.
“Canada is one of the only Western countries who hasn’t recognized the Syrian opposition and this is one of the reasons why: It’s no longer just a few hundred al Qaeda affiliated people. It’s a substantial number of radical extremists that have come from all over the world,” he said.
As the 2-year-old Syrian war continues, Baird says the Canadian government has become increasingly concerned over the fate of religious minorities in a post-Assad Syria.
When asked what proof he had that extremists were infiltrating the rebel opposition fighting against President Bashar Assad, Baird said he’s been given information showing that “it’s real and substantial.”
The minister’s comments came hours before Israel launched another airstrike on the Syrian capital. The attack, the second in three days, targeted missiles believed to be heading into the hands of militant group Hezbollah, based in Lebanon.
Baird said it’s in everyone’s interest that the group does not obtain weapons.
“It’s in all of our interests that Hezbollah doesn’t get control heavy weapons,” he said. “They’re an international terrorist organization who’ve targeted women and children and civilian populations, and have threatened en masse to come and support Assad and his war against the Syrian people.”
He added that while Canada now has a “substantial” amount of evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, the government will wait for all the facts before it decides on how to respond.
“There is obviously a substantial amount of evidence coming from the Americans (and) coming from the Israelis and others that chemical weapons have been used,” he said. “We don’t have specific evidence as to who used them, though obviously we strongly suspect it’s the regime. And before any action is taken, we will be working in close concert with our allies.”
U.S. President Barack Obama indicated last week that he would consider military action against Syria if hard evidence is found that chemical weapons have been used during war. Among the possible actions would be to arm Syrian rebels with weapons and ammunition.
Last year the Canadian government committed $1 million to fund pro-democracy programs in Syria. Baird could not give specifics on how much of the money was actually spent, but said the government was doing its best to prepare “reasonable elements” within the opposition for a post-Assad Syria.
He said a continuing concern is the flight of Syrian refugees into neighbouring countries. Recently the government promised $13 million in funding to aid Syrian refugees in Jordan.
“It’s important that as the crisis goes on, Canada – that’s a very prosperous country – accepts its responsibilities to provide leadership and humanitarian support,” he said.
Oppostion MPs told CTV Question Period’s Kevin Newman that planning needs to begin for what will happen if and when Assad falls.
“We don’t want to have a void like we saw in Iraq. I wonder who is thinking about that. Our government should be leading that within the UN context,” NDP Foreign Affairs critic Paul Dewar said.
Liberal foreign affairs critic Bob Rae said that Canada needs to be doing more to ensure that basic humanitarian needs are met when the regime falls.
“What replaces the Assad regime is a critical question,” Rae said. “We need to be doing everything we can to provide for a degree of stability.”
