DOHA, Qatar, June 22 (UPI) -- The nations making up the Friends of Syria said Saturday they will move forward with aid to Syrian rebels with or without the United Nations.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his counterparts from Europe and the Middle East met in Qatar and agreed sending arms to the rebels is the only way to end the two-year rebellion against President Bashar Assad's regime, the BBC said.
Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim bin Jaber al-Thani said the group expected to move forward despite the opposition of Russia and China to resolutions on Syria in the U.N. Security Council.
"A balance must be achieved on the ground so the regime can accept negotiations," he said.
The momentum on the battlefield shifted to Assad recently when his army was reinforced by Iran and fighters from Hezbollah.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague said a peace conference aimed at a political solution in Syria may yet be held, even if little was accomplished.
"The only worse thing than these meetings happening would be these meetings not happening," he said.
