US promises to Syrian opposition fall short of SNC – and Saudi – hopes

The Syrian National Coalition (SNC)’s Saudi-backed leadership made its first official visit to Washington in May, seeking greater US support in its war against President Bashar Al-Assad. SNC President Ahmad Jarba and his military chief, Brigadier General Abdulillah Al-Bashir – who heads the Supreme Joint Military Command Council (SMC) – came away from their 5-14 May meetings with promises of $27m of new non-lethal assistance, and that the SNC’s representative offices in the US would now be considered foreign missions. The move – which does not allow the SNC to take over the Syrian embassy, or assume the status of government – is certainly a boost to the SNC’s credibility.