Arab summit kicks off with calls to arm Syria rebels

An Arab summit kicked off in Kuwait yesterday with a call by Syria's opposition for "sophisticated" arms, while Saudi Arabia stressed the need for a change in military balance to "end the impasse".
UN peace envoy Lakhdar Brahimi, however, insisted on the need for a "political solution" to the conflict, urging an "end to the supply of arms to all parties".
The head of the Syrian National Coalition, Ahmed Jarba, repeated calls on the international community to supply rebels with "sophisticated weapons".
Saudi Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Abdulaziz, whose country is a major supporter of the Syrian rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad, accused the world of "betraying" the opposition by failing to arm them and leaving them as "easy prey".
The conflict in Syria, which in mid-March entered a fourth year, has killed more than 140,000 people and displaced millions.
While the Syrian conflict is taking centre stage at the summit, a regional rift over Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has been kept off the agenda.
The dispute pits Qatar against Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates and has apparently affected the level of representation at the two-day summit, which is being held in Kuwait for the first time.
Kuwait said 13 heads of state were attending the meeting, with low-profile representation from Kuwait's Gulf partners.
On the Palestinian issue, Arab leaders are expected to call for $100 million in monthly aid for the Palestinian Authority and to reject demands by Israel that Palestinians recognise Israel as a Jewish state.
Palestinian leader Mahmud Abbas, fresh from talks with US President Barack Obama in Washington last week, was to brief his Arab counterparts during the summit.