7/26/13 Opposition presses for weapons as Syria death toll tops 100,000
(CNN) — Syria’s opposition urged the United States to provide arms to rebel groups in a Thursday meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry in New York City.
“The US commitment of military support … is vital, but it needs to happen fast, and in a way that allows us to defend ourselves and protect civilians,” a statement from the Syrian National Coalition. “To deny us the right to self-defense is to risk that the regime will survive: thousands will be executed, the repression will continue without end.”
The session between Kerry and coalition President Ahmad Jarba came as the United Nations announced more than 100,000 people have been killed in the Syrian conflict. It occurred at the U.S. mission to the United Nations.