Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, speaks during a TV debate on Syria at the 43rd Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Friday. — AP DAVOS, Switzerland – Global political and business leaders heard calls for urgent action over Syria's escalating civil war Friday as the Arab world took center stage at the World Economic Forum. Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Chairman of the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies, called for Syrian rebels to be given anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to “level the playing field” in their battle against President Bashar Al-Assad. “You have to level the playing field. Most of the weapons the rebels have come from captured Syrian stocks and defectors bringing their weapons,” he said at the World Economic Forum Friday. “What is needed are sophisticated, high-level weapons that can bring down planes, can take out tanks at a distance. This is not getting through.” “Leveling the plain militarily should go hand in hand with a diplomatic initiative ... You can select the good guys and give them these means and build their credibility,” he said. “Today there are more than 60,000 dead... Can we wait until it's double that? Can we wait until it's triple that? This is a shame on all of us,” said Prince Turki. Jordan's King Abdullah called on the international community to increase its assistance for the tide of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria. “I urge once more a stepped-up world response to the Syrian crisis,” he said. “The weakest refugees are struggling now just to survive this year's harsh winter. More international support is desperately needed,” the king said. “I cannot emphasize enough the challenges that we are all facing, both in Jordan and Lebanon, and it's only going to get worse.” International Committee of the Red Cross chief Peter Maurer said aid groups were finding it difficult to deliver assistance inside Syria and that there needed to be “respect for international humanitarian laws and principles”. “We are definitely very much concerned by what we witness on the ground, by the expansion of the violence... by the depth of the crisis and of course the difficulty to reach people in need,” he said. Turkey's Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his country had already spent about $500 million (370 million euros) on assisting more than 160,000 Syrian refugees and that concerted action was needed. “This is our historic duty,” he said. “All of us have to act together.” – Agencies
