Arming Syrian rebels is not the answer

Although it is not a ­common experience on my part, I cannot help but think that Vladimir Putin’s analysis of the situation in Syria is the right one (your report, 17 June).

Talk of Western allies arming “moderate” rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad’s forces is something which beggars belief.

Do United States president Barack Obama and Prime Minister David Cameron not ­remember what happened to the weapons we supplied to the anti-Soviet fighters in Afghanistan? They ended up being used against our own troops.

Now, however beastly we may consider the Assad regime, some of the reports of atrocities perpetrated by rebels – sometimes involving the execution of children as young as six – must warn us off any form of intervention. 

Our aid should be limited to helping Syrian refugees with food, shelter and medicine. Any other sort of intervention would, inevitably, be perceived as an anti-Muslim act and would merely be used as a further ­excuse for attacks on the West by Muslim extremists.

However, Russia must, equally, be dissuaded from supplying arms to the Syrian government.

Andrew HN Gray

Edinburgh 

I am not a supporter of Vladimir Putin but we must pay attention to his (albeit extravagant) statement that one should “hardly back those who kill their enemies and eat their organs” – in other words, we should not arm Syrian rebels.

This world does not need another war. Have we learnt nothing from past conflicts?

We in the West have other ways of influencing the Syrian regime.

Angela Innes

Edinburgh