Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar funding terrorists: Syria’s parliament speaker

In an interview, Mohammed Jihad al-Laham said on Friday that the three countries fund and arm terrorist groups fighting against the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

He also accused Ankara of following an American policy with regard to Syria. Most of the weapons sent to armed groups in Syria are said to be smuggled across the Turkish border.

"The Turkish government is deliberately escalating the crisis in Syria, it has given shelter to armed gangs, has supplied them with communication equipments and has helped them infiltrate into Syria. Unfortunately this (Ankara's) stand shows that it is colluding and implementing US agenda in Syria," Laham said.

The Syrian parliament speaker also accused Saudi and Qatari TV channels, Al-Arabiya and Al-Jazeera, of waging a media campaign against Damascus by broadcasting false information about events unfolding in Syria.

Laham's remarks came two days after Switzerland suspend arms shipments to the United Arab Emirates following a report that Swiss-made hand grenades are being used by armed gangs in Syria.

The move came after Switzerland's Sonntagszeitung newspaper published a photo of a Swiss-made grenade in possession of anti-Damascus forces in the Syrian town of Marea, north of Aleppo, in June. The revelation shocked Swiss officials because Bern has not sold any weapons to Syria since 1998.

The Federal Department of Economic Affairs (FDEA) says 225,162 hand grenades were exported to the UAE, who signed an agreement not to re-export the munitions.

"As far as the FDEA is aware, the hand grenade ... originates from a RUAG shipment to the United Arab Emirates in 2003. At present there is no evidence that Swiss hand grenades have found their way to Syria; inquiries are ongoing, however," the government statement said.