TUNIS: The Saudi foreign minister says arming the rebels fighting the brutal regime of President Bashar Assad is ''an excellent idea.''

Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal went further than any of the other Friends of Syria nations meeting in Tunis Friday to increase pressure on Assad to call for a cease-fire, step down and allow humanitarian aid to flow to hard-hit areas.

Asked at the start of a meeting with US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton if he thought arming the Syrian opposition was a good idea, al-Faisal said: ''I think it's an excellent idea.'' Asked why, he said, ''Because they have to protect themselves.''

The group is demanding that Assad step down or face as-yet undefined punishments.