Arab backers seen as not yet ready to give up on Syrian rebels

By Sami Aboudi DUBAI (Reuters) - Gulf Arab states that have funded and armed the rebels fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are not yet ready to give up on aiding the insurgency, even as the rebels seem headed for defeat. The insurgents have also lost important territory in the suburbs of Damascus and elsewhere in recent months, with Assad now appearing closer to victory than at any point since protests against him evolved into an armed uprising five years ago. For much of the conf