Barack Obama backs effort to recover Arab Spring assets

Doha, Qatar: US President Barack Obama is pledging American support for Arab Spring nations seeking to recover assets from their toppled regimes. Mr Obama says the return of the money - which he estimates could be billions of dollars - is needed to help rebuild and stabilise countries such as Egypt, Libya and Tunisia.

Mr Obama delivered the message on Tuesday in a video address of a conference on ways to track and reclaim state funds from the deposed rulers. The three-day meeting in Qatar's capital Doha includes senior US envoys and delegates from around the Middle East.

Qatar and other Gulf states are strong backers of Syrian rebels fighting the forces of President Bashar Assad. They favour aggressive measures to freeze assets of the Syrian government.