United Kingdom ready to bypass EU arms embargo to help Syrian rebels 1403131

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Defence News - United Kingdom
 
 
Thursday, March 14, 2013, 09:23 AM
 
United Kingdom ready to bypass EU arms embargo to help Syrian rebels.
Britain's Cameron has noted that if the EU refused to lift the arm embargo imposed against arming the Syrian rebels, his country would bypass the embargo and act solely. Politically, Britain and France seem to have become more eager to arm the rebels on ground in the hope of tipping the balance of fighting in favor of the rebels.
     
Britain's Cameron has noted that if the EU refused to lift the arm embargo imposed against arming the Syrian rebels, his country would bypass the embargo and act solely. Politically, Britain and France seem to have become more eager to arm the rebels on ground in the hope of tipping the balance of fighting in favor of the rebels.
"Britain is to keep open its options on providing arms to Syrian rebels after David Cameron indicated that Britain would be prepared to bypass the EU arms embargo if other member states refuse to lift the measure in May,"
     

Multiple mortar shells landed at the area between Damascus' districts of Kafar Souseh and Fahameh, killing three people and injuring 50 others, the state-run SANA news agency said. The UK- based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, meanwhile, placed the number of those killed at five, including two children.

The Observatory said the mortars landed in the vicinity of the State Intelligence branch in that area near an orphanage, adding that the number of killed may rise due to grave condition of some wounded people.

"Britain is to keep open its options on providing arms to Syrian rebels after David Cameron indicated that Britain would be prepared to bypass the EU arms embargo if other member states refuse to lift the measure in May," the Guardian said Wednesday following Cameron's discussion with a parliamentary committee.

"I hope that we can persuade our European partners, if and when a further change becomes necessary, they will agree with us," Cameron told a parliamentary committee. "But if we can't, then it' s not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way. It's possible," he added.

Last week, Cameron approved the provision of providing four- wheel drive armored vehicles and body armor for Syrian opposition rebels as part of a 9.4 million Euro package of non-lethal equipment.

Meanwhile, France has hinted that it would urge the EU to agree to amend the arms embargo to allow the supply of arms as it called for a "new balance of power" in Syria.