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Hague: Assad must obey peace plan or other countries will arm opposition
The Foreign Secretary said the reality was that some governments - although not Britain's - would supply weapons to Mr Assads enemies if this best hope for peace failed.
"What some countries are saying is 'if the Annan process does not work, we are going to have to look at arming the opposition'. At least, that's how I understand their position and that's what I think the reality is," said Mr Hague. Britain is bound by a European Union arms embargo on Syria and will only supply non-lethal equipment, he added. But the Foreign Secretary noted that other countries have a different position. "The Assad regime must engage properly with that process and implement the six-point plan because the calls by other countries not by the UK for arming the opposition will intensify if they don't do so," added Mr Hague. The Annan plan, he said, represented the "best hope of a peaceful transition". The regime, meanwhile, is suspected of endorsing the Annan plan merely as a ruse to buy time. Mr Hague made clear that he was alert to this danger, stressing that the peace plan "cannot be an indefinite process" and that Mr Annan should "provide timelines on what is going to happen over the coming days or weeks". For Britain, America and France, a "plan B" in the event of the failure of the Annan mission would be to return to the Security Council and seek a UN resolution to escalate the pressure on Mr Assad. They would attempt to win over Russia and China by pointing to the collapse of the latest peace effort. Posted by: Steve White 2012-04-02 |
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