[An Nahar] France and Britain are seeking to lift an EU embargo to enable them to arm Syrian rebels, arguing that Moscow's supply of weapons to Damascus is giving the regime an unfair edge, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday.His comments were welcomed by the Syrian opposition as a step in the right direction, but condemned by the regime of President Bashar Assad which said arming the rebels was "a flagrant violation" of international law.
The European Union is sharply divided over the issue, with some fearing that sending more weapons to Syria could further escalate a brutal two-year conflict that has left about 70,000 people dead according to U.N. figures.
Fabius said Paris and London plan to call for the next EU meeting on the weapons ban, currently planned for the end of May, to be held sooner.
"The position that we have taken with President Francois Hollande is to ask (the European Union) to lift the embargo on arms (to the rebels)" he said.
Fabius said Paris could decide to arm the rebels even if the 27-member body does not give unanimous agreement, underscoring that France "is a sovereign nation" and hinting at independent action.
The EU last month amended its embargo to allow member nations to supply "non-lethal" equipment and training to the opposition but stopped short of lifting the ban entirely.