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| Europe |
| EU lifts arms embargo on Syria rebels |
| 2013-05-27 |
| European Union foreign ministers have agreed not to renew the union's arms embargo on the Syrian opposition. But there was "no immediate decision to send arms" to Syrian rebels and all other sanctions remained in force, the UK Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a tweet. The decision came after lengthy talks in Brussels. A far-reaching package of sanctions against the government of Bashar al-Assad was due to expire on 1 June. Britain and France had been pressing to send weapons to what they call moderate opponents of President Assad, saying it would push Damascus towards a political solution to the two-year conflict. Mr Hague welcomed the outcome of the Brussels talks, saying it was "important for Europe to send a clear signal to the Assad regime that it has to negotiate seriously, and that all options remain on the table if it refuses to do so". But other countries had opposed the move, saying it would only worsen the violence that has already cost at least 80,000 lives. "Member states will not proceed at this stage with the delivery" of equipment that has until now been subject to the ban, EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton told reporters at a news conference. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #1 Europe Ends Arms Embargo For Syrian Rebels, Desperate To Break Russian NatGas Export Monopoly |
| Posted by: tipper 2013-05-27 19:01 |