France wants to arm Syrian rebels

Members of a Syrian Shi'ite armed group known as "Popular Committees" pose with their weapons in Zayta February 26, 2013.

Members of a Syrian Shi'ite armed group known as "Popular Committees" pose with their weapons in Zayta February 26, 2013.

Published Mar 14, 2013

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Paris - The French foreign minister says France is ready to help arm Syrian opposition fighters and is pushing for an urgent European Union meeting on lifting its arms embargo on Syria.

Asked if France should arm the rebels, Laurent Fabius said on France-Info radio Thursday that it's “one of the only means left to make things move politically” in Syria.

Asked if France and Britain could join efforts to arm the opposition, Fabius said, “to lift the embargo, exactly.” He said France and Britain will ask for an EU meeting on lifting the embargo “now,” possibly by the end of this month. The current embargo expires in May.

Some EU officials say more weapons are not what is needed in Syria, after 70 000 people have been killed in the two-year conflict. - Sapa-AP

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