Paris, London to arm Syria rebels even without EU support
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A rebel fighter aims his weapon towards Syrian government forces' positions situated at the Menagh military airport near the northern city of Aleppo on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. France and Britain are prepared to arm Syrian rebels even without unanimous EU support, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Thursday, March 14, 2013. -- PHOTO: AFP
PARIS (AFP) - France and Britain are prepared to arm Syrian rebels even without unanimous EU support, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday.
Paris and London will call for moving up the date of the next European Union meeting on the Syria arms embargo, and will decide to arm the rebels if the 27-member EU does not give unanimous agreement, he said.
France and Britain ask "the Europeans now to lift the embargo so that the resistance fighters have the possibility of defending themselves," he told France Info radio.
If unanimous EU support for lifting the measure is lacking, the French and British governments will decide to deliver weapons, Fabius said.
