The U.S. and Its Comrade in Arms, Al Qaeda, and other tales of an empire gone mad

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1. The US is in apparent violation of the EU quarantine against arms transiting to Syria

The EU arms embargo was tightened late July to require European countries to stem flow of arms transiting internationally into Syria. As pointed out, there are some parts of the mandate that limit arms flows to the opposition that date to last year. See, http://news.yahoo.com/europe-tightens-arms-embargo-against-syria-164448697--business.html ; http://www.consilium.europa.eu//uedocs/cms_data/docs/pressdata/EN/foraff/131963.pdf

As recently as this April, the US has led efforts, thus far unsuccessful, to impose an even more one-sided UN arms embargo that singles out the flow of arms to the regime.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union tightened an arms embargo on Syria and expanded other sanctions on Monday to try to hasten the end of the conflict between President Bashar al-Assad and rebels that is escalating towards civil war.

The new embargo rules require EU countries to search planes and ships, starting from Tuesday, if they suspect they are carrying arms, dual-use goods or equipment used for repression to Syria.

"These sanctions are important because they will allow ships to be examined to see what cargo they're carrying, and that will prevent, I hope, any arms reaching Syria," EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said at a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels.

The EU decision sharpens differences with Russia, which has provided the Syrian government with weaponry and has blocked Western moves to get a U.N. Security Council resolution threatening Syria with sanctions.

All 27 EU countries must enforce the sanctions - including Cyprus, which some Western diplomats suspect is used by Russia as a shipment route to supply arms to Assad. Cypriot President Demetris Christofias has dismissed this idea as "fairy tales".

Ashton said it would be up to EU governments to implement cargo inspections, which British Foreign Secretary William Hague said should damage Assad's access to weapons.

"I hope it will mean that the European Union will be more effective together at preventing any flow of arms to the Syrian regime," he said.

The tighter EU sanctions could also make it more difficult to supply weapons to Assad's opponents. U.S. intelligence officials say weapons funded by sympathizers in Saudi Arabia and Qatar are crossing the Lebanese border to the rebels.