France wants to be able to arm Syrian rebels [View all]

[Bosonic]

Source: AP

PARIS (AP) — 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, the French foreign minister said Thursday.

Laurent Fabius suggested France and Britain are ready to brush aside concerns by other European countries about the embargo in their push to help the Syrian opposition, but the British side was more cautious on its position.

Russia, which is supplying weapons to the Syrian military, strongly opposes arms supplies to the rebels — and some international diplomats warn that more weapons is the last thing that Syria needs right now after a two-year civil war that has left 70,000 dead.

"Lifting the embargo is one of the only means left to make things move politically" in Syria, Fabius said on France-Info radio.

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