EU Lifts Embargo off Syrian Arms

Local Editor

The British Foreign Minister William Hague said the expiry of the European Union's arms embargo on Syria effectively ends the arms embargo on the foreign-sponsored militants operating in the country.

In an EU council meeting in Brussels on Monday, he stated that European Union foreign ministers reached an agreement to lift the arms embargo on militants in Syria but to maintain other sanctions on Syria.

Moreover, Hague stressed that all member states in the EU support the preparations of a Geneva conference on Syria.

 Hague further called on the opposition to attend the Geneva conference.

"While we have no immediate plans to send arms to Syria, it gives us the flexibility to respond in the future if the situation continues to deteriorate and worsen," Hague said.

The agreement allows individual EU members to provide weapons to the militants operating in Syria.

However, EU foreign policy Chief Catherine Ashton said, "Member states will not proceed at this stage with the delivery" of equipment.

The current arms embargo expires at the end of May, and with the possibility of the current policy expiring without a replacement, Hague claimed, "This is more important than whether the EU is able to stick together on every detail of this."

Source: News Agencies, edited by website team