Brussels, 13/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 12 March, the British prime minister, David Cameron, announced that the United Kingdom may provide weapons to the Syrian opposition, although the embargo is in place until at least 1 May. He explained that he hoped that he would be able to persuade his European partners to continue with a “European approach” and that they did “not have to break from a collaborative approach across the European Union”. Cameron stated, however, that, if the other member states do not agree, “it's not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way. It's possible”. He informed a parliamentary committee that the UK was “still an independent country” and “we can have an independent foreign policy”. He explained that, “if we felt action needed to be taken to help bring about change in Syria and felt our European partners were holding that back, we would have to change the approach”. He also indicated that his country had not yet taken a decision with regard to a possible veto on the arms embargo.
France will take action to make embargo more flexible
The United Kingdom, Italy and France support greater flexibility in the embargo but Germany and Sweden, along with other countries, have more misgivings about such an approach. Introducing greater flexibility or lifting the embargo requires unanimity from all member states. The French minister for foreign affairs, Laurent Fabius, called for the arms embargo to be lifted on 11 March (see EUROPE 10803) and underlined on 12 March at the foreign affairs committee of the French National Assembly, that “there is no mystery about France thinking about going further in the lifting of the embargo, given the European legal constraints. It seems to us that this position is fair. In the next few days, there will be a number of approaches that will be made in this direction”. He did not provide any further clarification. According to a senior French figure quoted by AFP, one of the French objectives would be to provide the opposition with anti-aircraft capability against the regime's helicopters and planes (ground to air missiles). This person explains that “the opponents need weapons that can counter attack aircraft”.
Fabius also stated that the French and Americans had been working over recent weeks with the Russians on the idea, “still not yet totally developed, of a list of Syrian leaders, who would be acceptable to the National Syrian Coalition”
EU points out that there must be a political solution
The spokesman for EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton pointed out that member states had just decided to extend sanctions for three months and to introduce greater flexibility regarding restrictions on non-lethal materials and technical assistance, to help the opposition and protect civilians (see EUROPE 10797). He added that the EEAS would continue to work with the member states and examine the question again at the next review, taking into account developments on the ground. He also pointed out that, in the meantime, member states would continue to work determinedly to help find a political solution, which they regarded as the only way of ending this crisis. (CG/transl.fl)