EU talks on Syria arms embargo 'fail'

Al Jazeera English

European Union nations have failed to reach an agreement on whether to arm Syria's rebels when an embargo expires at the end of this week, Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger said.

EU foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday to bridge their differences over the issue, with Britain and France pushing to allow European governments to deliver arms. Austria and several other EU capitals oppose such moves.

"I regret that after long talks it was not possible to find a compromise with the UK and France," Spindelegger told reporters.

Other EU diplomats said more discussions would be held later in the evening and it was not clear whether a new attempt at finding a compromise would be made.

Opponents of relaxing the arms embargo say more weapons would only lead to more violence.

The regime of President Bashar al-Assad has been using extensive firepower against lightly armed rebel factions.

More than 94,000 people have died since the uprising against Assad's regime erupted in March 2011, according to the latest UN figures.

Peace talks

Both sides have agreed in principle to enter direct talks in the Swiss city of Geneva next month, backed by both the US and Russia.

Nations who back arming of the opposition say it would create a level playing field that would force Assad into a negotiated settlement.

“It is important to show we are prepared to amend our arms embargo so that the Assad regime gets a clear signal that it has to negotiate seriously,'' William Hague, UK foreign secretary, said ahead of Monday's meeting.

The date, agenda and list of participants for the so-called Geneva 2 conference remain unclear, and wide gaps persist about its objectives.

The opposition Syrian National Coalition, which has been meeting in the Turkish city of Istanbul since Thursday, has yet to reach an official position on the peace initiative.

Any decision on the EU arms embargo would require unanimity among the 27 member states, but failing to come up with a decision would leave options for individual member states open.

Beyond the moral question of providing arms in a civil war, there are also fears that delivering weapons to the opposition would open the way for groups considered to be extremist to get hold of weapons that could then be targeted against the EU.

Over the past two years, the EU has steadily increased the restrictive measures against the Assad regime, including visa restrictions and economic sanctions.

In February, it also amended a full arms embargo to allow for non-lethal equipment and medicine to protect the civilians in the conflict.

If not renewed, all those measures expire at the end of the month.

Source: Agencies