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| Hague says UK could arm Syrian rebels if situation worsens | Hague says UK could arm Syrian rebels if situation worsens |
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| The UK might start arming Syrian rebels if the death toll and humanitarian crisis continue to worsen, making it necessary to do "something new to save lives", William Hague said on Sunday. | The UK might start arming Syrian rebels if the death toll and humanitarian crisis continue to worsen, making it necessary to do "something new to save lives", William Hague said on Sunday. |
| The foreign secretary is due to make a statement to parliament this week detailing a new package of aid to the rebels, following a relaxation last week of the EU rules on what can be sent to Syria. It is expected to include body armour and civilian vehicles reinforced to provide protection against shrapnel. Hague said the new aid would be non-lethal, excluding weapons and ammunition, but he stressed that policy could change as the conflict continues. | The foreign secretary is due to make a statement to parliament this week detailing a new package of aid to the rebels, following a relaxation last week of the EU rules on what can be sent to Syria. It is expected to include body armour and civilian vehicles reinforced to provide protection against shrapnel. Hague said the new aid would be non-lethal, excluding weapons and ammunition, but he stressed that policy could change as the conflict continues. |
| "I don't rule out anything for the future. If this is going to go on for months, or years, and more tens of thousands of people are going to die, and countries like Iraq and Lebanon and Jordan are going to be destabilised, it is not something we can ignore," the foreign secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. | "I don't rule out anything for the future. If this is going to go on for months, or years, and more tens of thousands of people are going to die, and countries like Iraq and Lebanon and Jordan are going to be destabilised, it is not something we can ignore," the foreign secretary told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show. |
| "If ever we get into that situation [of supplying weapons to the opposition] the risks of arms falling into the wrong hands is one of the great constraints. And it is one of the reasons we don't do it now. But these things are a balance of risk. You can reach consensus eventually when humanitarian need is so great and the loss of life is so great that you have to do something new to save lives. That's why I don't rule it out in the future." | "If ever we get into that situation [of supplying weapons to the opposition] the risks of arms falling into the wrong hands is one of the great constraints. And it is one of the reasons we don't do it now. But these things are a balance of risk. You can reach consensus eventually when humanitarian need is so great and the loss of life is so great that you have to do something new to save lives. That's why I don't rule it out in the future." |
| In an interview with the Sunday Times, president Assad yesterday denounced Britain for its leading role in pushing for more help to the rebels, accusing the government of neocolonialism. | In an interview with the Sunday Times, president Assad yesterday denounced Britain for its leading role in pushing for more help to the rebels, accusing the government of neocolonialism. |
| "To be frank, Britain has played a famously unconstructive role in our region on different issues for decades, some say for centuries," the Syrian leader said in an interview with the Sunday Times. "The problem with this government is that their shallow and immature rhetoric only highlights this tradition of bullying and hegemony." | "To be frank, Britain has played a famously unconstructive role in our region on different issues for decades, some say for centuries," the Syrian leader said in an interview with the Sunday Times. "The problem with this government is that their shallow and immature rhetoric only highlights this tradition of bullying and hegemony." |
| He derided Britain's stated aim of strengthening moderate rebel groups, arguing no such thing existed. | He derided Britain's stated aim of strengthening moderate rebel groups, arguing no such thing existed. |
| "The British government wants to send military aid to moderate groups in Syria, knowing all too well that such moderate groups do not exist in Syria; we all know that we are now fighting al-Qaida or Jabhat al-Nusra, which is an offshoot of al-Qaida, and other groups of people indoctrinated with extreme ideologies. This is beyond hypocritical," Assad said. | "The British government wants to send military aid to moderate groups in Syria, knowing all too well that such moderate groups do not exist in Syria; we all know that we are now fighting al-Qaida or Jabhat al-Nusra, which is an offshoot of al-Qaida, and other groups of people indoctrinated with extreme ideologies. This is beyond hypocritical," Assad said. |
| Hague responded by telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "This will go down as one of the most delusional interviews that any national leader has given in modern times." | Hague responded by telling the BBC's Andrew Marr Show: "This will go down as one of the most delusional interviews that any national leader has given in modern times." |
| The comments by Assad dampened hopes of peace negotiations that had been raised in Moscow last week by his foreign minister, Walid Muallem, who said the regime was ready to talk with the opposition. Assad said talks could only take part with those elements of the opposition that were "loyal to Syria" and who "surrender their arms". He appeared to exclude the main opposition group, the National Coalition, arguing "the Syrian people do not recognise them or take them seriously". | The comments by Assad dampened hopes of peace negotiations that had been raised in Moscow last week by his foreign minister, Walid Muallem, who said the regime was ready to talk with the opposition. Assad said talks could only take part with those elements of the opposition that were "loyal to Syria" and who "surrender their arms". He appeared to exclude the main opposition group, the National Coalition, arguing "the Syrian people do not recognise them or take them seriously". |
| Today in an attempt to strengthen its ties with rebels inside Syria, the head of the coalition, Moaz al-Khatib, visited areas under their control near the northern city of Aleppo, which has been the focus of intense fighting in recent months. Khatib has offered to open talks with the Damascus regime, without insisting on the opposition's earlier precondition of Assad stepping down, but demanding the government release 160,000 political prisoners. | Today in an attempt to strengthen its ties with rebels inside Syria, the head of the coalition, Moaz al-Khatib, visited areas under their control near the northern city of Aleppo, which has been the focus of intense fighting in recent months. Khatib has offered to open talks with the Damascus regime, without insisting on the opposition's earlier precondition of Assad stepping down, but demanding the government release 160,000 political prisoners. |
| National Coalition officials emerged from a meeting of their western and Arab backers in Rome on Thursday confident the European arms embargo would begin to crumble in the next few months and that Washington would also drop its ban on arming the rebels. They said that in recent weeks they have been allowed by Turkey to smuggle in more sophisticated types of weapons, including anti-tank missiles. | National Coalition officials emerged from a meeting of their western and Arab backers in Rome on Thursday confident the European arms embargo would begin to crumble in the next few months and that Washington would also drop its ban on arming the rebels. They said that in recent weeks they have been allowed by Turkey to smuggle in more sophisticated types of weapons, including anti-tank missiles. |
| The website of the French newspaper, Le Figaro, yesterday quoted a French military source in the Middle East as saying that US, British and French special forces were already training Syrian rebels in Jordan, at the King Abdallah Special Operation Training Centre north of Amman. | The website of the French newspaper, Le Figaro, yesterday quoted a French military source in the Middle East as saying that US, British and French special forces were already training Syrian rebels in Jordan, at the King Abdallah Special Operation Training Centre north of Amman. |
| The New York Times last week also quoted senior US officials as saying that American soldiers were helping train Syrian rebels "at a base in the region" . In his Le Figaro blog, the journalist Georges Malbrunot cited a source as saying the training mission began "before the end of last year". | The New York Times last week also quoted senior US officials as saying that American soldiers were helping train Syrian rebels "at a base in the region" . In his Le Figaro blog, the journalist Georges Malbrunot cited a source as saying the training mission began "before the end of last year". |
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