Britain will urge the European Union to “amend” its arms embargo on Syria to allow equipment like body armour and chemical detectors to be given to the rebel alliance, according to William Hague.
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad (left) and the Foreign Secretary William Hague Photo: AP/EPA
By David Blair
3:29PM GMT 10 Jan 2013
The Foreign Secretary told the Commons that the “intransigence and brutality” of Syria's regime were such that its people risked a further escalation of their civil war. “If that happens,” he added, “the international community's response will have to be stepped up. So we will not rule out any options to save lives and protect civilians.”
Mr Hague released a further £2 million of “non-lethal” support for President Bashar al-Assad's opponents, bringing the total amount of British help to £9.4 million. Last November, Britain helped ensure that the EU arms embargo on Syria was extended for only three months instead of a year.
When this measure comes up for renewal before March 1, Mr Hague said that it should be watered down to allow the option of supplying a broader range of non-lethal equipment. “We should send a strong signal to Assad that all options are on the table. We will therefore seek to amend the EU sanctions so that the possibility of additional assistance is not closed off,” said the Foreign Secretary.
Britain has not decided what extra support to offer, he added. But in answer to questions, Mr Hague noted that the present arms embargo “covers equipment such as body armour, helmets and certain kinds of communication equipment”. He added: “I think it's easy to see that there might be a case for flexibility on certain kinds of equipment like that.”
Last month, America publicly warned that any use of Syria's arsenal of chemical weapons would be a “tragic mistake”. Mr Hague pointed out that the present embargo bans the supply of “chemical detection equipment” designed to pick up the use of such weapons. “That may be a further area in which flexibility is required,” he said.
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Asked whether Britain would rule out giving weapons to the rebels, Mr Hague replied: “We're not taking any options off the table, we're not excluding any option given the worsening situation and given that no resolution to it is in sight at the moment. At the same time, I stress we haven't changed the British Government's policy on what we will supply.”
The chances of the conflict being resolved receded further yesterday when the regime accused Lakhdar Brahimi, the international peace envoy, of “flagrant bias”. A statement from the foreign ministry said: “Syria is shocked by the statements of Lakhdar Brahimi, who has overstepped his mandate.” Earlier this week, Mr Brahimi urged Mr Assad to step down as part of a peace settlement.
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