Will the European Union take a decision to lift its arms embargo on supplying arms to the Syrian rebels fighting against the regime of President Basha al-Assad ?
The Syrian conflict, while not a formal agenda item for the EU summit, was at the forefront of the meeting of the 27 EU leaders on Friday in Brussels after France and Britain pressed their partners to lift the embargo, with French President Francois Hollande even warning that his country could go it alone if no EU agreement is reached.
But while the 27 EU leaderds couldn’t agree on a common position on this issue, they decided to task the EU Foreign Ministers to continue the discussion on the "pros and cons" of lifting the embargo.
"The issue of lifting the embargo was raised by some countries. We agreed to ask the Foreign Ministers to urgently examine the situation at their informal meeting next week in Dublin and to come up with a common position," said EU Council Presdident Herman Van Rompuy at a press conference after the EU summit.
Speaking to reporters, British Prime Minister Cameron expressed the hope that “further progress will be made” “I sense that there was a good understanding ... that what is happening now is not working”
He also addressed the question of arms going to Islamist extremists among the Syrian rebels. :
“That is what has happened already. And actually it’s important for countries like Britain, France, working with the Americans, working with other allies in the Gulf, to help the opposition, to work with the opposition, to shape the opposition, and to make sure that it is those parts of the opposition that support a democratic and pluralistic Syria,” Cameron said.
Earlier this week, Cameron told a parliamentary committee in London that he hoped to persuade his European partners to lift the embargo, “but if we can’t then it’s not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way.”
The French president justified his call on Thursday to increase help to the Syrian opposition after a two-year uprising against the Syrian regime by saying that weapons were being delivered by Russia to Assad's forces.
"We want the Europeans to lift the arms embargo - not to go towards a total war, we think a political transition must be the solution for Syria - but we must accept our responsibilities," he said Thursday as he arrived at the two-day EU summit.
"We cannot allow a people to be massacred as it is being today," he said, adding that France and Britain have the same position on the issue.
"If by chance one or two countries were to block the move, I can't speak for others, but France itself would take its responsibilities," Hollande told reporters.
But while he said he would continue to work for a common EU position, he also insisted that such a position needs to be agreed in the next weeks.
Asked if there could be a unified Franco-British effort to arm the rebels, French Foreign Miniuster Laurent Fabius replied, “Exactly.”
He said direct intervention in Syria was not possible, but it was time to move to a new stage. “Bashar Assad doesn’t want to budge because he thinks he has permanent superiority in weapons. Lifting the embargo is one of the only ways left to move the situation politically”.
The arms embargo was decided as part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that rolls over every three months. An extension agreed in February expires on June 1.
Without unanimous agreement to renew or amend it, the embargo lapses, along with the sanctions.
Germany has until now opposed lifting the embargo on the ground that arming the rebels would lead to a proxy war between Europe on the one hand and Russia and Iran, who are providing weapons to Assad’s regime, on the other.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Friday that the EU “should be cautious” as “this could lead to Syria’s regime receiving even more arms by the countries that support it.” Sweden, Finland and Austria also oppose lifting the arms ban.
The US has shied away from arming the rebels because of the presence of Islamists linked to al-Qaeda among them.
Earlier this week, in an address to the European Parliament in Strasbourg, Israeli President Shimon Peres called on the Arab League to intervene in Syria “to stop the massacre”.
“The Arab League can and should form a provisional government in Syria to stop the massacre, to prevent Syria from falling to pieces. The United Nations should support the Arab League to build an Arab force in blue helmets. »