France mulls arming Syrian rebels

PARIS -- France raised the possibility yesterday of sending "defensive weapons" to Syria's rebels, but Russia warned that such a move would violate international law.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said his country will ask the European Union to consider lifting the Syrian arms embargo, which prevents weapons from being sent to either side.

"We must not militarize the conflict . . . but it's obviously unacceptable that there are liberated zones and they're bombed" by President Bashar Assad's regime, Fabius said in an interview with RTL radio. "We have to find a good balance."

The civil war, which began as an uprising against Assad's regime, has killed more than 36,000 Syrians since March 2011, according to anti-government activists. The fighting has descended into a bloody stalemate, and rebels say they desperately need weapons to turn the tide.

"The question of defensive arms will be raised," Fabius said, without providing details about what such arms would be. "This cannot be done without coordination between Europeans." The topic of Syria is sure to be on the agenda at the EU foreign ministers meeting Monday in Brussels.

France has taken a leading role among Western countries in supporting Syria's rebels. On Tuesday, it became the first Western nation to formally recognize Syria's newly formed opposition coalition.

Tomorrow, the president of the new coalition, preacher-turned activist Mouaz al-Khatib, 52, is to visit Paris and meet with President François Hollande. Al-Khatib is scheduled to hold talks a day earlier in London with British officials. -- AP