Britain and France said on Tuesday they did not have to wait until August 1 to arm rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, contradicting European Union officials, but both countries stressed they had no plans to do so yet.
EU governments failed to renew an EU arms embargo on Monday due to differences in opinion, opening the way for Britain and France to supply weapons. But EU officials said the two countries had made a commitment not to do so before August 1.
“I must correct one thing of concern. I know there has been some discussion of some sort of August deadline. That is not the case,” Foreign Secretary William Hague told mediaadding that Britain was not “excluded” from acting before then, but that it would not act alone if it chose to do so.
French Foreign Ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot said Paris also reserved the right to send arms immediately to Syrian rebels but had no plans to do so.
He said France hoped there would be a breakthrough in finding a political solution over the next two months, but that the EU decision was a political declaration with no legal basis.
When he was asked on Tuesday whether France could also deliver weapons before August 1, he simply said: “Yes”.
{reuters}
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