US Senate votes to arm Syrian rebels

 
Bo Wilson22 May 2013

The US was a step closer to sending arms to rebels in Syria after a Senate panel voted overwhelmingly in favour of the action.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted 15-3 for legislation that would send arms to “vetted” moderate members of the Syrian opposition.

It was the first time US lawmakers have approved such military action in the two-year-old civil war in which more than 70,000 people are estimated to have died.

The measure will now be considered by the full Senate.

The issue of arming the rebels to hasten the end of the conflict has proved a struggle as Western leaders fear the weapons would fall into the wrong hands.

One of three US senators who opposed the bill, Democrat Tom Udall, said today: “I don’t think we know who we’re arming. And the truth is, it changes every day. Sometimes resistance fighters are fighting each other.”

Even backers of the bill said they believed that the United States had to act largely to mitigate the risks of not doing anything.

It comes as Syria’s main opposition coalition gave a tough stance on attending possible peace talks with President Bashar al-Assad’s regime.

Two senior members of the Syrian National Coalition said the group first wants iron-clad guarantees of Assad’s departure as part of any transition deal and more weapons for rebel fighters. The group’s position is due to be finalised in a three-day meeting of its General Assembly in Istanbul, Turkey, later this week.

An international peace conference jointly held by Russia and the US in Geneva next month is hoped to bring the sides together.

Over the weekend, Assad challenged the idea of transition talks and said he won’t step down before elections are held.

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