UK hints at bypassing Syria arms embargo

British Prime Minister David Cameron has said that it could break with a European Union arms embargo on Syria to allow the flow of weapons to anti-government rebels battling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. “I hope that we can persuade our European partners, if and when a further change becomes necessary, they will agree with us,” Cameron told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday. “But if we can’t, then it’s not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way. It’s possible,” he added. The arms embargo is part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that currently roll over every three months, with the last extension achieved with the agreement of all 27 EU members on March 1. Without unanimous agreement between all EU members to either renew or amend the ban in three months’ time, the embargo becomes void. Britain pushed for and won an agreement to amend the embargo to allow the supply of non-lethal equipment such as body armour and armoured vehicles to rebels, but warned that in future it might act alone. Also on Tuesday, France hinted that it would push to get a European Union arms embargo on Syria lifted, saying the balance of power in the country had to change so President Bashar al-Assad understood he could not win by military force.