Assad says 'bullying' Britain wants to arm terrorists in Syria
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the British government of wanting to arm “terrorists” in his country, in a rare interview with a UK newspaper.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has accused the British government of wanting to arm “terrorists” in his country, in a rare interview with a UK newspaper.
Britain has been pushing for the lifting of a European ban on arms supplies to Syrian rebels but at a meeting last month European Union foreign ministers decided instead to allow only “non-lethal” aid and “technical assistance” to flow to the Syria’s opposition.
The problem with this government is that their shallow and immature rhetoric only highlights this tradition of a bullying hegemony
Assad added that “Britain has played a famously unconstructive role in different issues for decades, some say for centuries – I’m telling you the perception in our region.
“The problem with this government is that their shallow and immature rhetoric only highlights this tradition of a bullying hegemony.”
The British government is currently bound by an EU arms embargo which European foreign ministers decided not to lift at a meeting in Brussels on February 18.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague had called for changes to the existing arms ban “so that we can provide a broader range of support to the National Coalition”, the opposition umbrella group in Syria.