Assad slams UK effort to arm rebels

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has criticized Britain for pushing to end the European Union’s arms embargo against militants fighting against the Damascus government.

The Syrian president said on Sunday that the British government was “naive, confused, [and] unrealistic” in its approach to the crisis in his country and accused London of being determined to militarize the situation.

Assad made the remarks in an interview with the UK’s Sunday Times newspaper and in response to Britain’s recent efforts to exempt militants from an EU arms embargo imposed against Syria.

Assad also rejected the possibility of help from Britain to end almost two years of unrest in his country, saying, “We do not expect an arsonist to be a firefighter.” He said Britain’s history in the Middle East shows that it lacks credibility in dealing with the Syrian crisis.

In his interview, the Syrian president once again invited the opposition to peace talks, if they are willing to put down their weapons. Assad, however, said he will not engage in dialogue with terrorist groups.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said in a TV interview on Sunday that Britain is considering supplying arms to Syrian opposition to fight against government forces, Reuters reported.

Syria has been experiencing unrest since mid-March 2011, and many people, including large numbers of security personnel, have been killed in the violence.

The Syrian government says the chaos is being orchestrated from outside the country and there are reports that a very large number of the militants are foreign nationals.