‘EU to start arming militants in Syria’

The representative of the Syrian opposition coalition in the UK says some European countries will start sending arms to the militants in Syria following amendments in the EU’s sanctions on the Arab state.

The EU on Thursday changed its arms embargo on Syria to pave the way for dispatching armored vehicles, non-lethal military equipment and technical aid to the militants.

Walid Saffour told the Guardian on Friday that following the amendment, “there will be a breakthrough that will end the restrictions of the European countries” for supplying militants with weapons by the next meeting of the so-called Friends of Syria, slated to be held in Turkey in late spring or early summer.

“This would be for the ammunition we require, the quality weapons we need,” Saffour said, adding “We on the ground are advancing steadily but we are suffering from a lack of ammunition. We expect that to change at the next Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul.”

Another opposition figure familiar with arms transfers across Turkey’s borders into Syria said over the past few days the transfer of arms into Syria has been conducted more easily following orders by US and Turkish officials.

“Before, 23mm was the maximum caliber for anti-aircraft guns permitted and we were allowed to bring in RPGs [rocket-propelled grenades] but not armor-piercing shells. But there is a major shift on the ground now. The policy is changing,” the opposition source, not named in the report, said.

On Thursday, US Secretary of State John Kerry pledged an additional $60 million to Syria opposition directly in a policy shift intended to bolster groups fighting against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

“I think the shift in American attitudes goes far beyond the official reports. I think that Washington knows it can no longer allow to let the problem fester,” the opposition source added.

The report follows a revelation by The New York Times on Monday that Saudi Arabia has purchased weapons from Croatia over the past months and shipped them to the militants in Syria through Jordan.

One Western official told the Times that “thousands of rifles and hundreds of machine guns” and an unknown quantity of ammunitions were among the weapons shipped to Syria.