Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Space Travel News .




WAR REPORT
France wants talks on arming Syrian rebels
by Staff Writers
Paris (AFP) June 11, 2013


The Syrian conflict is at a "turning point" with regime forces gaining ground, the French foreign ministry said Tuesday, adding that it was time to review whether to arm the opposition.

President Bashar al-Assad's regime has pledged to focus its attention on the northern city of Aleppo after winning a strategic victory by retaking Qusayr, a strategically important town on the border with Lebanon.

"There are lessons to be drawn from what happened in Qusayr and what is happening in Aleppo," said ministry spokesman Philippe Lalliot.

"We are at a turning point in the Syrian war. What should we do under these conditions to reinforce the opposition armed forces? We have had these discussions with our partners, with the Americans, the Saudis, the Turks, many others...

"We cannot leave the opposition in the current state," he said.

Lalliot said a French official will on Saturday meet Salim Idriss, the chief of staff of the Free Syrian Army's Supreme Military Council.

The European Union, under pressure from Britain and France, last month failed to renew an arms embargo on Syria, leaving individual member states free from August 1 to supply weapons to the opposition, if they so decided.

Lalliot said no decision to deliver arms had been taken but the issue would be discussed and reviewed after the fall of Qusayr.

The United States and Russia are trying to organise a peace conference bringing together Assad's regime and the rebels in a bid to end the fighting that has claimed 94,000 lives since March 2011.

Amid wrangling between opposition leaders and a fierce debate over who should attend, the date for the talks initially slated for May has now slipped back to July at the earliest.

Lalliot said he did not believe it was a good time for the planned meeting given the weakening of the opposition's position in the face of the regime's military gains.

.


Related Links






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








WAR REPORT
Protest against Iraq PM blocks highway to Syria, Jorda
Ramadi, Iraq (AFP) Dec 23, 2012
About 2,000 Iraqi protesters, demanding the ouster of premier Nuri al-Maliki, blocked on Sunday a highway in western Iraq leading to Syria and Jordan, an AFP correspondent reported. The protesters, including local officials, religious and tribal leaders, turned out in Ramadi, the capital of Sunni province of Anbar, to demonstrate against the arrest of nine guards of Finance Minister Rafa al- ... read more


WAR REPORT
Sea Launch IS-27 FROB Report Complete

Europe launches record cargo for space station

New chief urges Ariane 5 modification for big satellites

The Future of Space Launch

WAR REPORT
Mars Rover Opportunity Trekking Toward More Layers

SciTechTalk: Mars rover readies for 'road trip' on the Red Planet

First woman in space ready for 'one-way flight to Mars'

Aging Mars rover makes new water discoveries

WAR REPORT
LADEE Arrives at Wallops for Moon Mission

NASA's GRAIL Mission Solves Mystery of Moon's Surface Gravity

Moon dust samples missing for 40 years found in Calif. warehouse

Unusual minerals in moon craters may have been delivered from space

WAR REPORT
Planning Accelerates For Pluto Encounter

'Vulcan' wins Pluto moon name vote

Public to vote on names for Pluto moons

The PI's Perspective: The Seven-Year Itch

WAR REPORT
Kepler Stars and Planets are Bigger than Previously Thought

Astronomers gear up to discover Earth-like planets

Stars Don't Obliterate Their Planets (Very Often)

'Dust trap' around distant star may solve planet formation mystery

WAR REPORT
Laser and photon propulsion improve spacecraft maneuverability

Sierra Nevada Corporation Begins Dream Chaser Main Hybrid Rocket Motor Testing

Production of Key Equipment Paves Way for NASA SLS RS-25 Testing

Boeing Completes Commercial Crew Spacecraft And Rocket Milestones

WAR REPORT
Tiangong-1 ready for docking and entry

Shenzhou-10 mission to teach students in orbit

China to host international seminar on manned spaceflight

General ready for second space mission

WAR REPORT
Chile observatory discovers 'comet factory'

Radar Movies Highlight Asteroid 1998 QE2 and Its Moon

ALMA discovers comet factory

New Camera At WIYN Images An Asteroid With A Long Tail




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement