French FM warns against arming Syria oppositionMarch 16, 2012 - 19:50 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - France is against foreign powers arming the opposition groups fighting Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, because such a move could lead to civil war in the country, Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said, according to RFI. In 2011, France helped arm the Libyan rebels who overthrew Moamer Kadhafi, but Paris fears the opposition in Syria is too divided to form a credible armed force and that the situation on the ground is too volatile. "The Syrian people is deeply divided and if we give arms to a particular faction of the opposition we could trigger a civil war between Christians, Alawites, Sunnis and Shiites," Juppe warned, in a radio interview, adding "It could become an even bigger catastrophe than we have now." For the past year, Assad's forces have been brutally repressing a revolt against his rule, firing on civilian demonstrations and residential districts as well as fighting a small and disorganised armed uprising. Some Arab states, led by Saudi Arabia and Qatar, favour arming the rebels, but France and other Western powers still hope to secure a negotiated solution backed by a tough UN Security Council resolution condemning Assad. Permanent Council members China and Russia have so far blocked attempts to agree a motion calling on Assad to step down, a stance which Juppe said was based on a "bad medium term calculation" by Moscow. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Armenia, Turkey discuss restoration of historic bridge The meeting took place on May 17 in Ashgabat on the sidelines of an international conference of ministers of culture. India wants Armenia’s proposals on use of Chabahar port India is expecting proposals from Armenia regarding the use of Chabahar port in Iran, Indian ambassador says. EU welcomes Armenia-Azerbaijan “progress” The EU has welcomed “progress” made in the framework of the Armenia-Azerbaijan border delimitation process. Belarus opposition leader slams Lukashenko for Karabakh trip Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya has harshly criticized the visit of Lukashenko to Karabakh. |