EU leaders fail to agree on arming Syria rebels

EU leaders failed on Thursday to reach an agreement on arming Syrian rebels. The argument in favor of sending arms, supported primarily by France and Britain, is that more arms will enable the rebels to protect themselves and the civilian population against the heavy weaponry of the Assad regime. After a two-day summit, EU President Herman Van Rompuy said that foreign ministers, who will meet late next week in Dublin, will try to hash out a common position. He added that it is not abnormal at all that there are different sensitivities and different points of view on this issue. "There is growing feeling of frustration about the humanitarian situation in Syria and growing frustration about the lack of progress on the political front," said Van Rompuy. Rompuy said the 27 heads of state and government "discussed the dramatic situation in Syria and reaffirmed the EU's full engagement in international efforts to end the intolerable violence." Rompuy said that "during this morning's working session, the main topic was the state of play of our relationship with Russia." "We had a fruitful discussion on common interests and challenges as well as on of the best way to take the EU-Russia relationship further. We must find solutions for our differences, respecting our rules and values," he added.