Syria criticises EU's lift of arms embargo on rebels

Syria's Foreign Ministry slammed on Tuesday the European Union's latest decision to lift an arms embargo on armed opposition as "hindering the international efforts to politically solve the Syrian crisis." "While keeping the economic sanctions imposed on the Syrian people, the EU allowed some of its members to render weapons to the terrorists in Syria contrary to what they claim about their concern over the interests of the Syrian people," the ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run SANA news agency. Singling out Britain and France for criticism, the ministry said the decision revealed those country's "political hypocrisy." A day earlier, the EU decided to lift arms embargo on Syria's opposition after France and Britain threw all their weight behind the ban-lift during marathon negotiations in Brussels amid reports that 25 of 27 EU governments opposed the Anglo-French policy. Meanwhile, the Syrian ministry said the decision runs counter to the international law and the charters of the United Nations.