EU’s decision to lift arms embargo on Syrian rebels is a ‘dangerous’ game: Iran

TEHRAN,May 29(MNA) – Iran on Tuesday severely criticized the European Union for its decision to lift an arms embargo on Syrian rebels fighting the central government. Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Abbas Araqchi, during his weekly press briefing, called it a “dangerous decision” which will further complicate the Syrian crisis. Europe, through adopting such wrong policies, has simply increased the threats against itself, he added. On Monday, European foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss whether to extend an arms embargo on the Syrian rebels, which will expire on June 1. However, after 12 hours of talks they failed to agree on the same, particularly with Britain and France pushing to allow European governments to arm the Syrian opposition groups. British Foreign Secretary William Hague claimed it “sends a clear signal to the Assad regime that it has to negotiate seriously, and that all options remain on the table if it refuses to do so.” According to Aljazeera, Austria, Sweden, Finland and the Czech Republic are extremely reticent about pouring more arms into Syria, saying relaxing the arms embargo would only lead to more violence. Austrian Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger told reporters, “I regret that after long talks it was not possible to find a compromise with the UK and France.”