British MPs urge Cameron to support arming Syrian rebels
Alistair Burt, a politician who oversaw Syria policy for three years, told Al Arabiya News Channel that it is time to back the moderate Syrian opposition
Members of the British parliament urged Prime Minister David Cameron this week to consider arming the Syrian opposition and support a transitional period in Syria without President Bashar al-Assad.
Politicians from the parliament's three main parties urged in a letter published by the The Times newspaper, Cameron to “redress the military disadvantage” in the conflict.
Alistair Burt, a politician who oversaw Syria policy for three years, told Al Arabiya News Channel that it is time to back the main Syrian Opposition Council and the Free Syrian Army.
"Time has come to be clearly behind the Syria opposition council and the Free Syrian Army as we head toward Geneva II and to make clear that one of our worries is the imbalance of forces and to hope the Geneva [meeting] will do something to redress this," Burt told Al Arabiya News Channel.
The lawmakers also called for charting "the transition to a Syria free of Assad’s rule” during the upcoming Syrian peace conference, Geneva II.
And to ensure that opposition forces on the ground have what enables them to confront the Assad regime
"We were one of those states that argued that the arms embargo should be weakened to allow the moderate opposition to have the chance to defend themselves," Burt added.
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