EU ends arms embargo against Syrian rebels

BRUSSELS: The European Union agreed Monday to lift its embargo against arming Syrian rebels, but no member state intends to send any arms in the coming months for fear of endangering a US-Russia peace initiative.

After a gruelling 12 hours of talks in Brussels, British Foreign Secretary William Hague announced the deal to lift the arms embargo against the rebels, while maintaining the remainder of a far-reaching two-year package of sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's regime.