(Vatican Radio) Russia confirmed today it was looking into giving the Syrian government
more high-powered missiles. The move comes one day after the European Union agreed
to lift its arms embargo for Syrian rebels, raising the prospect of a new foreign-fed
arms race in the Middle East.
Advocacy groups working for peace in Syria have
expressed their concerns about the end of the voluntary EU arms embargo.
The
decision to end the embargo “would not have been our choice,” said Jan Jaap van Oosterzee
of IKV Pax Christi. He emphasized the need to protect civilians, saying that “arming
the opposition, even with the best intentions, is probably not the best way” to do
that.
Given the likelihood that some countries would begin to arm rebel groups,
van Oosterzee called on those countries to “take a strong ‘protection of civilians’
perspective.” He said priorities should include determining “what sort of arms could
be important to protect civilians effectively” and ensuring that weapons are not lost
in the chaos. “That would be very difficult,” he said, and “that’s why we would not
advocate for it. But, if they are going to do it anyway, there are really steps they
can take to do it as responsibly as possible.”