EU lifts arms embargo on Syria rebels

European foreign ministers have lifted an arms embargo on Syria, paving the way for individual EU member states to provide weapons to the Syrian rebels.

The foreign ministers met in Brussels on Monday to bridge their differences over the issue, with Britain and France pushing to allow European governments to deliver arms.

After more than 12 hours of talks, EU governments failed to agree on extending the arms embargo, which effectively ends the EU's ban on supplying arms to the rebels.

It will be up to the member states to decide whether or not to deal arms with Syrian rebels, however there are no immediate plans to send weapons to rebels, at least until a revision of this decision will be taken after the conference in Geneva.

All other EU sanctions on the Assad regime will remain in place.

"It is not the best option but it's the one we could compromise," Foreign Affairs Minister George Vella said. The final decision poses controls and restrictions on the dealing of arms by Syrian rebels to protect themselves.

Foreign Ministers had three options up for discussions but it was clear from the morning session that no agreement or compromise would be reached on any three of them.

Vella said a final agreement was reached at the early hours of Tuesday morning. The agreement will enable arms deal with Syrian rebels for civilian protection. It will be supervised and controlled while sanctions in force against the Assad regime will be retained.

"But we do sincerely hope that the Syrian deadlock is resolved diplomatically. In this regard, Malta looks forward to the Geneva conference," the minister said.

The FAC meeting continues this morning and Overseas Development Aid is being discussed. Minister Vella is expected to return to Malta tonight.

Britain and France had been pressing for the ability to send weapons to what they call moderate opponents of President Assad, saying it would push Damascus towards a political solution to the two-year conflict.

An EU decision on whether Britain, France and others can begin carefully-controlled supplies of arms to the rebels will come in August at the earliest, and will depend on the outcome of an international peace conference next month organised by the US and Russia, our correspondent adds.