Chemical Weapons Charge: Berlin Rules out Arms for Rebels

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http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/germany-says-it-will-not-provide-arms-to-syrian-rebels-a-905830.html

Washington has said it may soon move to supply weapons to Syrian rebels, a move that has been met with reserve by the international community. Western diplomats also told the news agency Reuters that the US government is considering a no-fly zone in Syria.

But despite reports that the regime of dictator Bashar Assad may have used chemical weapons, Germany says it has no plans to deliver arms to the rebels, a government spokesman said on Friday.

Steffen Seibert, spokesman for Chancellor Angela Merkel of the conservative Christian Democrats, said Germany would stick with its position of not providing weapons to a country engaged in a civil war for "legal reasons". The opposition had made the same demand. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry said it had no information of its own about the use of deadly poison gas by the regime in Damascus.

Although Germany doesn't intend to provide weapons aid, the country has been providing "non lethal support" since the beginning of June in the form of bullet-proof vests and first-aid kit deliveries to the Free Syrian Army.

[Laelth]

1. This is quite interesting.

The liberal democracies of Western Europe have a much harder time convincing their citizens to go to war. So, they rely on us to lead the charge. They've been pressuring us (quietly) to get involved in Syria for some time. Our increased involvement gives them what they want while also giving their governments cover. They get to tell their citizens that it's the US being aggressive, not us.



-Laelth