{"id":17889,"date":"2013-03-01T11:07:26","date_gmt":"2013-03-01T16:07:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/?p=17889"},"modified":"2013-03-01T18:08:18","modified_gmt":"2013-03-01T23:08:18","slug":"news-round-up-1-march-2013","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/joshualandis.com\/blog\/news-round-up-1-march-2013\/","title":{"rendered":"News Round Up (1 March 2013)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Give Us the Weapons We Need to Beat Assad<\/a>
\nThe chief of staff of the opposition Syrian Military Joint Command calls on the United States to provide arms, not just non-lethal aid.
\nBY SALIM IDRIS (Commander of the Military Joint Command of the Free Syrian Army)| MARCH 1, 2013 – FP<\/p>\n

…The Syrian Military Joint Command has built strong links with FSA brigades around the country in order to develop a countrywide military strategy. But there is only so much that can be done without the determined support of the United States. What Syrians need today to bring an end to the conflict are anti-aircraft weapons systems, not more words…..<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Syria crisis: European countries expected to start arming rebels<\/a>
\nSyrian opposition representative in UK says ‘breakthrough’ is expected after relaxation of EU rules
\nJulian Borger, The Guardian, Friday 1 March 2013<\/p>\n

\"\"William Hague at the Friends of Syria meeting in Rome, where he stressed that military aid was possible in future.<\/p>\n

Some European countries are expected to break with Washington and start supplying the Syrian rebels with weapons in the next few months, the representative of the Syrian opposition in Britain has told the Guardian. The National Coalition’s London representative, Walid Saffour, predicted that by the next meeting of the western and Arab Friends of Syria group in Turkey, due in late spring or early summer, “there will be a breakthrough that will end the restrictions of the European countries”.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n