UK to provide training, military support to Syrian rebels – report December 11, 2012 - 20:08 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Britain is working with key international allies on plans to provide Syrian rebels with military training and air and naval support, it has been reported. The head of the armed forces, General Sir David Richards, hosted confidential talks in London a few weeks ago with military chiefs from France, Turkey, Jordan, Qatar and the UAE and a three-star US general to discuss strategy, Belfast Telegraph reported citing The Independent. The meeting was said to have been held at the request of Prime Minister David Cameron who has made no secret of his frustration at the failure of diplomatic efforts to end the violence which has claimed 40,000 lives. The UK Ministry of Defence on Monday, December 10 night confirmed it was carrying out contingency planning with international partners, including the US, but refused to be drawn on the details. According to The Independent, the countries involved have concluded that the 22-month old civil war has reached a tipping point and that intervention is essential to ensure the rebels finally topple the regime of president Bashar Assad. The report follows a series of strident warnings by the US administration that the regime is preparing to use chemical weapons against its own people. Partner news  Top stories Among its provisions are bans on child marriage and the traditional practice of selling and buying women to settle disputes. Jorge Rafael Videla, an austere former army commander, led Argentina during the bloodiest days of its Dirty War dictatorship. According to the United Nations, April was Iraq's bloodiest month for almost five years, with 712 people killed. Reports suggest the rebel fighters may have tried to blow up the walls of the prison, which holds some 4,000 inmates.   Partner news |  Latest news Benicio del Toro’s “Jimmy P” debuts in Cannes main competition  The film is telling of the relationship between a troubled native American vet and his equally idiosyncratic therapist.Weinstein’s RADiUS nabs cult helmer’s "Blue Ruin" at Cannes The story centers on a man who finds his quiet life upended by unwelcome news and sets off for his childhood home to carry out an act of revenge.North Korea launches another short-range missile - report The South Korean Defense Ministry said it had increased its monitoring of North Korea and was on standby to deal with any further developments.Lithuanian media expose Azeri fraud to buy Eurovision votes (video) Beside Lithuania, Austria, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Ireland, Malta, Montenegro and Russia gave Azerbaijan the highest points. |
