02-05-2024 01:46 PM Jerusalem Timing

Canada Strongly Opposes Arming Syria Opposition

Canada Strongly Opposes Arming Syria Opposition

Canada’s top diplomat Tuesday warned of "more violence, more deaths and more destruction" in Syria that risks spilling over into neighboring countries if the European Union arms Syrian insurgents.

Canada: Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird Canada's top diplomat Tuesday warned of "more violence, more deaths and more destruction" in Syria that risks spilling over into neighboring countries if the European Union arms Syrian insurgents.

"My strong view is that the only way to end the suffering of the Syrian people is a political solution," Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird told reporters.

"Flooding the country and the region with more arms will lead to more violence, more deaths and more destruction, so certainly Canada has no intention of following suit," he said.

"Our strong concern is the number of radical jihadist which have entered parts of the opposition and in our view, that's not getting better, it's getting worse."

The EU agreed late Monday to lift its embargo on arming the Syrian opposition groups after much debate and a strong push by France and Britain.

Russia expressed disappointment Tuesday of the EU decision, saying it undermines the peace process in the country.

Syria was hit by a violent unrest since mid-March 2011, where the Syrian government accuses foreign actors of orchestrating the conflict, by supporting the militant opposition groups with arms and money.