Syria opposition hails French, UK move to arm rebels

(BEIRUT) - Syria's main opposition National Coalition welcomed an announcement by France on Thursday that it and Britain are ready to arm rebels fighting to oust the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

"We consider it a step in the right direction... Assad will not accept a political solution (to the conflict) until he realises he is faced with an (armed) force that will defeat him," said Coalition spokesman Walid al-Bunni.

"As long as the Europeans and the Americans do not arm the rebels, they are telling Assad to keep fighting.

"So long as Iran and Russia continue to support him (Assad), he will remain convinced that he will win" the war, the spokesman told AFP.

On the eve of the second anniversary of the outbreak of a revolt against Assad's regime, France said it and Britain were ready to arm Syria's rebels even without unanimous support in the European Union.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Paris and London would call for moving up the date of the next EU meeting on the Syria arms embargo, and would decide to arm the rebels if the 27-member body does not give unanimous agreement.

French officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Paris was considering providing the rebels with ground-to-air missiles to retaliate against air strikes by government troops.

The United Nations says at least 70,000 people have been killed in Syria's two-year conflict and another one million forced to flee the country as refugees.