Assad Says Europe Will Pay Price If It Arms Militants

ASSAD SAYS EUROPE WILL PAY PRICE IF IT ARMS MILITANTS

Foreign-backed militants in Syria (file photo)

Mon Jun 17, 2013 2:33PM GMT

LAST UPDATE
Discussions on the delivery of the weapons, including assault rifles,
shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades, and antitank missiles to
Syria militants came days after foreign-sponsored militants suffered
heavy losses in confrontation with the Syrian Army.”

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‘hits’ on Syria Syrian President Bashar al-Assad says European
countries will “pay the price” if they send weapons to foreign-backed
militants in the Arab country.

“If the Europeans deliver weapons, then Europe’s backyard will become
terrorist-like, and Europe will pay the price for it,” Assad was quoted
as saying by German daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Monday.

“Terrorists will become battle-skilled and return laden with extremist
ideology,” he added.

Assad also rejected US, British and French claims that Syrian forces
had used chemical weapons against the foreign-backed militants fighting
in the country.

“If Paris, London and Washington had even one piece of evidence for
their claims, they would have presented it public,” he said.

Syria’s deputy foreign minister, Faisal Muqdad, also criticized
discussions by Western countries on arming Syria militants saying they
are “incitement to murder and unacceptable on a human and moral level.”

“This is the principle of those who want continued killing in Syria,”
Muqdad added.

The comments came after US President Barack Obama ordered his
administration last week to provide militants in Syria with weapons,
claiming that the Syrian government had crossed Washington’s “red line”
for using chemical weapons against the militants.

Both Britain and France have also discussed the prospect of arming
the militants, who have been battling to overthrow the government of
President Bashar al-Assad for more than two years.

Discussions on the delivery of the weapons, including assault rifles,
shoulder-fired rocket-propelled grenades, and antitank missiles to
Syria militants came days after foreign-sponsored militants suffered
heavy losses in confrontation with the Syrian Army.

The Syria crisis began in March 2011, and many people, including
large numbers of government forces, have been killed.

PG/SS

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/06/17/309488/assad-warns-europe-on-syria-rebels-arms/