U.S. welcomes EU's lifting of arms embargo on Syria

WASHINGTON, May 28 (Xinhua) -- The White House on Tuesday welcomed the European Union (EU)'s lifting of an arms embargo on Syria in support of the opposition, but criticized Russia's planned delivery of antiaircraft missiles to the Syrian government.

"We welcome the EU action," spokesman Jay Carney told reporters aboard Air Force One en route to New Jersey. "Support for the opposition is a track that we are pursuing."

"On the matter of Russian arms sales, we've made clear in the past and made clear again our firm belief that providing arms to the al-Assad regime does not bring us closer to the political transition that Syria deserves," he added.

The Unite States has been pushing for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's step-down to make way for a political transition in his country, but resisted calls for arming the opposition.

EU foreign ministers on Monday greenlighted the provision of arms following a push by Britain and France. Russia criticized the move and said it would deliver anti-aircraft missiles to Syria in a bid to deter foreign intervention in the country's ongoing conflict, which has entered its third year and killed more than 8, 000 people.

Washington and Moscow are trying to initiate a peace conference in Geneva next month in hopes of exploring ways to end the violence in the Middle East country.

We recommend:
AN-2 plane crashes in Jalal-Abad region, Kyrgyzstan	Graduation ceremonies of West Point held in New York	People mourn over British fallen soldier in London
'Abused' dolls displayed in Israel	City lit up during Vivid Sydney	Jewish wedding ceremony held in Jerusalem