EU failure to renew arms embargo hurts Syria peace prospects - Russia

The failure of European Union to agree on a new arms embargo on Syria is undermining the peace process in the country, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said. "This does direct damage to the prospects for convening the international conference," he said. The statement comes after EU governments failed to agree on extending the arms embargo, effectively freeing their hands to supply the Syrian opposition with weapons. Ryabkov also said that Moscow and Washington remain undecided as to the content of a proposed international conference on Syria. "There remains a gap between the positions of Russia and the US regarding some issues and aspects of this major international crisis," he said. "And we, for our part, cannot agree to hold such events [as the international conference on Syria] amid a situation where partners and possible participants in such a conference seek to impose solutions on the Syrian people from outside, as well as predetermine the course of a transitional process, the parameters of which have not been determined yet," Ryabkov said.