英闻天下——398 EU Official Killed in Damascus Rocket Attack

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　　Catherin Ashton says policy officer Ahmad Shihadeh was killed during a rocket attack while working in the suburbs of Damascus.

 

　　"Can I begin by saying I have learned with great sadness of the tragic¹ death yesterday of Ahmad Shihadeh, a policy officer at the EU Delegation² in Syria. He was killed during a rocket attack on the Damascus suburb of Deraya, where he lived. Ahmad died while providing humanitarian³ help to the community."

 

　　Shihadeh's death comes as Britain and France put more pressure on other EU members to lift a ban on supplying arms to Syria.

 

　　Ashton, who's presiding over a session of the European Parliament, says urgent steps need to be taken to end the fighting in Syria.

 

　　"I want to be clear too, that on the occasions this year when I have put the arms embargo⁴ on the agenda of the Foreign Affairs Council with all options to be discussed, no member state has proposed it'd be lifted to arm the opposition⁵."

 

　　Germany has emerged as the main opponent to arming the Syrian rebels, suggesting any move like that could lead to a proliferation of weapons in the region, and could potentially spark a proxy⁶ war.

 

　　The Russian government is also opposed to any move to supply arms to the Syrian rebels.

 

　　Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov is in London for talks with his counterpart William Hague.

 

　　"I think that international law provides for the fact it's not possible and I think that arming the opposition is a breach⁷ of international law."

 

　　For his part, Hague says Britain has not "ruled out anything in the future."

 

　　The British government has already promised to give "non-lethal" assistance to Syrian rebels.

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