PM: Lift Syria rebels arms ban

David Cameron says there are strong arguments for a change of tactics in Syria. The Prime Minister says there's a good understanding of that from other EU leaders.

European Union leaders have asked Foreign Ministers to assess an arms embargo on Syria during a meeting next Friday.

European Council President Herman Van Rompuy said:

"We agreed to task our foreign ministers to assess the situation as a matter of priority, already at their informal meeting next week in Dublin, and to develop common positions."

Today both Britain and France urged the rest of the EU to lift an embargo on supplying weapons to the Syrian opposition.

David Cameron says political progress is more likely in Syria if people can see the country's opposition is a credible and growing force.

The Prime Minister dismissed suggestions that if European governments began arming the opposition then weapons would end up in the hands of the wrong people. He said it was important for countries like Britain and France to work with other allies to help the opposition.

David Cameron was greeted by the French President Francois Hollande with a smile and a handshake at the EU Summit in Brussels this morning.

Even though Syria is not officially on the agenda, Britain and France may raise the issue on the second anniversary of the uprising. France and Britain want to supply arms to the rebels.

EU leaders are concerned that a move from David Cameron and Francois Hollande to lift the Syria arms ban could escalate the Syrian crisis, by putting weapons in the hands of the wrong rebel groups.

A Downing Street official said: "There is a perversity about the EU arms embargo... it is backfiring."

Read: Russia: Arming Syria rebels a 'breach of international law'

Meeting yesterday, David Cameron and French president Francois Hollande decided that their countries were both ready to go it alone to help the rebels fighting the Assad regime.

On the second anniversary of the start of the Syrian uprising, the pair will urge summit members in Brussels, to bring forward the end-of-May date for reviewing the existing arms embargo against Syria.

Currently, the embargo only allows for "non-lethal" military support.

Mr Cameron and Mr Hollande decided to make the arms embargo a priority over the scheduled discussion on the economic crisis.