European Union Lifts Arms Ban Against Syria

The European Union lifted its eight-year arms embargo against Syria on Monday, angering Israel, which called the move a mistake.

The embargo, imposed in 1986 after allegations of Syrian involvement in a thwarted attempt to smuggle explosives onto an Israeli El Al airliner in London, was lifted at a meeting of EU foreign ministers.

The move drew immediate fire from Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. “What should have been lifted is (Syria’s) embargo on negotiations, not the embargo on arms,” he told reporters.

But his Syrian counterpart, Farouk Shareh, welcomed the decision, which he said was a rebuff to Israeli attempts to meddle in other countries’ internal affairs.

He said it was an important step toward securing Middle East peace.

British Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd told reporters that the decision was made without dissent. Other EU sanctions, such as bans on low-level diplomatic meetings, had gradually been lifted between 1987 and 1990, when Syria sided with the West in the Gulf War.