UK to give £5 mn aid to Syrian rebels
11 Aug 2012 8:56 AM IST
Britain will give Syrian rebels £5 million worth of non-lethal practical assistance, including communication equipment and body armour, to fight the rampaging forces of Bashar al-Assad.
Foreign secretary William Hague said that Secretary for International Development Andrew Mitchell has announced the quadrupling of British aid for Syrian refugees, and added that Britain was also helping to feed 80,000 Syrians displaced internally per month.
‘So now, in the absence of diplomatic progress, the United Kingdom will do much more. We will expand our support to the Syrian people and the Syrian political opposition, with an extra 5 million pounds in non-lethal practical assistance,’ Hague said.
‘This will help protect unarmed opposition groups, human rights activists and civilians from some of the worst of the violence. This is in addition to and separate from our humanitarian assistance,’ Hague added.
Hague said the Syrian people needed urgent help, and noted that Britain had already trained 60 Syrian activists to document human rights violations and abuses and had provided support for 100 Syrian citizen journalists.
‘The people of Syria cannot wait indefinitely. People are dying and are often trapped without food and shelter. They are at the mercy of a regime that is hunting down its opponents, an army that has turned its weapons against civilians, and militias that are committing barbaric crimes,’ he said.
Britain’s assistance to Syrian rebels will include trauma and medical supplies for civilians in areas under regime control, and could include items such as paramedic trauma kits, specialist trauma treatment for surgical equipment, field dressings, antibiotics, painkillers, and water purification kits to respond to the cutting of fresh water supplies.
‘I have agreed in principle that our assistance to the opposition will include communications equipment... I have also agreed in principle that our assistance should include life saving protective equipment for civilians to help those carrying out vital work
in the crossfire and this could for instance include body armour,’ Hague said.
US IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON SYRIAN OIL FIRM
The US imposed sanctions on the Syrian state-run oil company Sytrol on Friday for conducting business with Iran’s energy sector, in a bid to cut off revenues to the Iranian and Syrian regimes.
The Obama Administration imposed sanctions on Sytrol under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), the State Department said in a statement.
‘The US remains deeply concerned about the close ties shared by the Iranian and Syrian regimes and is committed to using every tool available to prevent regional destabilisation,’ it said.
In April of this year, Syria and Iran engaged in two-way trade in the energy sector, in which Syria sent 33,000 metric tons of gasoline to Iran.
The United States has determined that the value of the gasoline delivered by Sytrol to Iran in April was over USD 36 million, significantly exceeding the monetary thresholds for triggering sanctions under this law.
‘This kind of trade allows Iran to continue developing its nuclear programme while providing the Syrian government with resources to oppress its own people,’ the statement said.
‘Though these sanctions are a direct result of Syria’s provision of gasoline to Iran, the US views Iran?s broader support for the Assad regime as completely unjustifiable,’ it said.
Iran, the State Department said is actively advising, supplying, and assisting the Syrian security forces and regime-backed militias that are carrying out gross human rights abuses against the Syrian people.
Iran is also providing the Assad regime with equipment to monitor opposition activity on the Internet.
‘Today’s sanctions action sends a stark message: the United States stands resolutely against sales of refined petroleum product to Iran and will employ all available measures to bring it to a halt,’ it said.
‘Moreover, any business that continues to irresponsibly support Iran?s energy sector or helps facilitate either nation?s efforts to evade US sanctions will face serious consequences,’ it said.
Western nations led by US have accused Iran of pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, a charge denied by Tehran. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
Foreign secretary William Hague said that Secretary for International Development Andrew Mitchell has announced the quadrupling of British aid for Syrian refugees, and added that Britain was also helping to feed 80,000 Syrians displaced internally per month.
‘So now, in the absence of diplomatic progress, the United Kingdom will do much more. We will expand our support to the Syrian people and the Syrian political opposition, with an extra 5 million pounds in non-lethal practical assistance,’ Hague said.
‘This will help protect unarmed opposition groups, human rights activists and civilians from some of the worst of the violence. This is in addition to and separate from our humanitarian assistance,’ Hague added.
Hague said the Syrian people needed urgent help, and noted that Britain had already trained 60 Syrian activists to document human rights violations and abuses and had provided support for 100 Syrian citizen journalists.
‘The people of Syria cannot wait indefinitely. People are dying and are often trapped without food and shelter. They are at the mercy of a regime that is hunting down its opponents, an army that has turned its weapons against civilians, and militias that are committing barbaric crimes,’ he said.
Britain’s assistance to Syrian rebels will include trauma and medical supplies for civilians in areas under regime control, and could include items such as paramedic trauma kits, specialist trauma treatment for surgical equipment, field dressings, antibiotics, painkillers, and water purification kits to respond to the cutting of fresh water supplies.
‘I have agreed in principle that our assistance to the opposition will include communications equipment... I have also agreed in principle that our assistance should include life saving protective equipment for civilians to help those carrying out vital work
in the crossfire and this could for instance include body armour,’ Hague said.
US IMPOSES SANCTIONS ON SYRIAN OIL FIRM
The US imposed sanctions on the Syrian state-run oil company Sytrol on Friday for conducting business with Iran’s energy sector, in a bid to cut off revenues to the Iranian and Syrian regimes.
The Obama Administration imposed sanctions on Sytrol under the Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), the State Department said in a statement.
‘The US remains deeply concerned about the close ties shared by the Iranian and Syrian regimes and is committed to using every tool available to prevent regional destabilisation,’ it said.
In April of this year, Syria and Iran engaged in two-way trade in the energy sector, in which Syria sent 33,000 metric tons of gasoline to Iran.
The United States has determined that the value of the gasoline delivered by Sytrol to Iran in April was over USD 36 million, significantly exceeding the monetary thresholds for triggering sanctions under this law.
‘This kind of trade allows Iran to continue developing its nuclear programme while providing the Syrian government with resources to oppress its own people,’ the statement said.
‘Though these sanctions are a direct result of Syria’s provision of gasoline to Iran, the US views Iran?s broader support for the Assad regime as completely unjustifiable,’ it said.
Iran, the State Department said is actively advising, supplying, and assisting the Syrian security forces and regime-backed militias that are carrying out gross human rights abuses against the Syrian people.
Iran is also providing the Assad regime with equipment to monitor opposition activity on the Internet.
‘Today’s sanctions action sends a stark message: the United States stands resolutely against sales of refined petroleum product to Iran and will employ all available measures to bring it to a halt,’ it said.
‘Moreover, any business that continues to irresponsibly support Iran?s energy sector or helps facilitate either nation?s efforts to evade US sanctions will face serious consequences,’ it said.
Western nations led by US have accused Iran of pursuing a clandestine nuclear weapons programme, a charge denied by Tehran. Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful purposes.
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