The Independent: Most Britons Oppose Sending Arms to Syrian Rebels

Local Editor

A majority of the British public are against sending arms to the rebels in Syria, according to a poll for the British daily The Independent.

In a setback for David Cameron, 52% of people say they would oppose the Government providing arms to the Syrian rebels, while 35% would support the move and 13% are undecided.

The findings will strengthen the hand of politicians who are reluctant to see Britain send weapons in case it fans the flames of Syria's two-year civil war.

Cameron insists no decision has been taken by his Government to send weapons. According to the daily, Labour, the Liberal Democrats and at least 80 Conservative MPs opposed to the idea, adding that Cameron might not be able to win over the support of the House of Commons.

Despite that, British ministers are making the case for intervention. Yesterday Alistair Burt, the Foreign Office Minister, argued that helping the rebels would be in the British national interest.

In Parliament's The House magazine, Burt said, "We have a British interest in the fact that people from all over the world are being drawn into Syria. This includes people from the United Kingdom. They train and they experience conflict on an extremist basis."

"It cannot be in our interest that this goes on for long because these people return home. And radicalization is an issue we take very seriously, as indeed does the community to which these individuals are likely to return and we all share worries about this," he added.

Source: The Independent UK, edited by website team