Britain, France, US criticise Russian arms sales to Syria

Britain, France and the United States on Tuesday condemned Russia's arms sales to Syria which they said was fuelling President Bashar al-Assad's deadly crackdown on protests. Britain's UN ambassador Mark Lyall-Grant called the Russian weapons sales "irresponsible," at a Security Council debate on the Middle East. "We are concerned about the supply of weapons into Syria - whether sales to the government or illegal smuggling to the regime or opposition," Lyall Grant said.
Without mentioning Russia by name, Lyall-Grant quoted an interview that Russia's UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin gave to the BBC in which he said the Russian sales had "no effect on the situation at all." "We fundamentally disagree," the British envoy said. "It is glaringly obvious that transferring weapons into a volatile and violent situation is irresponsible and will only fuel the bloodshed."
The European Union and United States already has an arms embargo against the Damascus government. But Syria last month signed a $550 million contract to purchase 36 Yak-130 advanced training fighter planes from Russia, the Russian Kommersant business daily reported Monday.