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U.S. congressional hurdles lifted on arming Syrian rebels
Source: Reuters
Exclusive: U.S. congressional hurdles lifted on arming Syrian rebels
By Tabassum Zakaria and Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON | Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:45pm EDT
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama can go ahead with a plan for the United States to arm the struggling Syrian rebels after some congressional concerns were eased, a key Republican lawmaker said on Monday.
"We believe we are in a position that the administration can move forward," House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told Reuters.
The White House announced in June that it would offer military aid to vetted groups of Syrian rebels after two years of balking at directly sending arms to the opposition.
But both Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees had expressed worries that the arms could end up in the hands of Islamist militants in Syria like the Nusra Front, and would not be enough to tip the balance of the civil war against President Bashar al-Assad anyway.
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By Tabassum Zakaria and Susan Cornwell
WASHINGTON | Mon Jul 22, 2013 6:45pm EDT
(Reuters) - President Barack Obama can go ahead with a plan for the United States to arm the struggling Syrian rebels after some congressional concerns were eased, a key Republican lawmaker said on Monday.
"We believe we are in a position that the administration can move forward," House of Representatives Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers told Reuters.
The White House announced in June that it would offer military aid to vetted groups of Syrian rebels after two years of balking at directly sending arms to the opposition.
But both Republicans and Democrats on the House and Senate intelligence committees had expressed worries that the arms could end up in the hands of Islamist militants in Syria like the Nusra Front, and would not be enough to tip the balance of the civil war against President Bashar al-Assad anyway.
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Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/22/us-usa-syria-arms-idUSBRE96L0W520130722
