No EU deal on lifting arms ban to rebels in Syria

Syria’s devastating conflict entered its third year with no agreement among EU leaders on British and French calls for an easing of the bloc’s embargo to allow arms supplies to the rebels.

With several member states expressing strong opposition, EU leaders at a summit in Brussels put off further discussions on the future of the arms embargo until a meeting of the bloc’s foreign ministers in Dublin next week.

EU president Herman Van Rompuy said leaders had discussed easing it and “agreed to task our foreign ministers to assess the situation as a matter of priority” in Ireland.