Obama nod to arming Syrian rebels

AP

WASHINGTON AFTER months of caution, President Barack Obama suddenly is positioned more aggressively on Syria than the global leaders he’s joining at a summit on Monday, now that he has authorised weapons and ammunition shipments to struggling rebels.

Obama is expected to push Britain and France to take similar action when talks open in Northern Ireland among the Group of Eight leading industrial powers.

“It’s in Russia’s interest to join us in applying pressure on Bashar Assad to come to the table in a way that relinquishes his power and his standing in Syria,” said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser. “We don’t see any scenario where he restores his legitimacy to lead the country.”