Hollande Supports Ending EU Ban on Sending Arms to Syria

Joining increasingly vocal interventionist chorus

French President Francois Hollande has called on Europe's leaders to lift an arms embargo on Syria to help groups fighting the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Arriving on Thursday for a two-day summit with European Union leaders, Hollande said: "We want Europeans to lift the arms embargo."

"Britain and France agree on this option," he said.

London and Paris had earlier announced they were seeking to lift the EU embargo to enable them to deliver weapons to Syrian rebels.

The statement angered Damascus but drew a guarded welcome from the opposition.