France to send Syrian rebels communications equipment

July 13, 2012

Men walk past destruction in Bab-Todmor in Homs July 12, 2012. — Reuters picPARIS, July 13 — France will soon start supplying communications equipment to the Syrian opposition, a foreign ministry spokesman said today.

Paris has previously said it would consider the measure so that activists could organise better, avoid attacks and keep a record of events for the outside world.

“Regarding communications material we are going to start rolling it out,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Bernard Valero told reporters. “We are working on that.”

Western powers are reluctant to provide arms to rebels whose ranks include anti-Western Islamists, but the United States has said it is already providing communications equipment. — Reuters