End of EU's Arms Embargo Harms Syria Peace Bid, Says Lavrov

Russia warned on Wednesday that the European Union's decision to lift its arms embargo on the Syrian rebels harmed joint Russian-U.S. efforts for an international peace conference over the 26-month crisis.

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the EU's original ban on arming the opposition made little sense because the 27-nation bloc's own laws prohibited it from sending weapons to "non-state entities" -- leaderships not formally recognized by the United Nations.

"And now, the end of this embargo makes the situation even more complicated and -- at the very least -- presents a serious stumbling block to implementing the decision to call an international conference on Syria," Lavrov told reporters.

The European Union agreed to lift its embargo on arming the opposition on Monday after much debate and a strong push for the move by France and Britain.

EU officials stress that this was a "theoretical" lifting of the embargo that would not take effect until August 1 at the earliest because Brussels did not want to hurt the peace talks promoted by Moscow and Washington.

The proposed "Geneva 2" meeting is expected to happen some time next month after U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Lavrov agreed in May to try and bring the warring sides together at the conference.

The first Geneva talks held in the Swiss city last June produced a tentative transition of power plan that was never implemented because it failed to specify a role for Syrian President Bashar Assad.

Lavrov said spreading violence and the growing involvement of Lebanon's Hizbullah proved once again "that there is no other way besides convening this conference".

"And for this, everyone needs to work honestly and not allow double standards," Russia's top diplomat said.

Earlier on Tuesday, Russia said it was surprised that the United States was backing an "odious" resolution at the U.N. Human Rights Council condemning the Syrian regime's use of foreign fighters, saying it undermined peace efforts.

"To my huge astonishment, we have learnt that apart from the co-authors of this resolution -- these are Qatar and Turkey -- a U.S. delegation is most actively promoting this completely unwholesome idea," Lavrov told reporters.

Lavrov said he had raised the issue with Kerry during their talks in Paris on Monday.

"It turned out he was unaware of this situation. He promised to sort it out," Lavrov said.

"I do not know whether he managed to do that or not," the Russian minister added, calling the draft resolution "odious".

Russia and the United States have been pushing for a peace conference to end the Syrian conflict.

Lavrov warned that for the peace efforts to work, it was imperative to avoid what he called "double standards".

"Everyone needs to work honestly and not allow double standards: verbally promote the conference and support this initiative but in reality take steps that essentially are aimed at undermining this proposal," he warned.

The draft resolution to be considered at the Human Rights Council later Wednesday "condemns the intervention of foreign combatants fighting on behalf of the Syrian regime" in the besieged town of Qusayr, an implicit reference to the involvement of Hizbullah fighters in the fierce battle for the strategic town.