Syria: Philip Hammond on UK arming and helping rebels

8 March 2012 Last updated at 07:59 ET Help

The British defence secretary has said it would be illegal for the UK to arm the Syrian rebels against a "terrible regime".

Philip Hammond said the UK would continue to press Russia and China, who had blocked UN Security resolutions, and stressed Britain would only take part in legal actions.

He said: "We are certainly giving encouragement to Syrian opposition, but we are not providing them with any lethal weaponry or anything of that kind."

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