BREAKING NEWS

US exempts Syria's opposition forces from sanctions

By REUTERS

MARCH 15, 2013 19:29

WASHINGTON - The US government said Friday it would allow American citizens, companies and banks to send money to Syrian opposition forces struggling to topple President Bashar Assad.

The Treasury Department move exempts Syrian rebels from broad US sanctions against aid to Syria imposed at the beginning of the 2-year-old government crackdown on opposition forces that has killed an estimated 70,000 people.

"The United States is committed to supporting the Syrian people's aspirations for a Syrian-led political transition to a democratic, inclusive, and peaceful Syria," said the Treasury Department, which controls financial sanctions. "The Syrian government has sacrificed all legitimacy in its violent attempts to cling to power."

The news comes as France and Britain have pushed the European Union to lift an EU arms embargo to allow weapon supplies to flow to Syrian rebels, a move the rest of the European Union rejected on Friday.

The United States has already said it would provide medical supplies and food directly to opposition fighters, but has ruled out sending arms for fear they may find their way to Islamist hardliners who might then use them against Western targets.

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