UK to send aid to opposition groups inside Syria
The foreign secretary says Britain has allocated 500,000 pounds (US$795,000) to supply non-lethal aid to the opposition inside Syria.
It is the first time the U.K. is pledging assistance to opposition groups inside the country as they fight President Bashar Assad's regime.
Thursday's announcement by Foreign Secretary William Hague comes ahead of international talks this weekend on how to end the violence in Syria, where the U.N. estimates some 9,000 have died in the past year.
Precise details of what type of support will be offered are still being determined, though the package is likely to include secure telephones.
Britain has repeatedly stressed it isn't prepared to consider supplying weapons to the country's opposition.
Meanwhile, Syrian President Bashar Assad says he will spare no effort to make the mission of U.N.-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan a success.
But he's demanding that armed opponents commit to halting violence. Annan is trying to broker a political solution to the country's yearlong crisis. Earlier this week, Syria said Assad has accepted Annan's six-point peace plan which calls for a U.N.-supervised cease-fire.
AP
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