EU officials agree to renew Syria arms embargo for three months -...

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EU officials have agreed to cut the renewal term for sanctions on Syria to three months, from an expected one year, to allow the possibility of supplying non-lethal equipment to Syrian rebels such as body armour, Britain said on Wednesday.

"European officials have agreed to renew the arms embargo for three months, not 12 months, to allow the EU to look at amendments to the embargo to possibly allow the supply of forms of non-lethal training and equipment to the Syrian rebels, such as body armour," a Foreign Office spokeswoman said.

"This sends a strong message to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that all options remain on the table and makes clear the need for real change," she said.

Earlier in the day, At least 34 people were killed in explosions that struck the eastern Damascus district of Jaramana on Wednesday, state television said, quoting a source at the Interior Ministry.

It said 10 bags containing the remains of unidentified victims have also been collected. Eighty-three people were seriously wounded, it said.

Meanwhile, in Aleppo Reef, opposition fighters downed a warplane which was shelling regions near the Turkish border. Later in the day, AFP quoted witnesses as saying that a pilot of the downed plane was captured by the Syrian rebels.

On another note, Syrian warplanes launched air raids on the city of Maaret al Numan on Thursday, as fierce battles erupted between opposition fighters and pro-regime troops at the southern entrance of the city. This as regime forces prevented several terrorist cells from infiltrating into Syria from Lebanon the Syrian state TV said.

Meanwhile, the newly-formed opposition coalition is due to hold its first full meeting in Cairo today to discuss the formation of a transitional government prior to the upcoming “Friends of Syria” conference.

During the two-day meeting, the coalition will also elect committees to manage assistance and communication.

A day after the UN committee condemned Syria and Iran for committing widespread violations of Human Rights as Damascus and Tehran denounced the decision, the Iraqi Parliament's Speaker discussed the Syrian crisis with the Iranian Speaker Ali Larijani during a meeting in Baghdad. Larijani visited Iraq within the framework of a regional tour that included Syria, Turkey and Lebanon.

Concerning the "Patriot" missiles in Turkey, NATO military experts kicked off an inspection tour on the locations where the missiles may be placed.

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