France could supply weapons to Syria's rebels, even if the European Union votes against lifting an arms embargo on the country, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday, dpa reported.
Fabius told France Info radio that France and Britain had "identical positions."
The two allies wanted the EU to hurriedly hold a meeting to discuss lifting the ban in order to allow the supply of weapons to rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad's regime, he said.
If EU members failed to unanimously agree on lifting the embargo, which was renewed on March 1, France could decide, as "a sovereign nation," to flout the ban, he said.
"We cannot accept this current imbalance, with, on one side Iran and Russia who are supplies arms to Bashar and, on the other, the members of the resistance, who cannot defend themselves," Fabius said.
His remarks followed a similar warning by British Prime Minister David Cameron Tuesday. Cameron said if Britain failed to convince its EU partners to end the embargo, "then it's not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way."