US to give direct help to Syrian rebels

US to give direct help to Syrian rebels The US is for the first time to provide some Syrian military opposition groups with non-lethal supplies and an additional $60m to help them oust President Bashar al-Assad, John Kerry, secretary of state, said.
Announcing the policy shift, Mr Kerry said the initiative was designed to increase the pressure on Mr Assad and help the opposition govern liberated areas and blunt the influence of extremists.
Mr Kerry was speaking on Thursday in Rome, on the sidelines of an international conference on Syria. European nations are also expected to signal their intention to provide fresh assistance to the opposition.
However, the US is still opposed to providing arms to rebel groups, US officials say, underlining the limits on any new stage in US involvement in the two-year-old Syrian civil war.
http://link.ft.com/r/3JFELL/6AX9WH/JIYS70/L9WJTD/UL7JXH/6C/h?a1=2013&a2=2&a3=28