Cabinet split over plans to arm Syrian rebels: Cameron under pressure amid claims peace talks are 'doomed to fail'

• At least 6 ministers on the National Security Council have raised concerns
  
• Nick Clegg warns there is no military solution to the bloody conflict
• But William Hague believes peace talks are 'doomed to fail'
  

By Tim Shipman and Matt Chorley

PUBLISHED: 02:22 EST, 6 June 2013 | UPDATED: 08:57 EST, 6 June 2013

Split: David Cameron, pictured in Downing Street last night, faces deep Cabinet divisions over arming Syrian rebels

David Cameron is facing a serious split in his Cabinet over plans to arm the Syrian rebels, the Mail can reveal.

At least six senior ministers on the National Security Council have raised concerns about handing over weapons to the opposition fighters seeking to oust dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Cabinet sources say it could take 18 months of arming rebels to force Assad to the negotiating table – a bleak assessment which means Britain faces being sucked into a longterm military commitment in the world’s most combustible region.

The Mail understands that Britain is set to offer military training to the rebels and is also examining whether arms can be handed over too.

But a meeting of the National Security Council last month revealed deep splits in the Cabinet over whether to intervene.

Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, Justice Secretary Chris Grayling, Development Secretary Justine Greening, Ken Clarke and Faith Minister Sayeeda Warsi all lined up in the ‘sceptic’ camp, voicing concerns that military involvement could be disastrous.

Security sources say Mr Clegg told the meeting ‘there is no military solution’ to the war and that Britain should not act unless ‘there is a wider political strategy that’s supported by other leading powers, particularly the US’.

Today Mr Clegg said a decision on whether Britain took action on Syria should be 'governed' by the United States.

Speaking on his weekly LBC 97.3 phone-in, he said: 'There’s no perfect answer. If there was a perfect simple answer we would have sorted everything. What can you do if anything?

'We haven’t taken any decisions about providing arms to the moderate forces in the opposition.

'This is not a decision in any event the United Kingdom should take on our own, this is something that has to be governed by what other big powers around the world think, notably the United States.'

The ‘doves’ were supported by Attorney General Dominic Grieve has also warned Mr Cameron that he would be on ‘safer ground’ if he secures backing from the United Nations – something that looks impossible since Russia, which has a UN veto, is propping up the regime in Damascus.

One source characterised the Attorney General’s intervention as ‘being a bit like someone’s wife, saying: “Why don’t you think about this all the time?”’.

The source said the Prime Minister ‘gets very irritated with Dominic’ and has already decided that Britain must step up its help for the rebels.

‘David got a taste for it in Libya and he thinks something must be done,’ said one source familiar with the discussions.

Mr Cameron has been joined in the hawk camp by Education Secretary Michael Gove, Chancellor George Osborne and Philip Hammond.

Hawks: Foreign Secretary William Hague (left) and Defence Secretary Philip Hammond are backing the idea of providing lethal support

The Defence Secretary has called for any arms drops to be ‘targeted’ so they don’t fall into the hands of al Qaeda sympathisers. And he has warned that there are limits to what the Armed Forces can do.

Mr Hammond was recently present when backbenchers suggested that the Tory leadership could do with ‘a small war’ to distract attention from party discontent over Europe and gay marriage. ‘It had better be a very small war,’ the Defence Secretary said.

But insiders say Mr Hammond is ‘very supportive’ of the Prime Minister’s stance that arms may be necessary.

Foreign Secretary William Hague has also come to the view that peace talks to resolve the crisis are ‘doomed to fail’ and is keen that plans be drawn up for military assistance to the rebels.

‘We have to prepare for the failure of diplomacy,’ a senior Whitehall source said. ‘We will try to make it work but there is little hope that it will.’

Momentum towards war was building last night when the Foreign Office said they believe the Assad regime has used chemical weapons in the civil war, which has already cost 70,000 lives.

Doves: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg believes 'there is no military solution' to the war in Syria and is backed by Faith minister Baroness Warsi who is said to be against providing arms

The full Cabinet has not had the chance to discuss the issue of arming the rebels and MPs are clamouring for a Commons vote if arms are sent to Syria.

Downing Street sought to play down the suggestion that the Cabinet was deeply split on the issue.

Mr Cameron's spokesman told a Westminster media briefing: 'There is complete agreement on the approach we have been taking, which most recently led to the UK along with France making the case for the lifting of the EU arms embargo.'

The spokesman added: 'The point of lifting the arms embargo has been to give us the flexibility to respond differently if we think that is the right thing to do, but no decision to provide lethal assistance has been taken.'

Mr Cameron indicated yesterday that he would allow a free vote if the decision to send arms is signed off and that he would recall Parliament if the decision is made over the summer.

He said: ‘I've never been someone who has wanted to stand against the House having a say on any of these issues.

'I supported holding the vote on Iraq, in my premiership when there was the issue of Libya I recalled the House as soon as I possibly could and allowed the House to have a vote.

‘But this issue does not arise at present because we have made no decision to arm the rebels.’

But senior backbenchers have warned the Prime Minister that he would lose if it comes to a vote.

‘This is an Arab problem,’ one former minister said. ‘They should sort it out. There is next to no support on the backbenches for getting involved in this war.’

Allegations: The U.N. Commission of Inquiry said conclusive findings can be reached only after testing samples taken directly from victims or the site of the alleged attacks. This image shows forces loyal to Syria's President Bashar al-Assad during an operation

Worrying: The aftermath of an air strike in Qusair after the announcement about chemical weapons

Former shadow defence spokesman Julian Lewis added: ‘I think the Government would struggle to get endorsement in parliament for a policy of giving arms to the opposition in this civil war.’

In an echo of the build-up to the conflicts in Iraq and Libya, Mr Hague and Mr Cameron have begun holding private meetings with MPs to convince them that they should support arming the rebels.

Mr Hague argues that failure to act will lead to a regional war sucking in Israel and Iran and fatally destabilise Syria’s neighbours Jordan and Lebanon, both of which have been inundated with refugees fleeing the war zone.