DAMASCUS, March 1 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Thursday that a political solution is the only way for the conflict in Syria, as an international conference in support of the Syrian opposition opened in Rome.
"The Secretary-General believes that any attempts to arm the protagonists in the fighting in Syria are unhelpful," Eduardo del Buey, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing when asked about outside involvement in the Syrian conflict.
According to Buey, the UN chief has continuously reiterated his firm conviction that resorting to violence and military means will only lead to more suffering and destruction.
Ban's statement on outside involvement came as representatives from dozens of nations held a conference called "Friends of Syria" in Rome to support the Syrian opposition.
Though the conference has failed the rebel's expectation of obtaining qualitative weaponry from the West to tilt the balance in the fight against the government army, the group headed by the United States has signaled their determination to push for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's resignation and a political transition to end the conflict.
As the West has been skeptical that the arms provided to the rebels might fall in the hands of the extremists, Washington announced stepped-up support for the Syrian opposition with 60 million U.S. dollars in non-lethal assistance.
The United States will provide such aid as food and medical supplies for the first time to rebels battling the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, U.S. secretary of state John Kerry said during his trip to Italy.
During the almost two-year long unrest, Washington has provided 385 million dollars in humanitarian aid to the Syrian people and 54 million dollars in medical supplies, communications equipment and other nonlethal assistance. But it was the first time that Washington decided to offer aids directly to the rebels.
"The U.S. believes that the Syrian opposition can lead the way to a peaceful transition, but cannot do it alone. All Syrian people must know that they can have a future in a post-Assad era," Kerry said.
Kerry arrived in Rome on Wednesday in the middle of an 11-day tour in Europe and the Middle East. The talk on Syria was considered as the centerpiece of his first overseas mission since he took office on Feb. 1.
Responding to the calls for more political and material support for the Syrian opposition, the European Union (EU) also agreed to a British proposal of sending non-lethal assistance to the armed groups, but the European nations have not come to a decision on what sort of aid to be sent.
Meanwhile, the EU on the same day issued a statement on extending its sanctions against Syria for a further three months.
"At the same time, arms embargo has been amended so as to allow for the provision of non-lethal equipment and technical assistance for the protection of civilians," the statement said.
Since the beginning of the Syria crisis, 21 sets of restrictive measures have been imposed by the EU to tighten pressure on the Syrian government.
As the Western countries as well as the Syrian opposition sat down to "make a decision about next steps," clashes and violence continued in several Syrian hotspots.
A booby-trapped car went off Thursday near a compound in the country's central province of Homs, leaving one person killed and 30 others injured.
A recent UN tally placed the overall death toll of Syria's 23-month conflict at more than 70,000.
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