In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter aims his weapon during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, Free Syrian Army fighters aim their weapons inside an abandoned building during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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German Defence Minister Thomas de Maiziere, left, and German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle , right, talk as they arrive for the weekly cabinet meeting at the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012. Germany's Cabinet on Thursday approved sending German Patriot air defense missiles to Turkey to protect the NATO member against possible attacks from Syria, in a major step toward possible Western military role in the Syrian conflict. Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere told reporters that two batteries with a total of 400 soldiers would be sent to the border area under NATO command for one year, although the deployment could be shortened. The decision must be endorsed by the German Parliament, but approval is all but assured. (AP Photo/Michael Sohn)
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In this photo taken on Wednesday Dec. 5, 2012, Syrian citizens cross from the area that controlled by the Syrian forces loyal to president Bashar Assad, to an area controlled by the Free Syrian Army, at the only crossing point between the two groups, in Aleppo, Syria. Syria blasted NATO's move to deploy Patriot missiles along its border with Turkey, calling the decision "provocative," as the West took a major step toward a possible military role in the civil war. (AP Photo/Abdullah al-Yassin)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter uses a tool to break a hole in the wall of a residents' home during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, a baby walker is seen near a hole in a wall, recently done by Free Syrian Army fighters to help them during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, smoke rises from residential buildings due heavy fighting between Free Syrian Army fighters and government forces in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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In this Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2012 photo, a Free Syrian Army fighter runs for cover during heavy clashes with government forces, not pictured, in Aleppo, Syria. (AP Photo/Narciso Contreras)
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FILE - In this Sept. 2007 file picture an anti-aircraft gun position is seen at Iran's nuclear enrichment facility in Natanz, Iran. Iran is poised for a major technological update of its uranium enrichment program, allowing it to vastly increase production of the material that can be used for both reactor fuel and nuclear warheads, diplomats told The Associated Press Thursday, Jan. 31, 2013. The diplomats said that Iran last week told the International Atomic Energy Agency that it wants to install thousands of high-technology machines at its main enriching site at Natanz, in central Iran. The machines are estimated to be able to enrich up to five times faster than the present equipment. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian, File)
Germany aims to acquire armed drones
BERLIN (AP) — Germany plans to join the ranks of countries that deploy armed drones on the battlefield — a move critics say would lower the threshold for foreign military interventions.
Defense Minister Thomas de Maiziere said Friday that Germany would work with France to develop a new generation of unmanned aerial vehicles.
"We have a gap in our capabilities that we would like to close," he said.
Germany already has unarmed drones, including the Israeli-built Heron 1 model, which it uses for reconnaissance purposes in places such as Afghanistan. Officials said Germany might consider purchasing an armed version of the Heron 1 for use after 2014, to bridge the gap until 2020 when the system being developed with France becomes available.
Opposition lawmakers warned that Germany could end up sending armed drones into conflicts abroad even when there are political reservations about deploying troops.
Over the past 20 years, Germany has steadily abandoned its post-war reticence about foreign military missions. But the constitution requires parliamentary approval before sending troops abroad and each proposed mission prompts heated debate in the country deemed responsible for two world wars in the last century.
U.N. human rights experts also have criticized the use of armed drones because they are controlled by operators who are often thousands of miles away from the targets they attack.
Last week, the U.N. independent expert on counterterrorism and human rights, Ben Emmerson, announced he would launch a special investigation into drone warfare.
Emmerson, a British lawyer, said the use of armed drones isn't properly regulated by international law. He also said that countries have an obligation to "establish effective independent and impartial investigations into any drone attack in which it is plausibly alleged that civilian casualties were sustained."
Pakistan has been particularly critical of the use of armed drones by the U.S., which along with Britain and Israel is among the countries with the most sophisticated drone programs.
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