Syria's regime are expanding its use of cluster munitions in its conflict with rebel forces, causing "mounting civilian causalities," Human Rights Watch warned on Saturday.

"Syria is expanding its relentless use of cluster munitions, a banned weapon, and civilians are paying the price with their lives and limbs," Steve Goose, director of HRW's arms division, said in a statement.

The watchdog said it had identified at least 119 places across Syria where at least 156 cluster bombs have been used in the past six months, including two attacks in the last two weeks that killed 11 civilians and injured 27 others.

"The initial toll is only the beginning because cluster munitions often leave unexploded bomblets that kill and maim long afterward," Goose added.

The New York-based rights group said its data was collected from field investigations and analysis of videos posted online by activists.

It said it had documented government use of cluster munitions, but had no evidence rebels were using them.

Syria is not party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which restricts use of the weapons, but HRW urged signatory nations to speak out against the regime's use of the munitions.

"All nations that have joined the treaty banning cluster bombs have a legal obligation to speak out and condemn Syria's ever-expanding use of these indiscriminate weapons, yet too few are doing so," Goose said.

The statement came as Syria's civil war, which began with peaceful anti-government demonstrations in March 2011, entered its third year.

The conflict has killed at least 70,000 people, and forced more than one million Syrians to seek refuge abroad. Millions more have been internally displaced.

US favorable on EU nations upping Syria rebel aid
Washington (AFP) March 14, 2013 - The United States may look favorably on plans from France and Britain to give more aid to Syrian rebel forces, the State Department said Thursday, without explicitly backing armed support.

State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said talks about easing an EU arms embargo came up during top US diplomat John Kerry's recent trip, but any decision would be for European nations to take, not Washington.

"We heard from some of those governments about their interest in lightening the EU arms embargo," Nuland said, noting the details had not yet been finalized.

"We're obviously not going to get in the middle of their internal discussions, but we certainly want to see as many governments as possible provide appropriate support to the Syrian opposition coalition."

French President Francois Hollande has urged Europe's leaders to lift an arms embargo on Syria to help rebels battling for two years to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Hollande spoke as London and Paris sought jointly to lift the embargo to enable them to arm the rebels, angering Damascus but drawing a cautious welcome from the opposition.

"Without getting too deeply into their internal processes, let me simply say that the kinds of support that the UK and France have spoken publicly about wanting to provide to the Syrian opposition we would certainly support," Nuland said.

But she reiterated that "we in the United States have made our own decision to provide only non-lethal assistance."

"Other countries are making other decisions," Nuland added. This is obviously a decision for the EU to make, but we understand that some governments do want to do more, and we encourage them to continue to have that conversation."