Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-10-25-Speech-3-283"
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"en.20061025.25.3-283"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of the Council I would like to thank Mrs De Keyser for an important report that covers the Syrian situation excellently. The Council shares many of the concerns expressed in it with regard to Syria.
As Mrs De Keyser says in her report, Syria may have an important role to play in the Near and Middle East ‘as a link between the parties in the peace process and a facilitator of a resolution of the regional conflict’. For this reason, the Council too decided in August to authorise High Representative Javier Solana and the Finnish Presidency to be in contact with all relevant parties that may influence finding a solution to the crisis in Lebanon and the situation in the Middle East more generally. Unquestionably, these parties also include Syria.
Since the dramatic events of the summer, it has been important to stabilise the situation in Lebanon and regions close to it. When Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja met with his Syrian counterpart at the end of August the message to Syria was a clear one. We expect Syria to work to implement Resolutions 1559, 1680 and 1701. Syria should support the national reconstruction process in Lebanon and do its utmost to stabilise the political situation inside Lebanon. Equipping armies other than the Lebanese and the question of arms smuggling have a fundamental impact on whether a ceasefire can be built on a sustainable basis. There are also questions that remain unanswered with regard to the demarcation of the border between Syria and Lebanon and the establishment of diplomatic relations. Solving the complex problem associated with the Shebaa area will likewise require Syria’s cooperation. Syria must also continue to show a desire to cooperate with the Brammertz commission which is investigating the Hariri assassination.
A question that is outside the scope of Resolution 1701 but important for stability in the region is the activity of Palestinian organisations with their headquarters in Damascus and Syrian support for them. Furthermore, Syria’s relations with Iraq and Iran and its activities with regard to these countries have direct implications for the general situation in the Middle East.
The Council is also closely following progress in human rights in Syria. Especially worrying were the arrests in the spring of those who are defenders of human rights and who signed the Beirut-Damascus Declaration. The fact that some of them were recently released is obviously welcome news. The EU will be closely observing how, for example, freedom of gathering in a public place and freedom of expression are being implemented in the country. Obviously, Syria must also act in accordance with the principles of international human rights. The reopening of the Civil Society Training Centre, which has EU support, is an important objective. The centre was shut in the spring just a week after it had opened.
Continual links with Syria are being maintained, especially via Euro-Mediterranean cooperation. The meeting of Foreign Ministers in Tampere in November, which Syria has also been invited to attend, will provide an excellent forum for discussions.
Syria is an important actor in the Middle East. It can choose: it can either be a troublemaker or a constructive partner. Syria’s historically strong ties with Lebanon mean that it has an especially important role to play in implementing the UN Security Council Resolutions with respect to the situation in Lebanon. The Union has continually stressed that Lebanon’s right to self-determination, territorial inviolability and political independence must be respected. In order to bring stability to Lebanon and the entire region it is important that arms smuggling to Lebanon be prevented. Syria needs to watch its borders to achieve this aim.
The Council has said that it is willing to improve relations with Syria, if the country’s behaviour seems to favour this. The ball is now in their court. Given the right circumstances, the Union could, for example, reconsider the possibility of signing the Association Agreement. This would of course promote cooperation between the EU and Syria, especially financially, as well as reforms that are essential for Syria’s development, which is the assumption also made in the report."@en1
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