Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-06-12-Speech-2-473-000"
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"Mr President, I am conscious that there are seven debates this evening, of which this is the fourth, but it is one where so much has been said that I feel I need to give a fairly detailed response. However, I shall try to do so briefly.
When it comes to the contact group that Kofi Annan is proposing to set up, he has not yet quite determined what its membership will be. So I do not know what is going to happen precisely, or who will be there. I will be there, and I know that Russia will be there; it will take place in Geneva on 30 June, and in between times, Kofi Annan is trying to build support to stop the civil war from getting worse and to try and at least achieve some unity of purpose to ensure influence in the region is targeted at trying to prevent that outcome. I think we should support him in that.
I think we have to make a really strong distinction between observers and peacekeepers: they are not the same thing. What we have on the ground are observers. They are not peacekeepers. Their mandate is limited to observation and, as we have just learned, they put themselves at risk in so doing. Kofi Annan worries a great deal that we do not make the distinction clear enough. If we are going to move to do anything involving peacekeepers, then we had better be absolutely clear what mandate it is that we are giving them and who is mandating them to operate.
The Syrian army is 200 000 to 300 000 strong and well-armed, so talk of military action needs to be thought through extremely carefully in what is a very complex situation on the ground. We have to work step by step, and carefully, to try to resolve this situation peacefully. We have to put pressure on the regime; we have to get those who have influence to put pressure on the regime; we have to get the opposition to unite; we have to get a ceasefire that will hold – because until you have a ceasefire, you cannot keep the peace, because there is none – and we have to be clear and sure about what it is we are trying to do.
We, of course, raise this with all partners. At the EU-Russia Summit we talked about Syria, and we have expressed over and over again our desire to see Russia join the Security Council. That, again, is what some of the meetings I attended last week in Turkey were about, and what many of the dialogues are aimed at: getting us to the point where the maximum pressure is successfully brought to bear on trying to stop the violence.
On the Middle East process, I agree with much of what has been said. There is no request that I am aware of concerning the Arab League wanting to be a member of the Quartet, but the Arab peace initiative follow-up committee has met with the Quartet on a number of occasions and I have no doubt that it will continue to do so. But I do agree that regional involvement is very important. It is why we have been very clear in support of what Jordan has been trying to do, to act as broker between the two.
We do raise the issues of administrative detention, both publicly, in our statements, and in all the contacts that we have. Particular cases have been raised. Mahmoud Sarsak – for those who do not already know this – ended his hunger strike yesterday, on what was the 85th day. That has been reported to our delegation by the prison service there. But, of course, there are many people in detention and we have made clear to Israel our view that the issue is disproportionate and we need to have certainty about the future of those people.
We talk to Israel all the time. There is a constant flow of information to and from us, and a constant flow of contacts. We do recognise the importance of the security of Israel. We want Israel to be a successful country. We want a two-state solution that includes Israel, and we want to see Israel recognise its international obligations and move forward on the peace process in its own interest.
It is my view, and I have made this clear to all of my Israeli contacts, to all the people I know there, that if you want a secure Israel, solving the issues between them and the Palestinians forms part of that security. That was never more true than now, with all the changes and challenges that are going on in the region, all the concerns that Israel has – not least about Iran – and all the changes too in the neighbourhood, which change the nature of the political and economic pressure being exerted. I believe that is really important.
I recognise what the Netherlands has done in Gaza. That is important, but we need real trade in Gaza, we need to have the crossings open to allow the import and export of goods to build an economy in which people can invest. That, I think, is something we have discussed many times.
I just want to say a very few words about Egypt, and to start with Asmaa Mahfouz. Our delegation is in contact all the time with her and with her lawyers, but there is no doubt that these next days in Egypt are going to be crucial for the transition. Today, we have the revised Constituent Assembly. It looks as if it will be more representative than its predecessor, but the challenges of agreeing a constitution by December are formidable, and the constitution is so important. There will be two important judgments on Thursday about the running of Ahmed Shafik in the second round and whether the parliamentary elections from last November will stand. Then, of course, there will be the run-off on Saturday and Sunday. So there is enormous uncertainty in the country, but I hope that what we will end up with is someone whom we can see has a democratic mandate. We work with all those who share our values and principles wherever they come from, whatever faith they have, as long as they believe in human rights, democracy, the rule of law and the principles and values that we have.
Whatever frustration and concern you feel, I promise you that that is magnified by the conversations which go on every hour of every day between ourselves – the Member States, with other countries in the region, with Kofi Annan, with Ban Ki-moon, and with all of those who are really desperately trying to find a way through in Syria. A way through that will enable the people to achieve first of all peace – a ceasefire – and then a transition to a government that will have their interests at heart, and that they have chosen.
Finally, I just want to say that we could have talked about other countries – Morocco is a good example of a country going through change, and which we have not forgotten – but I do hope that honourable Members will stay committed to trying to support the people of Syria in the way that we have witnessed in this House this evening. It is so important that we do everything we possibly can to stop a situation that is much worse than we can even imagine.
Everything that we do is designed and geared to try to achieve that, so I understand your passion, and I share it. I understand your frustration, and I share it. But we really have got to think very carefully about how we try to achieve that outcome as swiftly as possible.
While we have been debating, we know that a group of observers in Syria have been met by stone throwing, and it appears that they have been fired on and have retreated from an area in Syria. All the time that we are speaking, we are very conscious that the situation on the ground is as bad as it possibly can be.
I want to try to address three or four key areas that honourable Members have raised and give my response to them, while bearing in mind that finding solutions is extraordinarily difficult.
The first is on sanctions. Every day, we look at what more we can do to continue to put the economic pressure on the regime that prevents it from doing some of the things it would like, that demonstrates international concern and commitment, and that shows to those in Syria who may not yet have realised it that this regime is going to go, and that the international community and the EU are united in their response to the situation.
It is also true that we are supporting the arms embargo. We have asked all countries to observe this, and are working closely with the UN under Chapter 7.
As regards the Opposition, we speak to everybody at all levels – the Syrian National Council, the National Coordination Committee – and we are supporting the efforts led by the Arab League, and also what Turkey is doing to try to bring the opposition together. We have talked about umbrella groups, we have talked about representative groups: all manner of ideas to try and get some kind of cohesion and unity between the different groups about what it is they are trying to do. It is very challenging, and yet it is so necessary to be able to demonstrate and bring leadership for the future.
As for the Kofi Annan plan: well, you can declare it dead if you want to, but Kofi Annan has a mandate from the United Nations. He is trying to find ways to bring about his six-point plan and to think of alternative ways to bring the international community together, and I will continue to support him in those efforts until he says, or the United Nations says, that we have stopped doing that and we are moving on. That does not mean that he or I do not realise how difficult it is. I have had the good fortune to speak many times on the phone with him, and I know his frustration. I know how hard he is trying to make things work, but what he has asked us to do is to support him in the ways he is trying to bring everyone together, and I will do that."@en1
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