Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-07-04-Speech-3-600-000"
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"en.20120704.32.3-600-000"2
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"Mr President, many speakers made reference to respect for minorities, in particular religious, and more particularly, Christian minorities. I want to assure you that we support all groups which are working for peace and we are closely watching the situation of each and every one of the several communities that exist in Syria, which of course also means Christian communities.
Following this event both the port police of Cyprus and the customs authorities issued new circulars reminding all their personnel and all ship-owning companies of the existing restrictive measures and sanctions against third countries, in particular, Syria and Iran, and warning them of legal consequences in case of non-compliance.
The Cyprus port authority has already given instructions to its lawyers to instigate criminal proceedings against the ship-owning company and the captain of the ship Chariot.
The Republic of Cyprus stresses its full commitment to the enforcement of European Union measures and of Security Council sanctions against third countries. We remain vigilant and alert to fully implement the European Union arms embargo in place for Syria and other authoritarian regimes.
In so doing, Cyprus looks forward to the constructive cooperation of our European Union partners by sharing information, knowledge and experience and affirms its readiness to contribute to the collective international efforts of enhancing the non-proliferation of arms in dual-use goods and technologies, as well as promoting peace, security and stability in the wider region.
This becomes all the more important, bearing in mind that Cyprus’s geographic proximity to the current turbulent region of the Middle East and North Africa, as well as our position as a shipping hub, necessitates enhanced surveillance in the efforts to enforce EU restrictive measures and Security Council sanctions.
There is also no doubt that human rights are being violated in Syria.
I think we all know how important the International Criminal Court is, that it is an achievement of the international community and how much we believe in accountability, but it is true that the reference to the International Criminal Court has been made both in Geneva and New York, where discussions on the drafting of a new resolution are ongoing. This question was at the centre of a debate among Member States on the opportunity and the timing of such a reference.
At the moment, as we are all trying to give new momentum to Kofi Annan’s mission and to secure Russia and China’s support for the new action group and its new road map, we have all agreed to avoid at this stage – I underline, at this stage – any controversial issue, but we will certainly have to come back to the issue of the International Criminal Court.
We have listened with great interest to this very important debate – my good friend the Executive Secretary-General of the European External Action Service, Pierre Vimont, and I – and we will report back to High Representative/Vice-President Ashton.
We look forward to further discussions on the situation in Syria in the weeks and months to come, as the transition process unfolds. We will keep you updated on EU action in this regard. With your support we hope that the international actions will bear fruit and stop the repression and violence in Syria and allow for a peaceful and democratic transition.
Honourable Members, I would like to thank you for your support, questions and concerns. They all contribute to defining EU policies in response to the Syrian crisis. We invite you to remain engaged so that all our resources and ideas are used to the maximum.
I was asked a question relating to my national capacity as the representative of the Government of Cyprus on the issue of sanctions and the specific issue of the vessel Chariot. I would like to say – and I say this in my national capacity, not on behalf of the High Representative – that Cyprus respects and fully implements the arms embargo in place against Syria and other sanctioned countries. It further stresses the importance of cooperation between Member States for a more effective implementation of the arms embargo and demonstrates its readiness to initiate the relevant discussion in the appropriate fora to determine the best practices.
As far as the case that has arisen with the vessel Chariot is concerned, I should like to point out the following. The port authorities of Cyprus had received reassurances from the captain of the ship and from the ship-owning company that the final destination of the cargo was İskenderun in Turkey and not Syria. We all know what happened afterwards."@en1
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