Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-02-15-Speech-3-429-000"
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"en.20120215.22.3-429-000"2
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"Madam President, yesterday, Cathy Ashton sent me a letter to indicate that she will be acting on behalf of the European Union at the first contact group meeting on 24 February in Tunis. This is good – but let us be honest, colleagues: what is the strategy that we will defend there?
I have to tell you, Minister, I did not hear it. You have given here the strategy and the request of the Arab League, but what is the strategy of the European Union? What is the current strategy towards Syria? We are in the middle of this crisis; we have the problems around Homs, which is clearly a second Srebrenica. We are in the middle of a war at the moment in Syria. I am asking you here: what is the strategy? It is not enough to say: OK, we will be there on the 24th in Tunisia. But what will we say there? What is our position on the main issues? The main issues are whether we are in favour of humanitarian intervention in Syria, creating safe zones and no-fly zones on the border with Turkey and on the border with Jordan, and having corridors there. Are we in favour of that? Yes or no? I think they are absolutely necessary.
There is currently genocide in Syria. That is what is happening, and if we do not stop it with the international community, it can only continue. What we are seeing today is the second Hama.
The second question is whether we should give material and technical help to the Syrian opposition and to the Free Syrian Army. I think we have to give such help, and if it proves necessary at a particular time, weapon sales will be necessary – maybe not directly; we might arrange it through our colleagues in the Arab League. But what is the European Union’s answer? Do we give material help: yes or no? They need it desperately.
My third question to you is: what is happening with the sanction regime? We have known from the beginning that our list was too small and that at least 200 families in the regime of Bashar al-Assad have to be targeted. We started with 20, and then 30 and then 35 and then 40: that is the way we are going, targeting only the individuals and not the families. So my question is: are we now going to have a sanction regime which really targets the 200 big families?
My fourth issue was mentioned by Mr Salafranca: what shall we do about Russia and China? We have the opportunity possibly to say something to them about this matter. We had a mission to China, and we are currently promising them the status of a free market economy – this at a time when they are refusing to take their responsibility in the Security Council. Is it the right time to do that? I do not think so. We have to wait until they have said yes to an intervention in Syria – which is absolutely necessary.
I want to hear from you the position of the European Union, and I want you to tell me what you told us a few minutes ago. There will be a meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs on 27th; that you have said. The 27th is three days after the 24th. I think you should have your meeting before Ms Ashton goes there. I think we are making exactly the same mistake we made in places like Libya, among others."@en1
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