Brussels, 25/03/2011 (Agence Europe) - In a press release on Friday 25 March, the Greens/EFA Group at the European Parliament writes that the European Union must put a halt to any approach that might lead to the signing of an association agreement with Syria. The group expresses its deep concern at the serious violation of human rights by the Syrian authorities since 15 March in Syria, especially in the town of Deraa.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit, Co-President of the Greens/EFA Group, and Hélène Flautre, a member of the Union for the Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, consider that, to date, the Bachar al-Assad regime has been responsible for about one hundred casualties. They go on to add that the Syrian government is responsible for ensuring the protection of the civilian population and for finally showing proof of its ability to abide by its international commitments, especially in terms of freedom of association and freedom of expression.
Daniel Cohn-Bendit and Hélène Flautre denounce the massive arrests made of those spreading information (students, intellectuals, bloggers, journalists, activists, etc) and state their specific concern at the situation of Mazen Darwish, who founded the Syrian Centre for Media and Freedom of Expression (SCM), and of whom there has been no news since his arrest in Damascus on 23 March. It is imperative for the European Union to be politically and practically committed with those wishing to bring about democratic change in the country, and it must finally demand firm commitment from the Syrian authorities in favour of freedoms and the democratic process, they say. They go on to call on High Representative Catherine Ashton and European Commissioner for Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle to suspend these persistent attempts to get the Syrian regime to sign a Euro-Mediterranean association agreement until Syria comes into line with its international commitments by releasing all those imprisoned for their opinions, by lifting the state of emergency and by meeting the legitimate democratic aspirations of the people.
French President Nicolas Sarkozy called, on Friday 25 March, for a stop to the violence against demonstrators in Syria, stressing: “In every democracy, there are protests and there can be violence. But one cannot, in any democracy, permit the army to fire live bullets on demonstrators”. He went on to add: “This is a position that does not change, irrespective of the countries concerned”. (L.C./transl.jl)