Brussels, 18/04/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 17 April, the Greens/EFA Group called on the EU high representative for foreign affairs to establish a European mechanism for ensuring respect of the arms embargo on Syria by member states. This was adopted on 9 May 2011 by the European Council and banned “the sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel of all types to Syria from the territories of member states, whether originating or not in their territories. Also it is prohibited to participate in all activities that circumvent these prohibitions.” In an open letter to Catherine Ashton, which highlighted violations to this embargo, the vice presidents of the group - Rebecca Harms and Daniel Cohn-Bendit - requested that the high representative did everything in her “power to prevent further breaches of sanctions against the Assad regime” and ensure that “in close cooperation with the Council and relevant member state authorities, that EU sanctions against Syria are respected to the fullest degree, in letter and in spirit! The EU needs to improve the monitoring and oversight of member state implementation of sanctions. Member states that do not comply need to be held accountable by the Council.”
According to the two MEPs, on 13 April the German cargo ship, the Atlantic Cruiser, sailing under the flag of Antigua and Barbuda, was stopped on its way to Tartus (Syria) carrying heavy weapons and ammunition from Iran for the Assad regime. They also want an enquiry to be carried out into the role played by Cyprus in the Russia-Syria agreements, when the Cypriot authorities on 10 January allowed the docking and refuelling of Russian ship MS Chariot, carrying more than 59 tonnes of Russian weapons for the Assad regime. (CG/transl.fl)