Brussels, 19/07/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 23 July, foreign ministers are expected to tighten sanctions against Syria, by freezing the assets and imposing a visa ban on at least 26 people and two or three administrative entities and companies, according to diplomatic sources quoted by AFP.
It is also very likely that the EU will toughen up its embargo on arms and material that can be used for repressive purposes, by authorising the inspections of boats and planes, when a member state has reason to suspect a breach of the embargo. General Assef Chawkat, killed in an attack on Wednesday, will remain on the list of people subject to sanctions, as long as what is to happen to his assets has not been clarified, explained a diplomatic source.
Another Russian-Chinese blockage
On late afternoon on Thursday, the Russians and Chinese again vetoed a Security Council resolution threatening Syria with sanctions. Eleven countries voted in favour of sanctions, two against, with two abstentions. This therefore creates a certain amount of uncertainty regarding the future of the UN observers, whose mandate expires this Friday. The British ambassador said that he was worried by the veto, while the French ambassador considered that, “refusing Kofi Annan the means to exert pressure as required, puts the very mission in peril”. On Wednesday, the spokesperson for Kofi Annan said he was hoping for decisive action by the Council, stating that the attack on Wednesday underlined the, “urgent need” for this action. The spokesperson also hoped that the postponement of the vote this Wednesday to Thursday would enable Security Council members to unite and find a common language.
On Thursday, EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Catherine Ashton underlined that the European Union would do all it could to obtain a “strong and cohesive” resolution from the Security Council. She added that it would do everything within its power, together with the Security Council, to bring an end to the violence. On the previous day, she called for “concerted action” from the Security Council and the international community and condemned the attack, which had killed several leaders of the Syrian regime. She explained that the “bomb attack…underlines the urgent need for concerted action by the UN Security Council and the international community to enforce Kofi Annan's peace plan”. She said that she was “deeply concerned at the escalating violence and its tragic consequences for the Syrian population. It is of the utmost priority that violence stops now and that all parties engage in a peaceful settlement of the conflict”.
The EU's response to humanitarian crisis
Ministers for home affairs meeting at the informal council will hold discussions over lunch on Monday 23 July on the risk of a humanitarian and immigration crisis. In its preparatory document, the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council of Ministers warned that the situation in the country could possibly provoke a humanitarian crisis. Cyprus is only a few hundred kilometres away from Syria and is preparing to evacuate foreign nationals but is also concerned about the possibility of floods of Syrians arriving and would like solidarity from member states if this occurs (see EUROPE 10651). The Presidency would like ministers to discuss the best way in which the EU and member states could help countries neighbouring Syria in their efforts to help displaced persons and is asking whether a regional protection programme would be an appropriate idea in this respect. Cyprus would also like to tackle questions relating to the best use of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in an effort to optimise the adoption of solidarity measures if necessary. The approach of states concerning displaced persons who have already arrived on their territory will also be examined.
In a written question sent on 17 July to the High Representative, MEP Sylvie Guillaume (S&D, France) emphasised that how asylum requests by Syrian nationals are processed varies widely from one member state to another. She wonders what measures the EU and its member states have taken, or plan to take, in an effort to facilitate the entry into Europe of those fleeing violence, as well as the possibility of developing a common approach for the reception and examination of asylum requests, based on the best practices that EASO has been able to identify. The MEP has called on member states to respect a moratorium banning the return of nationals from third countries to Syria. She would also like a commitment from the EU to settle refugees that have been the admitted into countries neighbouring Syria and where living conditions are particularly difficult. (CG/transl.fl)