Brussels, 20/09/2012 (Agence Europe) - On 19 September the director-general for North Africa, the Middle East, the Arabian peninsula, Iran and Iraq, Hugues Mingarelli, called for a negotiated solution in Syria and stressed to the foreign affairs committee at the European Parliament that “the opposition is incapable of winning in the short term according to the military experts” and that “there is no possibility of military intervention in the short term”. In Mingarelli's opinion a negotiated solution “is not a question of morality, but of political realism”, and he said that it is necessary at the same time to try and make progress at the United Nations Security Council.
The Turkish ambassador to the EU, Selim Yenel, was more optimistic. “The opposition will manage it alone, but they need a little help”, he said, without giving further details. “We can't intervene in this country, (…) we need to rely on the opposition. It's the only thing we can do”, he continued.
The two men also spoke of the disunity of the Syrian opposition. Mingarelli spoke of the split between the opposition - those who support arms and those who consider that a negotiated solution is still possible, not to mention all the sectarian divisions. But in spite of the divisions it is possible to find a common line, he said. Yenel stated that it is difficult to unite the divisions of the opposition because some are located abroad and the possibilities of communication are complicated.
Mingarelli added that post-Assad there will have to be an inclusive process with all the minorities, without “witch hunts”. Yenel expressed his concern at “the possibility of division on ethnic and religious bases”. “We want territorial integrity to be respected and for it to rest intact”, he said.
Syria to be discussed at UN General Assembly. Syria will also be widely discussed on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York next week. EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid Kristalina Georgieva will “certainly” chair a meeting of donors in order to mobilise more donors and increase their coordination, Mingarelli said. High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton will meet the Special Representative Lakhdar Brahimi and Secretary General of the Arab League Nabil Al-Arabi. A core group meeting of the Friends of Syria should also take place, as requested by American Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. (CG/transl.fl)