Brussels, 30/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - EU foreign affairs ministers, meeting at the Council on Thursday 31 January, will discuss the situation in Syria and doubtless the sanctions that have been inflicted on the country. Yet no decision is expected on the arms embargo - whether it is to be maintained or lifted. “No one is expecting a decision by tomorrow (Thursday). That takes time and there is still a wide divergence of views between the member states”, a European source revealed on 30 January, saying that the issue could be discussed at the European Council on 7-8 February, and at the Council on 18 February when the special envoy for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, will be present. The European source also pointed out that if nothing is decided before the end of the sanctions on 1 March, they will fall. “I don't think that's what we want”, the source added. France and the United Kingdom are calling for at least a partial lifting of the embargo, while recognising that care needs to be taken and that the necessary guarantees need to accompany this, but other countries are more distrusting.
Numerous technical questions. The EU is currently holding discussions at working group level, the source stated, adding that, “up to now, we have not taken the political aspects into account, but rather the technical aspects”. There are numerous questions - whether the embargo be lifted generally or in a more precise way, because if the embargo was lifted the weapons could be delivered into the hands of the Assad regime. “That is not what the proponents of the idea (of lifting the embargo) want”, said the source, pointing out that the current legal text concerns all weapons destined for Syria. The question, therefore, arises as to the possibility of making the distinction between the regime and the opposition and who is in the opposition - does the legal text allow this?; is it possible to lift the embargo just for part of the territory?; what about lethal and non-lethal equipment?, the source went on. The source said that over and above these questions runs that of the political message that the EU wants to send - when Bahimi has called for a stop to all weapons deliveries to Syria.
Brahimi calls on UN Security Council to take action. On 29 January, Brahimi called on the 15 members of the UN Security Council to take urgent action on Syria. He is thought to have said that the Council “can't simply say we are divided, let's wait for better days. It must take hold of this issue now”, and he apparently called for “a bit more pressure” to be put on the belligerents. He is said to have added that Syria is in the middle of gradually being destroyed and emphasised the “unprecedented level of horror” in the violence. (CG/transl.fl)