Brussels, 11/03/2013 (Agence Europe) - On Monday 11 March, French Minister for Foreign Affairs Laurent Fabius called for the arms embargo on Syria to be lifted. Underlining that “on the political and diplomatic level all channels must be used to find a diplomatic solution”, he said that it is “evident that the issue of lifting the arms embargo is being considered more and more”. He highlighted the imbalance between the regime which receives arms “from Iraq and Russia” and the coalition “which does not have these same arms available”. “The issue is going to have to be considered again very quickly. We can't allow this imbalance”, Fabius added after a dinner with Special Representative for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi, who has expressed his opposition to sending arms on several occasions.
Belgian Minister for Foreign Affairs Didier Reynders said that the plunge is “perhaps to be made in the coming weeks”. “We are ready to go further on condition that we see who uses the arms, and that we control their use on the ground. We are not in the middle of fighting against the Jihadists in order to arm others in Syria. We need a clear vision of who on the ground can use this”, he said.
In the view of Swedish Minister for Foreign Affairs Carl Bildt, the solution has to be political. “There is no military solution to having a stable Syria”, he stressed, saying that this risks devastating the region still further. “There should be people in Syria and in the coalition, the opposition, to sit around the table and try at least to stop the brutalities”, said his counterpart from Luxembourg, Jean Asselborn.
Brahimi says the EU has a role to play. Brahimi explained that the discussions with the ministers and High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton focused on “the essential political solution” and on “what everyone must do to make it possible”. “I think that the EU has a role to play, with other important members of the international community”, he added (our translation throughout). The ministers reiterated their support for Brahimi's action. They discussed the situation in the country, the impact on the neighbouring countries and on the international community - including the EU, and in particular its relationship with Russia. (CG/transl.fl)