Brussels, 17/05/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 16 May, French President François Hollande implicitly maintained France's determination to change the embargo on weapons for the Syrian opposition.
“The Syrian issue must be settled urgently on the political level but also by putting pressure on the military level - because at the same time that the Russians accept the idea of this (peace) conference, they continue to deliver weapons to the Syrian regime. We have to have an attitude that corresponds to restoring the balance of the forces”, he said during a press conference. “There is a discussion going on between the Americans and Europeans to know how we can be helpful in lifting the embargo”, he added. The European sanctions have been in force since 1 June. Although the United Kingdom - supported by France and four or five other countries - wants to lift or relax the arms embargo for the opposition, around ten member states are apparently still opposed to this, with some of them concerned that this might undermine the chances of the peace conference.
Reiterating that the embargo would be lifted if the opposition gave total guarantees about the destination of the arms, Hollande was concerned about the risk of the weapons falling into the wrong hands. “We know that there are Jihadis who could use these weapons for purposes that are not in line with what we want”, he said. “The political discussion must prevail over all else, but at the moment it is the war which prevails with a radicalisation in the two camps”, he added, underlining that Syria can no long be detached from the rest of the region.
Hollande also believed that it was necessary “to have this frank discussion with Russia to convince it that its interest, the interest of the region, and the interest of peace is to have done with Bashar al-Assad”.
Hollande again reiterated that the use of chemical weapons is the “red line”, saying that “we have hints of their use, but not material proof”. As the secretary general of the United Nations, Ban ki-Moon, had done on 17 May, Hollande called on the regime to allow the UN experts to carry out an inquiry.
Hollande said that France will take part in the peace conference. Resolution of the Syrian conflict “cannot simply be handled by two countries (the United States and Russia). It must be done with the whole of the international community”, he said. However, he underlined that “it is not (my) intention to invite Assad” (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)