Brussels, 30/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - On 27-28 September, the European Union welcomed the resolution adopted unanimously by the United Nations Security Council on the chemical weapons in Syria (see EUROPE 10931). High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Catherine Ashton underlined that this resolution “represents a major step towards a sustainable and unified international response to the crisis in Syria”. “The Security Council has finally overcome a long sustained paralysis and shown a capacity to act. The resolution will now be implemented as a result”, said Germany's Foreign Affairs Minister Guido Westerwelle, while in the view of his French counterpart, Laurent Fabius, “the Security Council finally deserves its name” with this first resolution since the start of the Syrian conflict. “This evening [27 September], the international community has fulfilled its mission”, said UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, adding that this is “the first hopeful news on Syria for a long time”.
In a press release, Ashton stated that the decision of the Executive Council of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) on 27 September - which enabled the vote of the Security Council - should pave the way to the elimination of chemical weapons in Syria and set a standard for the international community in responding to threats posed by weapons of mass destruction. Furthermore, “the legally binding and enforceable resolution condemns the attacks of 21 August and calls for accountability for this crime and envisages a forceful international reaction in the event of non-compliance”, Ashton stated, saying that “the EU reiterates its readiness to support actions foreseen under the resolution as well as under the decision of the OPCW”.
Ashton's spokesperson, Michael Mann, said that “the EU is ready to give financial and technical assistance” to the OPCW, stating that the OPCW first needs to make a request for this. “We are discussing between us what can be done”, he said. UK Foreign Secretary William Hague announced a British contribution of $3 million to the OPCW-Syria fund and called on the states that were able to do so to provide contributions and expertise. “Germany can bring an active contribution to the expertise and experience”, Westerwelle stated.
Peace conference in mid-November. Reiterating that “we must not lose sight of the most important goal: ending the violence and heading towards a peaceful and democratic transition in Syria”, Ashton said she was “particularly pleased” that the resolution contains “a very clear endorsement of the Geneva agreement reached on 30 June 2012 [see EUROPE 10646] and calls for the convening of the follow up conference as soon as possible”. Ki-moon announced that the international community wants the Geneva II peace conference to be held in mid-November. This resolution “will not alone save Syria”, said Fabius, calling for the relaunch of the political process through the Geneva II peace conference. While the resolution was “groundbreaking”, Hague said that it is “vital that the Council build on today's consensus to progress towards sustainable resolution of the Syrian crisis”.
However, until the political process produces a result Hague urged increased efforts to alleviate the humanitarian crisis in the coming days. “The Council must apply its weight to secure unfettered access to those in need in Syria”, he said. Ashton also stressed the importance of ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches the most vulnerable populations and that access is granted to humanitarian aid agencies (our translation throughout). (CG/transl.fl)