Brussels, 30/09/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 29 September, High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini said that she saw a common basis for discussions for a solution in Syria.
“There are diplomatic efforts [this week, on the sidelines of the UN Assembly General in New York] for starting the political transition or a few changes in the democratic life of Syria. I see that, around this concept of starting a political process that includes all the Syrians who reject terrorism and want to fight terrorism unitedly, there could be a political space for new initiatives in the coming weeks”, Mogherini told a press conference. “I have heard different narratives from different actors but this can lead to a common basis for common diplomatic efforts”, she added.
West divided on place to give Bashar al-Assad. In New York, Mogherini also met Russia's Foreign Affairs Minister Sergei Lavrov. “On Syria and Libya, they agreed on the need to support the UN's efforts for political solutions for both crises”, said Mogherini's staff in press release. However, the EU and Russia have different opinions on the future role of Bashar al-Assad. On 28 September, Catherine Ray, Mogherini's spokesperson, stated that given the way Assad has been involved in the civil war, it was impossible for him to be part of the future governance of the country. For Russia's President Vladimir Putin, refusing to cooperate with Assad would be “a huge mistake”.
The Europeans are divided on this subject. According to British media, the UK's Prime Minister David Cameron could go back on his opposition to Assad playing a role in a transition government. Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel said on 23 September that is was necessary to talk to many actors and this involved Assad, but others too. However, for France's President François Hollande, Assad is at the origin of the problem and cannot be part of the solution. A criminal investigation for crimes against humanity has been opened in France, targeting Assad's regime for abuses committed between 2011 and 2013.
In his speech to the UN General Assembly on 29 September, European Council President Donald Tusk said that Assad was not the solution in Syria. He said that the group of supporters for the idea that Bashar al-Assad should be part of the transition in Syria was growing. However, he said, it could not be forgotten that millions of people have fled his awful methods for trying to ensure stability in Syria. Tusk stated that over the course of his visits to the region, he had been told that Assad's victory would lead to a new exodus. The only goal for a peace plan for Syria, he said, must be making it possible for people to lead a normal life again in the region - but he said that stability cannot be won with bombs and chemical weapons used against civilians. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)