On Thursday 15 March, MEPs asked the Council of the EU to impose targeted sanctions on Russian and Iranian leaders after the targeted and deliberate action against civilians in eastern Ghouta and the rest of Syria as well.
In a joint resolution on Syria by the Greens/EFA, EFDD, ECR, EPP, GUE/NGL, ALDE and S&D that they adopted, the MEPs warn that the Syrian, Russian and Iranian regimes are responsible under international law for the hateful crimes that they are continuing to perpetuate in Syria, and that the states or individuals who are found guilty of such crimes should he held accountable.
The European Parliament urges all sides and particularly the regime of Bashar al-Assad, Russia and Iran, to implement United Nations Security Council Resolution 2401, adopted on 24 February. The MEPs add that the parties should fully respect the resolution as a matter of urgency in order to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered without delay and in full safety in a sustainable manner and without obstacle, to allow the sick and seriously injured to be evacuated and to ease the suffering of the Syrian population. The MEPs support the call for hostilities to be ceased immediately for at least 30 days in a row.
The MEPs do not forget Turkey’s intervention in regions of Syria controlled by Kurdish forces, saying they are still extremely preoccupied by the increasingly difficult situation at Afrin. They want the Turkish government to withdraw its troops and play a constructive role in the Syrian conflict, which they state is also in Turkey’s national interest.
Reaffirming the primacy of the Geneva process, the MEPs invite the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to deploy all possible efforts to relaunch peace talks under the aegis of the United Nations. They say the High Representative should demand a more active role in the negotiations by making use of the EU’s financial capabilities and its desire to allocate considerable resources to the reconstruction of Syria. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)