European leaders called, on Friday 21 February, for an immediate end to hostilities in Idlib, calling the new military offensive by the Syrian regime and its backers “unacceptable”.
“The European Union calls on all actors to cease hostilities immediately”, underlines their joint communiqué issued in the margins of the European Council, reiterating “in the strongest possible terms” the EU’s call on all parties to put in place a sustainable ceasefire, guarantee the protection of civilians and fully implement the commitments made in Sochi in September 2018.
All parties to the conflict must fully respect their obligations under international humanitarian law and international human rights law, and allow unimpeded and direct humanitarian access to all those in need, the Europeans urge.
According to them, the Union is committed to strengthening its humanitarian assistance to the most vulnerable civilian population in the Idlib area. Nearly two million people are said to be in great precarity or displaced, said French President Emmanuel Macron.
“Nothing can justify the failure to respect international humanitarian law and the sacrifice of civilian populations”, Mr Macron stressed on his arrival at the European Council on 19 February, describing the situation on the ground as “one of the worst humanitarian tragedies”.
Moreover, according to the European Council declaration, it is of the “utmost importance” that perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law are held accountable. “For this reason, the EU reiterates its call for the situation in Syria to be referred to the International Criminal Court”, they said.
Speaking to the press, Mr Macron, deploring “the relative powerlessness of the international community”, called on all permanent members of the Security Council (UNSC) to assume their responsibilities, recalling that several initiatives had been blocked by Russia and China.
“The situation can only be resolved by calling for an immediate ceasefire and restarting the political process. That is why we have indicated that we would like to have a four-way meeting, in the so-called Istanbul format, as soon as possible (Germany, France, Russia and Turkey). This is the only way forward”, he added.
On the margins of the summit with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Mr Macron spoke by telephone with Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogán. “We are unanimous in the European Council, we want to make a contribution to improving the situation”, Merkel stressed. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant with editorial staff)