Less than a week after the European Council (see EUROPE 12431/2), the heads of diplomacy of 14 EU member states called, on Wednesday 26 February, on the Syrian regime and its supporters, "including Russia", to cease hostilities immediately and to respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.
"In Idlib, a new humanitarian disaster is playing out, one of the worst in the Syrian crisis", the foreign ministers of Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Spain and Sweden denounced in an op-ed published in the newspaper Le Monde.
"The United Nations has warned of the risk of an unprecedented humanitarian crisis if the current offensive continues", they warned, recalling that "in defiance of international humanitarian law" the strikes were "deliberately" targeting hospitals and health centres, schools and shelters. According to the United Nations, 298 civilians have been killed in Idlib since 1 January.
It is "perfectly clear" to the ministers that there are "radical groups" in Idlib and recall that they would never take terrorism "lightly", but they stress that the fighting terrorism "cannot and must not justify massive violations of international humanitarian law, which we are witnessing every day in north-west Syria".
The heads of diplomacy address Russia directly, asking it to continue negotiations with Turkey in order to achieve a de-escalation in Idlib and contribute to a political solution. Moscow should not block the UN Security Council in the coming months from renewing the mechanism allowing for desperately needed cross-border humanitarian aid to be transported to north-west Syria, they add.
The ministers again call for a negotiated political solution. The military reconquest underway is "an illusion", say the ministers, explaining that "the same causes will produce the same effects: radicalisation, instability in Syria and in the region, and exile, in a country where more than half the population is displaced or living as refugees".
Beyond words, the representatives of the 14 Member States stress that "in the face of the tragedy unfolding, Europeans, too, are shouldering their responsibilities". In addition to the humanitarian aspect, the EU continues to put pressure on the regime to genuinely engage in the political process (see EUROPE 12427/32). "Our responsibility is also to fight impunity with regard to the crimes committed in Syria. It is a matter of principle and justice", the ministers added, announcing that they intend to continue their support for the UN mechanisms to fight impunity and their work in favour of referral to the International Criminal Court. " We will maintain our commitment, including within the framework of our national jurisdictions, to ensure that the crimes committed in Syria do not go unpunished", they warn. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)