Mr Borrell supports idea of a no-fly zone, all while recognising EU's lack of power in this area

The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, on Thursday 5 March, supported the establishment of a no-fly zone over Idlib in northwestern Syria.

"This is a good initiative", he said from Zagreb, calling for support. "This should be supported by the Member States. If you want a ceasefire, an end to hostilities and an end to bombs that seriously affect civilians, you need to create a buffer zone in the airspace of the fighting to prevent the destructive military capabilities from continuing to function", he explained.

But the High Representative also recognised the limited room for manoeuvre that Europeans have. "The relevant scenarios will have to be discussed with NATO and the United Nations", he said. He also added: "The EU cannot decide to have a buffer zone in Syria. We would like to speak the language of power but for the time being we cannot decide this by our own, but we can have influence within the institutions where such a decision can be made".

Upon his arrival at the EU Council in Gymnich format, Dutch Minister Stef Blok reiterated his wish to see such a no-fly zone established (see EUROPE 12439/10).

Calling for a UN Security Council resolution on this issue, Mr Blok hoped that, if this was not possible, "an association between EU countries could broker an agreement with Turkey and Russia to end the suffering".

Before he left for Zagreb from Berlin, his German counterpart, Heiko Maas, had called for an immediate ceasefire and the securing of supplies for the one million internal refugees. "Russia must put pressure on the Assad regime to stop attacks on hospitals and schools. And aid organisations must continue to have cross-border access to people in need", he argued. 

In parallel to the meeting of EU foreign ministers, the presidents of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and Russia, Vladimir Putin, met in Moscow to discuss the situation in Syria. They announced that they have agreed to a ceasefire starting at midnight on Thursday. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)