The day after the informal Quint Group (United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France and Italy) met in Rome to coordinate efforts to promote transition in Syria, EU High Representative Kaja Kallas said, on Friday 10 January that the EU “could gradually ease sanctions provided there is tangible progress”.
A few days earlier, the French minister Jean-Noël Barrot had said that the sanctions which were “hindering access to humanitarian aid” or “preventing the country’s recovery” “could be lifted quickly”. The lifting of sanctions requires the unanimous agreement of the Member States.
According to a press release from the US State Department in Rome, the Italian, US, German, French and British representatives discussed ways to help the Syrian people seize the opportunity presented by the fall of the Assad regime to “build a better future”.
“They reiterated the need for all groups in Syria to respect human rights, uphold international humanitarian law, ensure that Syria does not pose a threat to its neighbours or serve as a base for terrorism, and take every precaution to protect civilians, including members of minority groups”, the State Department added. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)