Strasbourg, 27/10/2006 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 26 October, the European Parliament in Strasbourg approved a report by Veronique de Keyser (PES, Belgium) by 453 to 11 with 15 abstentions recommending renewed EU dialogue with Syria and the importance of pursuing the approval process for the Association Agreement initialled in October 2004. The signing of the Association Agreement was suspended after the assassination of Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri. De Keyser (already appointed rapporteur on this dossier) described the Association Agreement as the missing link in the Barcelona Process.
The resolution adopted by the MEPs reports in detail on what Syria has to do to become an acceptable partner. The EP asks the Council to consider incentives and additional aid, over and above those set out under the Association Agreement, to encourage Syria to revise its current foreign policy and regional non-alignment in order to promote peace, stability and prosperity in the Middle East and recognise the right of existence of the state of Israel and its support for the Middle East peace process.
In her presentation of the report, de Keyser said that Europe had decided to keep a prudent distance from the Syrian regime but this no longer applied today because various events on the international scene and in Syria's domestic politics were pushing the EU to enter dialogue again while ensuring that Syria really did desire to normalise relations (by allowing the investigation into the assassination of Rafiq Hariri to continue and by relaunching a policy of openness at home). De Keyser explained that the EU had been counter-productive in terms of democracy in Syria without being able to weaken a strong regime. The Lebanese tragedy had demonstrated the necessity of working politically with all stakeholders in the conflict, including Syria. Further isolation of Syria would be a mistake, she argued, because the country has already found other allies, like Iran, which provide oil but also war-mongering ideology out of step with peace in the Middle East.
The Council explained that it has also detected encouraging signs from Syria and is waiting for confirmation in action (in terms of relations with Iran and Hezbollah).
On behalf of the European Commission, Benita Ferrero Waldner said that the open debate came at the right time because it provided an opportunity to discuss the issue against the new backdrop of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. 'After the conflict in Lebanon and the new context of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, it is indeed timely to re-assess where we are with our current policy. Syria is a long-standing partner under the Barcelona Process and I fully share your views that we have a strong interest in bringing the country closer to Europe. In this critical moment for the peace process, Damascus has the power to be part of the solution, not part of the problem.' The Commissioner pointed out that in the absence of an agreement, the EU had continued targetted cooperation with Syria on vital issues of interest to the citizen (political rights, infrastructure, etc) and had approved the reform programme unveiled by deputy prime minister Abdallah Dardari (seen in Brussels as a Syrian politician promoting openness). But the singing of the Association Agreement between the EU and Syria will depend on Syria' attitude, explained the Commissioner. Ferrero-Waldner added: 'I very much hope that the positive messages that we have got from Damascus lately will be transformed into deeds and that we will be able to restore a strong relationship with the country'. (fb)