Strasbourg, 14/12/2006 (Agence Europe) - On the sidelines of the plenary session in Strasbourg on13 December, a Syrian parliamentary delegation was received by members of the European Parliamentary delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries, which is chaired by Béatrice Patrie (PES, France). The Iranian nuclear issue, the war between Lebanon and Israel, the stabilisation of Lebanon and the internal situation in Syria were all discussed.
The visit, the eighth of its kind, is part of the regular contact between the EP and the Syrian parliament, represented by the chairman of the foreign affairs committee Noumeir Ghanem. It comes, however, at a difficult time with the aggravation of the political situation in the Middle East, and particularly in Lebanon. There are political clashes over what to do next on the report by (Belgian) European judge Mr Brammertz, on who was responsible for the assassination of former Prime Minister Hariri. Relations are also tense between the EU and Syria, while at the same time there have been attempts to improve relations, in particular for the signature of an association agreement. At its last session, the EP adopted a resolution recommending a prudent approach, but one which could help Damascus break out of the diplomatic isolation and its alignment with Tehran. The British, who hitherto had opposed such initiatives have sought a rapprochement and the Dutch foreign minister Bernard Bot has just visited Syria. Following a meeting with Syrian President Bashir el-Assad, Mr Bot called on Damascus to play a constructive role in the Israel-Palestine conflict, on Lebanon and on Iraq. Syria, he said, was a key country in the Middle East; it had considerable responsibilities. He said he was sure that the eyes of Europe would turn towards it if it played a constructive role in the Palestinian conflict, in Lebanon and in Iraq. At a press conference after his visit to the Syrian capital, Mr Bot said he had received positive signals from those to whom he had spoken on the Syrian side: President Assad, Deputy President Farouk el-Shareh, Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri and Foreign Minister Wallid Moallem. “They assured me that Syria wanted to play a constructive role in the Lebanese crisis, especially with regard to the application of UN resolution 1701,” Mr Bot said. He went on to say that his government supported the government of Fouad Siniora in Lebanon, and thought that Syria could be really helpful in reinforcing the ceasefire between the Palestinians and Israel.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Berlin on Tuesday that there could be no peace in the Middle East without the involvement of Syria, although she continued that cooperation with Damascus was very difficult at the moment. Ms Merkel was speaking to the foreign press association after a visit to Syria by her foreign minister Frank-Waler Steinmeier. Syria, she said, is quite simply there, in the region, as a partner. “It is a country of that region, and it is important that we tell Syria what we expect of it. I don not believe we can reach a global peace settlement in the Middle East without including Syria in one way or another,” Ms Merkel said. (fb)