Brussels, 09/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - The EPP/ED Group at the European Parliament is to hold a half-day workshop on the future of EU-Syria cooperation in Brussels on Thursday 11 January, at the initiative of Jana Hybášková of the Czech Republic and Edward McMillan-Scott of Britain. Syrian personalities are also expected to attend including Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah Dardari but this has not yet been confirmed, and it is reported that the decision is still being thrashed out. Euro-Syrian relations are still somewhat turbulent and the prospect of an association agreement being signed is still a matter of conjecture, although the text was initialled three years ago. The United Kingdom for a long while blocked the signing process and this attitude was then adopted by France, which has taken a tough stance against Damascus since the assassination of the former Lebanese prime minister, Rafiq Hariri. This isolation policy towards Syria is now being brought into question, especially by the European Parliament which suggested in a December 2006 resolution that the policy should be made more flexible as, it states, Syria can play an active and useful role in stabilising the region (Middle East and Iraq).
Such an open approach is now clearly supported by London. Several governmental and parliamentary visits have recently taken place, the most recent to date being on 7 January. Syrian President Bachar el-Assad received a delegation of MEPs headed by Jacques Santer, former President of the European Commission and former MEP (EPP/ED), the official agency SANA reports in a release dated 7 January. The agency does not give further details about the framework in which the mission took place. It is reported to be an informal mission at a private initiative, composed for the most part of national British MPs of all tendencies but headed by the former Luxembourg prime minister, Jacques Santer. Members of the delegation are: David Steel, member of the House of Lords and former Speaker of the Scottish Parliament; Clare Short, independent member of the British Parliament; and Deputy Speaker of the Luxembourg Parliament Laurent Mosar, as well as various representatives from the main British parties. The ambassador for Great Britain to Syria John Jenkins also attended the meeting, SANA reports. It points out that the meeting covered “regional issues” and that President Assad had declared, during an exchange of views, that he supported “all decisions taken by the Palestinians” and backed the “political process underway in Iraq”. He also reportedly said that Syria would support “the decisions that the Lebanese take without foreign influence”. The delegation also met Farouk al-Charaa Vice-President of the Republic, Walid al-Mouallem Foreign Minister, and Mahmoud al-Abrache President of the People's Assembly (parliament). According to SANA, Mr al-Charaa “criticised external interference by a number of major powers”, pointing out that this was the cause of “current tension in the region”. The meeting also covered “relations between Syria and Europe and the obstacles that still hamper the conclusion of the Syria/Europe partnership agreement”.
The regional press (notably Lebanese) notes that this visit by Europeans is “the latest in a series of visits by western personalities to Syria, a country that has been isolated over recent years from the international scene”. Syria's Information Minister Mohsen Bilal asserted at the end of December 2006 that “the attempts made by some to isolate Syria have failed, as one can see from the rush to Damascus of government officials, and both European and American members of parliament seeking to consult with Syria”. There have indeed been visits one after the other in quick succession to Damascus, the latest being that by the former German chancellor Gerhard Schröder. According to Syrian sources, Schröder's meeting with the Syrian president was exclusively on economic cooperation, especially between investment companies in the two countries.
During this time, the democratic opposition in Syria, which is grouped around a common charter known as the “Damascus Declaration”, accused, at the weekend, the authorities of “tightening the vice” around the internal opposition, according to a press release for the international agencies. The authorities, the parties say, “banned meetings and activities, tried to terrorise activists by throwing them in prison and by making serious accusations against them”. Their press release denounces government policy in the social field and states that the “high cost of living, unemployment, and corruption (…) have heightened social tension”. The Damascus Declaration, launched in October 2005, groups several banned parties (Communist, Nationalist, Liberal and Kurd) and has won the support of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood, based in London. It calls for “radical democratic change” in Syria. (fb)