Brussels, 12/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - The EPP-ED Group at the European Parliament held a public hearing on 11 January in Brussels on relations with Syria. The main conclusions reached were that, although pressure should continue to be applied so that Damascus is forced to be more open politically, emphasis should not be placed on its isolation in order to prevent it moving closer to Tehran.
Opened by the Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security, Elmar Brok (EPP-ED, Germany), the hearing allowed several well-known Syrian and European personalities, including the rapporteur for the EU/Syria Association Agreement (not yet ratified), Véronique de Keyser (PES, Belgium), and a representative from the European Commission on post in Damascus, Loïc Lallemand Zeller, to give a complete picture of all the cooperation themes (political, economic and financial) with Syria. The Syrian guests all represented the opposition, both secular and Islamist, exiled or coming from Syria. No official personalities answered the invitation extended by Jana Hybaskova (EPP-ED, Czech Republic), who organised the hearing. Abdallah Dardari, Syrian Deputy Prime Minister, was one of the more notable figures who declined the invitation. Elmar Brok took the view that Syria has a role to play in the region, whether that role be negative or positive, and that this has become all the more obvious since Israel's declaration of war in August on Lebanon and in the Palestinian territories, and the visible worsening of the situation in Iraq. The Christian Democrat MEP stressed in particular the de facto alliance in this context between Damascus, Tehran and Hezbollah. In his view, there is not an “ideological alliance” between Iran and Syria but rather a collaboration of interest. The EU is said to be interested in showing Bashar el-Assad's government that Syria's interest lies in encouraging all those taking part in the Middle East conflict to make the necessary concessions (Golan, Shebaa Farms, etc.). “Collaboration with Syria is essential mainly if Iraq were to be dismembered”, Brok said, deploring the fact that President Bush had not spoken along the lines of the recommendations made by the Baker-Hamilton Commission.
Ms de Keyser stressed the joint commitment of all EP political groups, expressed through the resolution adopted last October. “There is perhaps not unanimity but there is the will to consult each other and to carry out a collective task”, thus affirming the need to ratify the Association Agreement. She said it was not a time for scruples and qualms but for pragmatism, and dismissed any idea of unconditional support for Damascus. The main concern would be to maintain dialogue and to use cooperation as a “lever”. It would be “dangerous”, she said, to “leave Syria isolated”. In response to a question raised by a Syrian opponent, she added: “If we did not have to sign agreements with democracies, we would have none in the Middle East zone”. The Syrian opposition appeared clearly divided between the hope that Europe would continue to keep pressure up on the Syrian government without breaking off dialogue, and those that feel there is nothing to be gained from the “worst dictatorship” of the region. A representative of a Syrian Kurdish party greatly regretted the forgotten Kurd cause. “Kurds are not a Syrian minority but a people”, he said. Another said that the association agreement does not comprise “surveillance mechanisms” for its political clauses and the use of funds allocated to Syria. “This is only to the benefit of families close to the regime”, he said.
In answer to this criticism, Christian Jouret, Head of Unit at the EU Council of Ministers, urged for strengthened dialogue saying that Damascus appears “sincere in its search for an agreement with Israel” and its resolve to seal an agreement on the Golan Heights. It is therefore important, he said, to bring Syria out of its isolation and, in this current difficult context, to avoid it coming face-to-face with Iran. Mr Zeller, from the European Commission, stressed that the “main objective of the EU is to accompany the efforts of modernisation and reform with a view to improving the population's living conditions”. However, he admits, “we have been less successful with political projects” than with economic, financial, social and cultural cooperation. “Our project for support to the development of the civil society will probably not see the light of day”, he said, adding that the Syrian government had “clearly shown its ability to hamper practical implementation” of the project. The signing of the Association Agreement depends, in his view, on “unequivocal signs” from the Syrian party. (fb)