Tag: Syria

Despite increased interest in staging EU-Russia informal summits such as the one held in Moscow last month (21-22 March), deep differences remain, said Russian ambassador to the EU in an exclusive interview with EurActiv. Divisions persist particularly over the UK-French attempt to lift the arms embargo on Syrian rebels. He warns that such an action would breach the terms of the EU’s own declaration on arms supply.

French President François Hollande has given EU foreign ministers until end of May to negotiate lifting the bloc’s arms embargo on Syria and give the coalition the weapons it needs to fight the regime of Bashar Al-Assad. But Germany and others have reiterated their reservations, warning of a potential regional escalation of the conflict.

EU foreign ministers, meeting the leader of the Syrian opposition on Monday (10 December), moved towards full recognition of a new coalition ahead of a diplomatic gathering aimed at bolstering aid for rebels fighting President Bashar al-Assad.

Catherine Ashton, the EU foreign policy chief, called on Turkey for restraint after its artillery slammed military targets in Syria in retaliation for a mortar attack that killed five people in the border town of Akçakale.

EU foreign ministers seek to impose tougher sanctions on the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad as soon as next month, acknowledging that the actions taken so far have had little effect on the regime.

Despite leaving his post as Special Envoy to Syria yesterday (2 August), former UN Secretary-General said that the country can still be saved from the worst calamity of a bloody civil war, but ‘that requires courage and leadership.'

Russian President Vladimir Putin's stance on Syria will be in the spotlight today (4 June) at his first summit with the EU since he returned to the Kremlin last month.

The United States and at least seven other Western countries expelled Syrian diplomats from their capitals yesterday (29 May) in a coordinated action against President Bashar al-Assad's government over the killing of more than 100 civilians in a Syrian town. An EU-wide expulsion, however, has not been decided.

EU leaders gathered in Brussels expressed outrage at the 'barbarity' of the repression in Syria, sending a discrete message to Moscow that Europeans were hoping for a gesture from Russia at the UN Security Council after Sunday's presidential election.

As the Syrian bloodshed continues, the European Union finds itself once again trapped behind mild rhetoric and condemnation, writes Vivien Pertusot from the French institute of international relations (Ifri).

Western and Arab states voiced outrage yesterday (5 February) after Russia and China vetoed a UN resolution that would have backed an Arab plan urging Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to give up power. French President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed creating a "Friends of Syria" group to advance initiative.

European Union foreign ministers agreed yesterday (14 November) to extend sanctions against Syria to 18 more individuals associated with its violent crackdown on dissent, but signalled that military action against the government was unlikely for now.

A chorus of countries led by the EU and the US has called for the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, saying they will impose further sanctions on a regime which is "torturing and slaughtering" its own people in what the UN said could be crimes against humanity.

The EU’s High representative for Foreign Affairs, Catherine Ashton, announced toughened sanctions against Syria yesterday (1 August) in the wake of Sunday’s reported massacre in Hama and the regime's ongoing crackdown against protesters.

A change of regime in Syria could democratise the country and transform the geopolitical outlook of the region, but the country's multiethnic character means it could also lead trigger instability and fragmentation, argues Evangelos Ventis.

Security forces have arrested some 500 pro-democracy sympathisers across Syria after the government sent in tanks to try to crush protests in the city of Deraa, a Syrian rights organisation said today (26 April). The EU condemned the "violent repressions".

The EU foreign ministers' meeting on 14 April called on the US to tone down its rhetoric against Syria and seek dialogue through "constructive statements" instead.