Eight European Union countries are calling on the 27-nation bloc to reconsider its policy toward Syria and suggested engaging directly with the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.
In a letter to the EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell, the foreign ministers of Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia said their goal is a “more active, outcome-driven, and operational Syria policy.”
“This would allow us to increase our political leverage [and] the effectiveness of our humanitarian assistance,” the letter reads, according to Euractiv.
One of the suggestions made in the letter was to create an EU-Syrian envoy that would engage directly with the Assad government and other regional actors. The EU cut off relations with Assad back in 2011 and maintains sanctions on Syria, along with the US.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that the purpose of the sanctions regime on Syria is to prevent the reconstruction of the country. Naturally, the sanctions have a devastating impact on the civilian population of Syria.
Another suggestion the EU members made was to assess the impact the bloc’s sanctions are having on ordinary Syrians. The economic campaign against Syria has contributed to migrants continuing to seek refuge in Europe, and the eight EU members said the bloc should work to create the conditions for the return of migrants to Syria.
Austrian Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg acknowledged the failure of the regime change effort against Assad, which was strongly supported by EU member France.
“After 13 years of war, we have to admit that our Syria policy has not aged well,” Schallenberg said, according to Euractiv. “Bitter as it is, with the help of Iran and Russia, the Assad regime remains firmly in the saddle, the Syrian opposition is fragmented or in exile altogether – the European Union cannot turn a blind eye to this reality any longer.”
The US has maintained that it’s opposed to any countries normalizing relations with Syria, but it hasn’t been able to stop the trend of regional countries re-establishing ties with the Assad government.
Related:
Jordan’s quagmire: NATO sets up shop in Amman
The Atlanticists have arrived in Amman to sharpen western influence in West Asia, raising the specter of a potential ‘Arab–Israeli NATO’ and efforts to counter the region’s Resistance Axis.
…According to Dr Nicola, the Atlantic alliance’s statement about the office’s objectives in Amman indicates that it “does not see the Middle East [West Asia] as a new area of operations. Rather, since the beginning of the Ukraine war, the alliance prioritizes the threats emanating from the Ukrainian–Russian war and the growing global influence of China.”
But Nicola adds, “Jordan’s importance comes in this context for two reasons: its geographical location as a country neighboring both Syria and Israel, in addition to NATO’s acknowledgment of the importance of Jordan in preserving Israel’s security.”
The idea of a growing regional–international conflict intersects with the analysis of Jordanian journalist Rania al-Jaabari, who views the NATO initiative as:
An additional step as part of the conflict related to the establishment of a multipolar world, which began in Syria, is connected to the current Gaza war, the special Russian military operation in Ukraine, and extends to the region not only through the Gaza war but also through the great conflict between Israel, Hezbollah, and Ansarallah in Yemen and Syria.
https://thecradle.co/articles/jordans-quagmire-nato-sets-up-shop-in-amman
Syrian attraction to cheap hollow praise and friendliness from EU is a hidden curse that is well known among the poor and the middle class of the third world countries.
US general Wesley Clark gave the game away years ago when he revealed US intentions in the Middle East after 9/11: seven countries were to be invaded (Iraq, Libya, Syria, Lebanon, Somalia, Sudan and Iran). France’s ex-foreign minister Roland Dumas also gave the game away when he revealed that the British State (a definite CIA asset) was preparing for a war on Syria two years before the start of the Syrian Holocaust in 2011. And the investigative journalist Seymour Hersh gave the game away too in his 2007 New Yorker article: “The Redirection”. In this piece he revealed how the US were hooking up once again with the Saudi/Sunni fundamentalists in and around Syria.
And if all this revelation wasn’t enough – Wikileaks exposed the machinations of the US embassy in Damascus in the first decade of this century. Destabilisation was it’s agenda. CIA “diplomacy” was the rule. In short, Syria was in the cross-hairs of the Empire. In fact it has been so for the last sixty or so years. Plans for mayhem in Syria have been on the imperial table since the 1950s (Operation Straggle).
https://www.counterpunch.org/2017/08/31/homage-to-syria-1/
Why does Syria fall for the rotten figs again and again?
Every country that has oil is described as having our "interests", to the detriment of those countries.
“This would allow us to increase our political leverage [and] the effectiveness of our humanitarian assistance.” If the 13 years long starvation of Syria is any indication, please shove that "humanitarian assistance" up your own peoples' A$$. Do they even listen to their own words coming out of their own mouths?
Unfortunately these are East-European nations with the strange exception of Austria. Germany and France must join for punch power.
”Life, love and the pursuit of happiness!” Wise words, indeed!…
Nothing but a PR stunt for these EU states to project their power on Syria again…! What makes them think Syria would engage back….! Meanwhile the unilateral sanctions remain…!
Watch your wallet, President Assad.
It’s the best time for him to make some demands. Art of the deal by Donald Trump.
Ghost written. Pure Trump. Taking credit for anything that he didn't do.
They can burn in hell. They only want Russia out.
It will never happen. Putin has a permanent parking spot in Syria
The pinch of high oil prices is beginning to make them squirm in their seats.
POS obama will not allow diplomacy
You always brighten a dark day CT.
Blinkey knows full well what we did to Libya. Was he lurking in the Obama administration when we ruined that country.
Why would Syria want the EU in their business, culture, morals, history, etc.? The EU cares only about themselves, their lack of morals, pushing every country to have gay marriage and women killing their children in the womb. What else does the EU stand for? Syrians don't need the kind of help the EU gives.