MEPs discuss crisis in Syria with Qatari and Jordanian foreign ministers

EU relations with the Gulf states were in the spotlight this week, when the foreign affairs committee quizzed the Qatari and Jordanian foreign ministers on the crisis in Syria, the Arab Awakening, the Iranian nuclear issue and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Welcoming the Qatari prime minister and foreign minister, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabour Ali Thani, to Thursday's meeting, committee chair Elmar Brok (EPP, DE) pointed to the key strategic position of the Gulf states: "The EU has a big interest in developing relations with the Gulf Cooperation Council because it plays a very important part in politics in the region and beyond. And Qatar is playing a very important role at the moment in north Africa and in Syria".

MEPs praised both Qatar and Jordan for their internal reform efforts, pointing to the positive example they set to other countries in the region in the wake of the Arab spring. They nonetheless had a number of questions about human rights issues and civil liberties.

They welcomed the efforts of both Qatar and Jordan, as key members of the Arab League, to broker a solution to the crisis in Syria, as well as the role they had played in Libya. Pressed for details of his strategy on Syria, the Qatari minister said the international community must intervene. He advocated sending a joint Arab League-United Nations peacekeeping force - with the emphasis on "peace-keeping" - to end the bloodbath and provide humanitarian assistance. He excluded a military option and wanted to see reform and democracy in Syria. His comments echoed those of the Jordanian foreign minister, Nasser Judeh, who told the committee on Wednesday that a political solution must be found to end the violence and put Syria on the path to democracy.

A number of committee members raised concerns about the Iranian nuclear issue and both Sheikh Hamad and Mr Judeh were emphatic that a peaceful solution must be found "through diplomatic channels",  while warning of the dangers of a nuclear arms race and advocating a zone free of weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East.

A number of MEPs raised the issue of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, asking how the stalled peace process could be relaunched. Both the Qatari and the Jordanian ministers stressed that this conflict lay at the heart of all the conflicts in the Middle East. It was a ticking time bomb, Sheikh Hamad said, warning that Israel's neighbours were changing and Israel should take account of Arab public opinion. Mr Judeh agreed with Mr Brok that the Arab League and the International Quartet could and should work together to make the Quartet more effective.

To questions from the floor about Salaafist movements and the rise of Islamist governments in the Arab world and north Africa, the Qatari minister stressed that Salaafists were not terrorists and that Europe should not fear Islamist governments, per se. Governments that were democratically elected by the people must be respected. Mr Judeh pointed out that the Muslim Brotherhood had been present in Jordan for over 60 years and were represented in parliament.