The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,

–   having regard to the conclusions on Syria of the Foreign Affairs Council of 10 October 2011, 14 November 2011, 1 December 2011, and 23 January 2012 and the European Council conclusions of 23 October and 9 December 2011,

–   having regard to the statements of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) on Syria of 8 October, 3 and 28 November and 2 December 2011, and 1 and 4 February 2012,

–   having regard to the statements of the Arab League on the situation in Syria of 27 August 2011, 16 October 2011 and 12, 16 and 24 November 2011, its Action Plan of 2 November 2011, the Arab League’s sanctions against Syria adopted on 27 November 2011, and its resolution of 22 January 2012,

–   having regard to the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly Third Committee on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic of 22 November 2011,

–   having regard to the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic of 23 November 2011,

–   having regard to the resolution of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic of 2 December 2011,

–   having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,

–   having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict, and the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to which Syria is a party,

–   having regard to Rule 110 (2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas, since the start of the violent crackdown on peaceful protesters in Syria in March 2011, the systematic killings, violence and torture have been dramatically escalating and the Syrian army and security forces continue to respond with targeted killings, torture and mass arrests; whereas, according to UN estimates, over 5000 people, have lost their lives, many more have been injured and thousands detained; whereas many Syrians are facing a deteriorating humanitarian situation as a result of the violence and displacements;

B.  whereas the reforms announced and promised by President Bashar al-Assad have never been put into practice and the regime has lost all credibility;

C. whereas on 4 February 2012 a UN Security Council (UNSC) draft resolution on Syria, supported by the Arab League, was vetoed by Russia and China;

1.  Deplores the fact that Russia and China have exercised their veto in the UN Security Council to block the draft resolution on Syria, thus voting against the peaceful transition proposal by the Arab League; this was perceived by the Assad regime as license to aggravate the repressive means on the ground using heavy weapons and indiscriminate force against unarmed civilians; reiterates its call on the UNSC members, in particular Russia and China, to uphold their responsibilities to ensure that the violent repression of the Syrian people should cease immediately; continues to support the efforts of the EU and its Member States in this field;

2.  Calls on Russia, the Syrian government’s largest overseas arms supplier, to immediately stop its arms shipments into Syria;

3.  Strongly condemns the brutal use of force against peaceful protesters and the systematic persecution of pro-democracy activists, human rights defenders and journalists; expresses its deepest concern at the gravity of the human rights violations perpetrated by the Syrian authorities, including mass arrests, extrajudicial killings, arbitrary detention, enforced disappearances, torture and ill treatment of detainees, including children;

4.  Is worried about the fact that, according to the UNICEF appeal of 7 February 2012 and to the report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic of 23 November 2011, almost 400 children died since the beginning of the violence in Syria in March 2011, and almost 380 have been arbitrarily arrested and suffered torture and sexual violence during detention, some of them being aged under 14 years old; strongly condemns all violations of human rights, including children’s rights, committed by the Syrian military and security forces and calls on the Syrian government to stop all violations of children’s and other human rights;

5.  Expresses its sincere condolences to the families of the victims; commends the courage and determination of the Syrian people and strongly supports their aspirations to achieve full respect of the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms and the guarantee of better economic and social conditions;

6.  Reiterates its call for President Bashar al-Assad and his regime to step aside immediately to allow for a peaceful and democratic transition to take place in Syria;

7.  Calls for an end to the violence against the Syrian people, the removal of troops and tanks from cities, and the release of all detained protesters, political prisoners, human rights defenders and journalists, and full access to the country for international humanitarian and human rights organisations as well as international media;

8.  Reiterates its call for prompt, independent and transparent investigations into the widespread, systematic and gross violation of human rights and fundamental freedoms by the Syrian authorities and military and security forces with the aim of ensuring that all those responsible for these acts are held to account by the international community;

9.  Recalls its support to the Arab League’s efforts to end the violence and to promote a political solution in Syria; welcomes the Arab League’s decision to increase cooperation with the UN; notes the Arab League’s decision to suspend its observer mission to Syria in response to the worsening violence on the part of the authorities;

10. Calls on the Council to take a collective decision to recall all Ambassadors from Syria and to freeze diplomatic contacts with Syrian Ambassadors in EU Member States;

11. Welcomes and encourages the ongoing efforts by the Syrian opposition to establish a united platform, to continue to engage with the international community, in particular the Arab League, and to work on a shared vision for the future of Syria and the transition to a democratic system;

12. Urges the VP/HR to make every effort to start discussions with Turkey, the Arab League and the Syrian opposition about arrangements for setting up humanitarian corridors at the Syrian-Turkish borders;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of the Russian Federation, the Government and Parliament of the People’s Republic of China, the Government and Parliament of the Republic of Turkey, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and the Government and Parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic.