MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Syria (2012/2543(RSP))
13.2.2012
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Marietje Schaake, Louis Michel, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Edward McMillan-Scott, Marielle De Sarnez, Graham Watson, Kristiina Ojuland, Izaskun Bilbao Barandica, Sonia Alfano, Antonyia Parvanova on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0068/2012
B7‑0074/2012
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Syria (2012/2543(RSP))
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria, in particular of 15 December 2011 on the situation in Syria, of 27 October 2011 on the situation in Egypt and Syria, in particular of Christian communities, of 15 September 2011 on the situation in Syria, of 15 September 2011 on the case of Rafah Nached, and of 7 July 2011 on the situation in Syria, Yemen and Bahrain in the context of the situation in the Arab world and North Africa,
– having regard to the conclusions on Syria of the Foreign Affairs Councils of 2011 and of 23 January 2012 and the European Council conclusions of 23 October and 9 December 2011,
– having regard to Council Regulation (EU) No 36/2012 of 18 January 2012 concerning restrictive measures in view of the situation in Syria and repealing Regulation (EU) No 442/2011,
– 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 2011 and, 23 January 2012, 5 and 10 February 2012,
– having regard to the statements of League of Arab States (LAS) on the situation in Syria in 2011, of 22, 28, 31 January 2012 and of 5 and 12 February 2012, its Action Plan of 2 November 2011, and the Arab League’s sanctions against Syria adopted on 27 November 2011,
– having regard to the report of the LAS observer mission to Syria of 24 December 2011,
– having regard to the statement of Abdullah Gül, President of the Republic of Turkey of 6 February 2012, and the statements of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu of 6, 10 and 11 February 2012,
– having regard to the proposed U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria, as voted on 4 February 2012,
– 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 economic rights; the Convention against torture and other cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment or punishment; the Convention on the rights of the child and the optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict; the Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of genocide to which Syria is party,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, according to the United Nations and several human rights organisations at least 7000 Syrians have been killed, including over 400 children, many more have been injured, more than 60.000 are reported to have been indefinitely detained, and tens of thousands have sought refuge in neighbouring countries or have been internally displaced since March 2011 as the result of the brutal repression by the regime of Bashar al-Assad against the civilian population; whereas the government attacks against the civilian population could amount to crimes against humanity;
B. whereas despite ongoing widely supported international condemnation and reinforced economic and targeted sanctions against the Syrian regime and those responsible for the violence against civilians, the violent and systematic crackdowns and grave human rights violations by the Syrian authorities and military and security forces against non-violent civilians continue and have further intensified; whereas a humanitarian crisis is hitting thousands of Syrians as a result of regime-led blocked access to medical treatment, antibiotics to treat the wounded, food and energy, the ongoing violence and displacements;
C. whereas after the Russian and Chinese veto of the proposed U.N. Security Council resolution on Syria, bombardments, heavy shelling and indiscriminate fire against densely populated areas of the city of Homs and its civil population have increased dramatically, in particular in Bab Amr, causing at least 400 deaths since 4 February 2012, including women and many children; whereas bombardments, shelling and house-to-house raids by the Syrian army and security forces also intensified in the cities of Bosr Harir, Dar’aa, Douma, Hama, Madaya and Zabadni; whereas satellite images have proven the systematic and targeted attacks by the al-Assad regime against the civil population of Homs; whereas Syrian opposition members have reported signs of potential use of chemical weapons by the al-Assad regime against civilians;
D. whereas on 19 December 2011 the Syrian government signed a protocol granting access to an observation mission under the auspices of the League of Arab States (LAS), to monitor the Syrian regime’s compliance with the LAS peace plan it signed, comprising an immediate end of the use of violence against civilians, the pulling back of the army, the release of detainees and access to media; whereas the observation mission faced strong criticism from the Syrian population and its effectiveness and credibility was put into question as observers were always accompanied by government officials; whereas the UN has offered technical support to the mission;
E. whereas after the expiration of the mission’s one month mandate the LAS decided to extend the mission but was forced to halt and pull back the observer mission on 28 January 2012 due to the decision of the Gulf cooperation Council to withdraw their forces and due to the escalation of violence;
F. whereas on 23 December 2011 and on 6 January 2012 bombs attacks took place in Damascus causing scores of deaths and injured; whereas in another attack on 11 January 2012 a French journalist and several Syrian civilians were killed and dozens were injured, including a French journalist;
G. whereas on 12 January 2012 it was reported that a Russian ship, allegedly carrying arms and/or munitions destined for the Syrian government had reached Syria after having been inspected in Cypriot waters off Limassol; whereas the ship, destined for the Syrian port city of Latakia, was reportedly prevented by Cypriot customs from continuing its journey because of its suspected cargo; whereas Cypriot custom officials were unable to open four containers on the ship, it was concluded they contained ‘dangerous cargo’ – i.e. arms and munitions; whereas the Cypriot Foreign Ministry confirmed that the ship was allowed to continue its journey after the crew of the ship and its Russian owners ‘provided assurances’ that it would not head for Syria; whereas the ship is believed to have set off from St Petersburg in early December 2011;
H. whereas the Syrian authorities continue to deny access to international journalists and observers; whereas reports from Syrian refugees and human rights activists and images uploaded from mobile telephones through standalone satellite connections continue to be the main source of information and documentation of the systematic and widespread human rights violations by the Syrian army and security forces against civilians and the situation in Syria in general;
I. whereas 22 January the LAS adopted a resolution calling on Bashar al-Assad to hand over power to his deputy and calling for an immediate end to all human rights violations; whereas the LAS pursued UNSC support for its proposed political solution; whereas on 27 January 2012 Morocco tabled a draft UNSC resolution which included full support for the LAS plan for an inclusive and peaceful Syrian-led political process; whereas on 4 February 2012 the draft resolution was supported by a broad international coalition of 13 UNSC member; whereas the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China as two permanent members of the UNSC vetoed the draft resolution;
J. whereas in efforts to increase diplomatic pressure on the Syrian regime and due to serious concerns regarding the safety of its diplomatic staff the United States has pulled back its Ambassador to Syria and suspended the operations of its embassy in Damascus; whereas Poland will represent United States’ interests in Syria; whereas the Gulf Cooperation Council recalled its ambassadors to Syria and decided to expel Syria’s ambassadors to its capitals; whereas the Tunisian Republic expelled Syria’s ambassador to Tunis on 4 February 2012; whereas France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany and Belgium have also recalled their ambassadors; whereas the EU delegation in Damascus remains fully operational;
K. whereas in the Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 23 January 2012 the Syrian opposition is encouraged to make all efforts to strengthen coordination on the way forward in order to realise an orderly transition to a Syria that is democratic, stable, inclusive and that guarantees minority rights;
L. whereas on 18 January 2012 additional EU restrictive measures against the Syrian regime entered into force, including a prohibition on the export of telecommunications monitoring equipment for use by the Syrian regime, a prohibition on the participation in certain infrastructure projects and investment in such projects, and additional restrictions on the transfers of funds and the provision of financial services;
M. whereas on 23 January 2012 the list of persons, entities and bodies subject to EU restrictive measures were was extended by adding 22 persons responsible for human rights violations and eight entities financially supporting the regime;
N. whereas on 10 February 2012 Turkey announced it would seek to initiate a group of international supporters of a democratic Syria and called for gaining urgent humanitarian access to Syrian cities under attack;
O. whereas on 10 February 2012 two car bombs exploded outside two security headquarters in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo, reportedly resulting in 28 deaths and many others injured; whereas various conflicting reports claiming responsibility for the attacks have emerged;
P. whereas on 11 February 2012 Dr. Issa al-Khouli, a physician and brigadier general in the Syrian Army, who also ran the Hameish military hospital in Damascus, was shot dead when exiting his house in Damascus;
Q. whereas the LAS on 12 February 2012 have requested the UN to send a joint Arab-United Nations peacekeeping mission to Syria to supervise the implementation of a cease-fire and called on all Arab nations to severe diplomatic ties with the Syrian government;
R. whereas Members of the European Parliament have continued a dialogue and exchanges of views with various representatives of the Syrian opposition in exile and in the country over the past months; whereas the LAS reiterated its commitment to a political solution to the crisis in Syria
S. whereas Abdel Elah al-Khatib, the former United Nations’ special envoy to the Libya crisis, was considered as the LAS representative to the Syrian conflict;
T. whereas the Tunisian Foreign Minister, Rafik Ben Adessalam, has offered to host the first meeting on 24 February 2012 of a to be established international group of ‘Friends of Syria’;
U. whereas the crisis in Syria constitutes a threat to the stability and security of the entire Middle East region;
1. Condemns again in the strongest terms the brutal repression by the Syrian regime against its civilian population, in particular in the besieged and regime-led isolated city of Homs and its Bab Amr neighbourhood, and calls on the immediate end to the systematic attacks against the civilians population, the wilful killing of children, the indiscriminate fire and shelling of densely- populated areas, torturing prisoners to death, the violent crackdowns against peaceful demonstrators and harassment of their families;
2. Calls for the immediate pulling back of the army and security forces from the streets, urges the release of all detained protesters, political prisoners, human rights defenders, bloggers and journalists; calls for the immediate access of international humanitarian assistance to those cities targeted the most, calls for the immediate access of international media, extends its condolences to the families of the victims; reiterates its solidarity with the Syrian people’s non-violent struggle for freedom, dignity and democracy and applauds their courage and determination, with special regard to women who play a crucial role in this struggle;
3. Reiterates its call for President Bashar al-Assad and his regime to step down immediately and to allow a democratic transition to take place in Syria;
4. Fully supports the efforts by the LAS to end the violence and to promote a political solution for the ongoing violence of the regime against the civilian population in Syria through the UNSC; strongly condemns the veto by China and Russia of the UNSC resolution, welcomes and strongly supports the international efforts to set up a ‘Friends of Syria’ to seek a fast solution for the ongoing violence against the Syrian civilian population;
5. Calls on Russia and China to uphold their responsibilities to ensure that international human rights standards are respected in Syria; continues to support the efforts of the EU and its member states in this field; encourages the UNSC to refer the crimes committed by the Syrian regime against its population to the International Criminal Court;
6. Calls on the HR/VP Catherine Ashton to firmly condemn the obstruction of China and Russia of the proposed UN resolution; urges the HR/VP to engage in immediate consultations at the highest level with the Russian and Chinese leadership in order to encourage their full support for upholding international human rights standards and future UN initiatives to the ongoing Syrian crisis;
7. Calls on the EU to restrict diplomatic ties with the al-Assad government to a minimum level; urges the HR/VP to reinforce the EU Delegation in Damascus with humanitarian capacity, as well as those EU Delegations in neighbouring countries; calls on the HR/VP to lead the efforts to ensure immediate access to (mobile) information and communication technologies for the Syrian people;
8. Calls on European Union Member States to expel or take other appropriate measures concerning EU based Syrian diplomats in case of harassment or threatening against people in the European Union; welcomes the decision of the German government in that regard to expel four Syrian diplomats;
9. Calls on the HR/VP to immediately step up her cooperation efforts with Turkey, the LAS and the United States in finding a solution for the ongoing crisis in Syria;
10. Calls on the HR/VP to take the responsibility for setting up a ‘Friends of the Syrian People’ contact group of countries for democratic change in Syria, including Turkey and members of the LAS; urges the HR/VP to support the announced first meeting of this Contact Group in Tunisia on 24 February 2012 in every possible way;
11. Calls on the HR/VP to immediately draw up an operational plan for a humanitarian intervention in Syria, creating safe zones along the Turkish-Syria and Jordan-Syria border with humanitarian corridors leading up to them; stresses the necessity of full cooperation with the LAS, Turkey, the US and the EU;
12. Calls on the HR/VP to jointly identify with the LAS, Turkey and the EU Syrian organisations that are representative of the people of Syria, and to provide substantial material and technical support, upon request; stresses that these organisations must make a demonstrable commitment to protect human rights and religious freedom, commit themselves towards an inclusive and democratic Syria, reject terrorism and abstain from destabilising neighbouring countries;
13. Calls on the HR/VP to broker an agreement as soon as possible amongst EU member states on additional sanctions against those responsible for the ongoing human rights violations in Syria, including government officials and state companies; Calls on the HR/VP to engage in or facilitate a direct dialogue with the Syrian business elite currently funding the regime of Bashar al-Assad in order to press for the withdrawal of all its support for the Syrian government given the fact that the EU is the most important market for Syrian businesses;; stresses that the EU should act more quickly in finding a solution for the ongoing Syrian crisis;
14. Welcomes the European Commission’s decision of 3 February 2012 to provide humanitarian assistance [3 M€] to alleviate suffering of people both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries;
15. Calls on the European Commission, and in particular the Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response to continue her contacts and coordination of humanitarian action with relevant partners and international humanitarian actors; Encourages the Commission to continue its monitoring of the humanitarian situation in Syria and neighbouring countries as well as the delivery of principled humanitarian aid;
16. Calls on the HR/VP to fully investigate as soon as possible the reports of a Russian ship, carrying weapons and ammunition for the Syrian Government, reaching Syria after being inspected in Cyprus; urges the HR/VP to ensure full implementation and compliance of all EU restrictive measures against Syria, in particular the arms and oil embargoes, as well as the ban of exports of technologies to Syria, calls on the HR/VP to inform the European Parliament of her efforts and findings;
17. Calls on the HR/VP to include all aforementioned actions in the LAS Action Plan of 2 November 2011 and should again be proposed to the UNSC for its consideration;
18. Calls 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, which may amount to crimes against humanity, are held to account by the international community;
19. Calls for a peaceful and genuine transition to democracy, which meets the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and is based on an inclusive process of national political dialogue with the participation of all democratic forces and civil society in the country;
20. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the government and parliament of the People’s Republic of China, the government and parliament of the Russian Federation, the government and parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic, and the government and parliament of the Republic of Turkey.