MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Syria
10.9.2012 - (2012/2788(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Willy Meyer, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, Marie-Christine Vergiat, Sabine Lösing on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
The European Parliament,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, following a rapid deterioration of the situation in Syria, which has worsened in August 2012 and that started with the violent repression of demonstrations by the Syrian regime and its security and military forces in March 2011, the conflict escalated into a civil war with armed engagement of the Syrian military and security forces with armed groups and attacks against residential areas;
B. whereas the bloodshed is daily and there are reports of flagrant violations of humanitarian law by the Syrian military and security forces; whereas according to U.N. estimates so far 20.000 people have lost their lives; whereas the injured are not adequately treated; whereas there are reports of food supplies and goods becoming scarce;
C. whereas there are reports of an increased number of armed groups, including the ‘Free Syrian Army’, each with their own reasons and motives, some allegedly infiltrating into the country and with weapons put illegally across the border; whereas kidnapping and sectarian violence are on the rise;
D. whereas the crisis in Syria is a major threat to the fragile security and stability of the region as a whole; whereas the Syrian conflict affects the whole region with unpredictable implications and consequences;
E. whereas 235 000 refugees from Syria have been registered or are awaiting registration by the UN High Commission for Refugees; whereas according to UN more than 1.2 million people have been internally displaced within Syria, and around 3 million are in need of urgent humanitarian assistance; whereas, despite all their difficulties, neighbouring countries of Syria have accepted everybody asking for protection so far according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees; whereas, due to the rapidly growing number of Syrian refugees and displaced persons, pressure is increasing on these countries which need international support;
F. whereas, on 30 June 2012, the secretaries-general of the UN and the League of Arab States, the foreign ministers of China, France, Iraq, Kuwait, Qatar, Russia, Turkey, United Kingdom and the United States, and the EU High Representative met in Geneva as the Action Group for Syria, chaired by the Joint Special Representative for Syria of the UN and the League of Arab States; whereas this Action Group agreed on ‘principles and guide-lines on a Syrian-led transition’: a perspective for the future that can be shared by all in Syria, establishes clear steps according to a firm time-table towards its realisation, can be implemented in a climate of safety for all, stability and calm, is reached rapidly without further bloodshed and violence, and is credible;
G. whereas, on the basis of UN Security Council resolutions, UN unarmed military observers had been deployed in Syria; whereas the operations of this observer mission ended on 20 August 2012;
H. whereas former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar Brahimi has recently been appointed the new Joint Special Representative for Syria of the UN and the League of Arab States substituting Kofi Annan;
I. whereas the Russian and Chinese veto in the UN Security Council is aimed to prevent military intervention in Syria in repetition of the Libya scenario;
J. whereas the involvement of third states such as the USA and Turkey, appears to have surpassed the simple provision of diplomatic support to the Syrian opposition, with reports stating that supplies of weapons are put across the Turkish-Syrian border;
K. whereas certain states of the region have been allegedly interfering in the country on religious grounds; whereas the leader of Al-Qaeda has declared his support for the opposition;
L. whereas the Syrian opposition, which is heterogeneous, declares to be opposed to any kind of foreign mainly military intervention;
M. whereas the EU has imposed targeted sanctions on Syria in several rounds, including travel ban, asset freeze, a ban on export of luxury goods and of dual use goods to the country, and has further strengthened its arms embargo against Syria; whereas so far these sanction has shown no result regarding the solution of the conflict;
1. Strongly condemns the violence by the Syrian regime against its population; unequivocally condemns the use of force and violence by government military and security forces against protesters and civilians; urges the Syrian regime to immediately put an end to tortures and all human rights violations, release all held without legal grounds, grant medical services to the wounded and respect fundamental freedoms; also condemns the violence used by the armed opposition groups; urges to stop violence in Syria in order to put an end to the current civil war situation;
2. Expresses its deep sorrow for the continuous loss of life and convenes its condolences to the families of the victims;
3. Underlines that so as to find a negotiated solution to the Syrian conflict a ceasefire is required;
4. Insists on a political solution of the crisis through an inclusive national dialogue aimed at effectively addressing the legitimate aspirations and concerns of the Syrian people; any further deterioration of the situation would have unpredictable consequences for the whole region;
5. Supports the mission of former Algerian foreign minister Lakhdar as new Joint Special Representative for Syria of the UN and the League of Arab States to help in finding a peaceful solution to the Syrian conflict;
6. Applauds the efforts of neighbouring countries to Syria in hosting and providing humanitarian relief to Syrian refugees and calls for increased international support and assistance in this context; stresses the crucial importance of finding a sustainable response to the humanitarian crisis both within Syria and among Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries; urges neighbouring countries of Syria to continue to provide protection to Syrian refugees and displaced persons and to refrain, in line with their international obligations, from the expulsion and return of any such person to Syria;
7. Calls for immediate humanitarian assistance for all in need in Syria, with special regard to the wounded, refugees, the internally displaced, women, and children;
8. Insists that the future destiny of Syria must firmly rest in the hands of the Syrian people, without any external interference or military intervention; is strongly against the use of the ‘responsibility to protect’ as an excuse to justify military intervention; is strongly against plans to partition the county;
9. Calls for an immediate end to all foreign interference in the country, including through the supply of weapons and funding of armed groups; calls on the UN and the Council of the EU to implement an embargo on the export of arms to Syria; calls on all neighbouring countries to control their borders in order to avoid any arms transport into Syria;
10. Calls on the Members of the UN Security Council to overcome their differences and to agree in cooperation with the Arab League on political measures to stop the violence in Syria and to promote the start of an inclusive political dialogue with a view to find sustainable political solutions for the problem;
11. Denounces the use of the presence of different religious groups and denominations, as well as minorities to instigate sectarian violence and justify intervention;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Parliament of the Syrian Arab Republic, the Secretary-General of the Union for the Mediterranean and the League of Arab States.