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
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Ioannis Kasoulides, Elmar Brok, Cristian Dan Preda, Arnaud Danjean, Mario Mauro, Mário David, Andrzej Grzyb, Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Hans-Gert Pöttering, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Rodi Kratsa-Tsagaropoulou, Tokia Saïfi, Michael Gahler, Monica Luisa Macovei, Peter Šťastný, Roberta Angelilli, Nadezhda Neynsky, Alojz Peterle, Vytautas Landsbergis, Elena Băsescu on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0425/2012
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Syria,
– having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council’s conclusions on Syria of 23 July 2012,
– having regard to the statements by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy on Syria of 18 July, 20 July, 2 August and 18 August 2012,
– having regard to the statements from the European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis response on Syria of 31 July and 29 August 2012,
– having regard to the UN Human Rights Council resolution on the human rights situation in Syria of 6 July 2012,
– having regard to the UN General Assembly resolution on the situation in the Syrian Arab Republic of 3 August 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 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 all of 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 have continued to respond with targeted killings, torture and mass arrests; whereas cities and towns throughout Syria are being kept under siege and bombarded by government-led forces; whereas access to food and medical supplies has been extremely difficult; whereas many Syrians are facing a deteriorating humanitarian situation as a result of the violence and displacements;
B. whereas tens of thousands of Syrian refugees have sought refuge in Turkey since March 2011; whereas Turkey is playing an increasingly important role internationally in opposing the violence in Syria;
C. whereas the dire situation in Syria is already having a negative impact on the situation in Jordan and the political and social situation in Lebanon, and will consequently affect the whole region, with unpredictable implications and consequences;
D. whereas the EU and its Members States have already mobilised over 200 million EURO in humanitarian assistance, which includes 119 million EURO from the EU budget and over 81 million EURO from Member States; whereas the humanitarian assistance covers in Syria for medical emergency relief, protection, food-nutritional items, water, sanitation, shelter, psychosocial support and the needs of the most vulnerable Palestinian refugees and outside Syria for shelter, food, hygiene kits, emergency medical rehabilitation and legal assistance;
E. whereas due to the intensification of the violence and to the precarious conditions of the country, the neighbouring countries specially in the last weeks, are assisting to a significant escalation in the number of Syrian citizens seeking refuge, particularly in Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon;
1. Strongly condemns the brutal repression carried out principally by the Syrian regime against its population without paying attention to children, women and properties; 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; stresses that medical attention must not be withheld from those injured in the violence; condemns the summary extrajudicial executions and other human rights violations committed by forces opposing the Assad regime; urges all those involved in the conflict to protect civilians and not obstruct their access to food, water, electricity and medical services;
2. Deplores the fact that the members of the UN Security Council could not agree on a resolution to add more robust and effective pressure to end the violence in Syria; reiterates its urgent call on the UNSC members, in particular Russia and China, to uphold their responsibility to ensure that the violent repression of the Syrian people ceases immediately and take their moral and material responsibility for the destruction of Syrian towns and villages; continues to support the efforts of the EU and its Member States in this field; calls on the VP/HR to do her utmost to secure the adoption of a UNSC resolution, working with both Russia and China;
3. Supports the efforts of the UN-League of Arab States Joint Special Representative for Syria Mr Lakhdar Brahimi to end the violence and to promote a political solution in Syria; urges all parties to support these efforts;
4. Conveys its sincere condolences to the families of the victims; commends the courage and determination of the Syrian people and strongly supports their aspirations to secure full respect for democracy, the rule of law, human rights and fundamental freedoms and a guarantee of better economic and social conditions;
5. Reiterates its call for President Bashar al-Assad and his regime to step aside immediately, so as to allow a peaceful, inclusive and democratic transition to take place in Syria;
6. Urges the Syrian regime to end the criminal violence against the Syrian people, to remove troops and tanks from cities, and to release all detained protesters, political prisoners, human rights defenders, bloggers and journalists; supports the EU’s policy of imposing additional measures targeting the regime as long as repression continues;
7. Urges the international community to apply and enforce restrictive measures on the Syrian regime and its supporters;
8. Notes that the EU warns against further militarisation of the conflict and sectarian violence and that it expresses concern about the protection of civilians, in particular vulnerable groups and religious communities; supports the EU’s call on all States to refrain from delivering arms to the country; deplores Iran’s delivery of weapons to the Syrian authorities; is concerned about the spill-over effects of the conflict in Syria in neighbouring countries in terms of security and stability;
9. Calls on all parties to allow full and safe access for humanitarian workers, to respect international humanitarian law, including the respect and protection of civilians, and to facilitate the implementation of humanitarian pauses to allow for the safe delivery of humanitarian aid; welcomes the EU’s readiness to offer additional support ,including financial, to help neighbouring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, to host the increasing number of Syrian refugees and its willingness to increase its humanitarian assistance to the Syrians; strongly supports the efforts done by these countries on delivering humanitarian assistance to the Syrian citizens which are seeking protection in their countries; supports the EU’s call upon all countries to do likewise; calls on the EU to take appropriate measures on the eventual influx of refugees to its Members States; underlines the necessary cooperation with the Red Cross;
10. 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 and all perpetrators of violations, 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;
11. Welcomes the decision of the Islamic Summit Conference of 14-15 August 2012 to suspend the Syrian Arab Republic’s membership in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation and all its subsidiary organs, specialised and affiliated institutions;
12. Calls for a peaceful and genuine transition to democracy which meets the legitimate demands of the Syrian people and is based on an inclusive dialogue involving all democratic forces and components of Syrian society, including ethnic and religious minorities, with a view to launching a process of deep democratic reform that takes account of the need to ensure national reconciliation and is therefore committed to ensuring respect for the rights of minorities; stresses the need to form an All-inclusive Forum which will encompass all opposition forces along with the Syrian National Council and calls on Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar to assist in order that such an inclusive opposition plan becomes a reality;
13. Welcomes the strong support shown by Turkey; Lebanon and Jordan for the Syrian population; urges the VP/HR to make every effort to start discussions with the authorities of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, the Arab League and the Syrian opposition on preparing the peaceful transition for the post Assad Syria;
14. 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.