Syria: Al Assad becomes preferred alternative in Europe
Some European Union countries which withdrew their ambassadors from Syria are saying privately it is time for more communication with Damascus even though Britain and France oppose it, diplomats said.
Those states have become more
vocal in internal meetings about the need to talk to the Syrian
government and have a presence in the capital. London and Paris reject
this, saying President Bashar Al Assad has lost all legitimacy.
This makes a change in EU
policy unlikely, but the debate underlines a predicament for Western
states which ostracised the government at the start of the crisis,
imposed sanctions, and four years on still find Al Assad in power.
Diplomats say the calls have
come from or would be supported by countries including Sweden, Denmark,
Romania, Bulgaria, Austria and Spain, as well as the Czech Republic,
which did not withdraw its ambAl Assador. Norway and Switzerland, which
are outside the EU, are also supportive.
Source: gulfnews
Although Europe has long faced divisions on
Syria, the calls have increased since Daesh advanced in Syria and Iraq
last summer and US-led strikes started against the group.
US officials say there is no
shift in their policy regarding Al Assad, even as their focus is
fighting Daesh, an al Qaeda offshoot which is also an enemy of Damascus.
“Some states
say: Bashar is a reality, we have to take this into account if there
are threats to Europe,” one European diplomat said, referring to the
risk of attacks at home by jihadists returning from Syria.
The EU first imposed
sanctions on Al Assad and his circle in 2011 as authorities cracked down
on protests. The crisis has spiralled into a civil war, killing more
than 200,000, a level of suffering that some diplomats see as justifying
contacts with Damascus in pursuit of a political solution.
While it is generally
understood that there will have to be negotiations, diplomats said,
Britain and France see Al Assad’s departure as a precondition. But the
collapse of his government has become less likely as the war rolls on.
“We’ve been waiting for it to
fall like a house of cards, but the problem is that we’ve been waiting
for that for four years and that isn’t happening,” a senior EU diplomat
said.
The United Nations Syria
envoy said on Tuesday the Syrian government was willing to suspend its
bombing and shelling of Aleppo so a local ceasefire could be tested, a
plan EU foreign ministers had backed in December.
“It is important the European
Union support the UN mediator and his effort to create a ceasefire,”
Denmark’s Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard told Reuters. “In relation
to that, we cannot avoid to talk to the regime in Damascus since they
represent an element of power.” European diplomats point to what they
see as the shift in the US stance on Syria. US officials say they have
not relented in their goal of Al Assad leaving power but see no policy
likely to achieve this at an acceptable cost.
As a result, for months they
have tacitly lived with Al Assad staying in his post and have made clear
their focus is to combat Daesh.
“We don’t know what this
coalition wants and the United States is not deciding,” said Bassma
Kodmani, director of the Paris-based Arab Reform Initiative and a former
member of the main Syrian opposition in exile.
“That’s leading to calls in
Europe that Al Assad is the lesser of the two evils. The debate has come
full circle.” In public, EU foreign ministers have ruled out dealing
with Damascus. After a meeting in October they said “the Al Assad regime
cannot be a partner” in the fight against Daesh.
For its part, the United
States, along with Turkey, reached a tentative agreement to train and
equip non-jihadist Syrian fighters who oppose Al Assad.
The EU has imposed sanctions
on officials, businessmen, institutions and trade and bans the import of
Syrian oil or petroleum products. It has 211 people under sanctions and
63 companies or other organizations.
In October it expanded
sanctions to include 12 government ministers and two senior military
figures.”Bashar Al Assad has been murdering his people for years,”
French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said last week when asked
whether France should resume intelligence sharing with Damascus in the
fight against Daesh.
“He is not part of the
solution for Syria so we don’t need to choose between a bloody dictator
and a ruthless terrorist army. The two should be fought,” he said.
Al Assad is keen for the West
to reopen embassies, diplomats say, ruling this out for now. Some see a
middle ground: talking to Damascus but condemning violence and pressing
for aid access.
“I would hesitate to use the
word engage, it is about communicating again,” a third diplomat said.
“We lack visibility.” Even in Paris there are some misgivings about the
way the crisis was handled. Closing the embassy was a mistake, said a
senior French diplomat who had called for more dialogue with the Syrians
and their ally Iran.
Several EU countries have
diplomats who travel to Damascus but are not based there officially.
“Others who kept them open were able to have eyes on the ground and keep
a relationship with Al Assad,” the French diplomat said.
“We don’t have a clear idea of what’s going on. Within intelligence circles the will to renew the dialogue is there.”
Source: gulfnews
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