EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 78/389

(2004/C 78 E/0412)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-1839/03

by Ilka Schröder (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(26 May 2003)

Subject: EU relations with Syria and association agreement

Given that the EU is Syria's most important trading partner and that EU-Syria negotiations on the conclusion of an association agreement, most recently in March 2003, are making further headway, how does the Commission view the possible successful conclusion of such an agreement in view of Syria's provision of infrastructure support for the PFLP-GC, PFLP, Hamas and Islamic Jihad organisations? Is the Commission's policy to be taken as a statement opposing the European Council's list of terrorist organisations, which includes the organisations referred to? During the negotiations, has Syria's support for those organisations and for Hizbollah in Lebanon been raised? Given the Syrian President's restatement, as recently as this month, of continued support for Hizbollah, does the Commission view continued support and encouragement of organisations whose policy is to murder Israeli civilians as a reason for the conclusion of an association agreement not to go ahead? Is the Commission considering inducing Syria to end its support for those organisations? How does the Commission view the continued deployment of Syrian troops in Lebanon and their support for Hizbollah, which is continuing to mount attacks on Israeli territory, though the UN has officially established that, in withdrawing its troops from southern Lebanon in May 2000, Israel has made its contribution towards complying with UN Resolution 425? Against the backdrop of international efforts to renew peace negotiations between Syria and Israel, does the Commission think it helpful for the Syrian President to announce, as he did on 27 March 2003 in the Lebanese newspaper ‘Al-Safir’, that Israel would never be recognised as a state and would constitute a threat to Syria for as long as it existed and that, as he said in May 2001, the Jews were to blame for Jesus' crucifixion? How does the Commission view the continued circulation of inflammatory anti-Semitic material by members of the Syrian Government, e.g. by Mustafa Tlass, Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister for many years, whose book ‘The Matzah of Zion’ containing the claim that Jews bake matzah from Christians' blood, is now in its eighth print run?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(19 June 2003)

The Commission is acting under directives from the Council of Ministers to negotiate an Association Agreement with Syria. Negotiations are still ongoing and it is too early to judge the prospects for the successful conclusion of the negotiations. The Association Agreement, such as foreseen in the Council's negotiating directives, will cover a wide range of issues. For the political dialogue issues and the principles guiding the Association, negotations are followed by the Member States and these are consulted regularly in the relevant Council working group. As for all mixed agreements, once negotiations have been concluded, the full text will be submitted to the Council and to the Parliament for ratification.

The Council's negotiating directives were extended in 2001 to include provisions on cooperation on counter-terrorism. In the course of negotiations on the text of this article, the Commission has expressed to Syrian authorities its position against terrorism and has condemned all attacks on civilians.

The Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements do not include positions or statements on individual political conflicts or issues, but contain provisions for long-term stable relationships based on a number of basic and general principles.

More generally, the Union has encouraged Syria to take an active part in relaunching the Middle East Peace Process in the framework of the road map prepared by the Quartet. A natural part of such a step is for Syria to cease links with organisations that do not accept Israel's right to exist, in particular those listed as terrorist organisations by the Council. In this context, we welcome the recent closure of the offices of rejectionist Palestinian organisations in Syria. In line with the road map's point on this, the Member fo the Commission in charge of External Relations also raised the issue of stopping Arab countries' support to terrorist organisations during the Euro-Mediterranean Mid-Term Meeting of Foreign Minister's on Crete on 26/27 May 2003.

The road map clearly refers to the need to relaunch the Lebanese and Syrian tracks and it mentions the Saudi peace initiative recognising Israel's right to exist within the 1967 borders. Syria accepted this by voting in favour of the Beirut Declaration of the Arab League in 2002. This recognition is further confirmed by the apparent resumption of contacts between Syria and Israel.

Regarding the presence of Syrian troops in Lebanon, these were invited by Christian factions at the start of the civil war in 1976. The 1989 Ta'if Agreement, which ended the civil war, provided for initial redeployment of the Syrian troops from Lebanese cities to the Beka'a valley. The timetable for their final withdrawal was to be agreed between the Syrian and Lebanese governments. Lebanon has not yet requested this. Since the Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, calls in Lebanon for Syrian withdrawal have become more vocal, and a partial Syrian retreat has taken place in the last two years.

The Commission deplores any publication of anti-Semitic literature. It may be noted that under the future Association Agreement's human rights clause, the EU will be in a stronger position to raise issues of this kind with Syria.