EN Official Journal of the European Union CE 88/151

(2004/C 88 E/0161)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3589/03

by José Ribeiro e Castro (UEN) to the Commission

(5 December 2003)

Subject: Syria — US sanctions

A crushing majority (398 to 4) recently voted in the US Senate to authorise the imposition of sanctions on Syria, following the adoption of a similar act by the House of Representatives in October 2003.

This new law grants the US President powers to impose various economic and diplomatic sanctions on Syria and is intended to punish Damascus for its alleged links with terrorist groups and for the arms programme it is supposedly developing.

The USA has accused Syria of developing weapons of mass destruction, of sheltering and supporting radical terrorists belonging to Hezbollah, Hamas and Islamic Jihad, and of allowing its territory to be used by extremists threatening the coalition forces stationed in Iraq.

The Commission:

— has the Commission any information concerning the USA's accusations of Syrian support for terrorism and the production of non-conventional weapons? Can the Commission confirm that Syrian territory is frequently used by terrorist organisations;

— what steps has the Commission taken (or will it take) in order to monitor Syrian activities within the European Union;

— how does the Commission class the Syrian regime? How does it view, and how would it sum up, current European policy in relation to Syria?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(16 January 2004)

Apart from openly available sources, the Commission does not have any information on Syrian production of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) or the use of Syrian territory for acts of terrorism.

It seems some organisations listed by the Union as terrorist organisations (in particular Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad) use Syria, as well as other countries, for their activities. Syria has recently taken some measures to stop the public activities of these organisations. The Commission considers these measures insufficient and has urged Syria to cease its support to these organisations, which condone or actively perpetuate acts of terror, which, apart from being unacceptable as such, undermine the Palestinian Authority and, therefore, constitute an obstacle to re-launching the Middle East Peace Process.

The European policy towards Syria is one of constructive engagement. The Commission is concerned about the situation of democracy and respect for human rights in Syria, but it does not believe that isolating Syria will contribute positively neither to the regional situation nor to improving the political and human rights situation in the country.

Instead, the EU tries to engage Syria on the road to economic as well as political reforms in the framework of the Barcelona Process and, more specifically, through an Association Agreement.

This Agreement will provide a solid platform for the Union to support Syrian efforts to carry out political and economic reform. The clauses regarding respect for human rights, non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and fight against terrorism, will strengthen its ability to engage with Syria on these issues.