EU officials: Syrian crisis on top of international peace agenda

By Hamza Jilani/Staff Reporter

Panelists from the EU expressed the need for international intervention and suggested options to end the bloodshed between Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces and rebel groups.

France’s former prime minister Francois Fillon said hatred and violence have ripped Syria apart. “I am terribly reminded of what happened in Bosnia. For years we were not interfering and the longer we waited, the more difficult it was to achieve a solution. The longer it takes, the worse it will get,” he said, cautioning that continued conflict will lead to more extremists, deaths and loose WMDs.

Referring to the once “arch-enemy” status of Germany and France after WWII and the current strong multi-level partnership between the two nations, Fillon said peace could be achieved in has been called the most complex crisis in today’s world.

EU ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorstat Doha Forum yesterday.

“Qatar has much to teach us, especially when it comes to brokering peace, dialogue and open-mindedness. We note the efforts Qatar has made to mediate conflicts around the world… and there is no reason or excuse for today’s problems not to be solved,” Fillon stressed. “The French-German venture has been there for a long time and can serve as an example of how former arch enemies can reconcile and partner to grow with each other. But continuously repeating the slogan ‘Assad must go’ isn’t respectable or honourable,” he added.

Stressing the importance of dialogue as the most important weapon in conflict resolution was EU ambassador to Lebanon Angelina Eichhorst, who said stopping the war in Syria was an urgent matter.

“Syria is the most complex crisis for us right now, not only for what is happening, but also due to the threat of the conflict spilling over to neighbouring countries. Military capacity and intervention has to be looked at differently. At the end of any conflict, no matter the length or reason, negotiations take place. Better sooner than later,” she said. “We have to sit around the table with the enemy. There is no other way to go forward than through dialogue and participation.”

Former British prime minister Gordon Brown observed that the EU had two ways to approach the regional conflict: either with a protectionist stance or one of international dialogue.

While the EU has not lifted the arms embargo on Syria and military aid is difficult, it should not be the end of EU assistance and that its member nations can make other resources available at military posts. “We should double our efforts to deliver more humanitarian aid to friends we trust to rebuild Syria. If we do not act, the EU will have no friends left in Syria,” he said.

“The US-Russia conference gives us hope, though. We need to bring all the stakeholders together. I believe this will be a good way to not have proxy wars in the region,” Brown added.