Despite Syria’s return to the Arab League, the European Union (EU) has ruled out diplomatic rapprochement with the Syrian government for the time being.
Nothing has changed in the EU position towards Syria, current sanctions remain in place, said a spokesman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell on Monday in Brussels. A prerequisite for a normalization of relations is a political change in the country.
The EU countries want to consult on the subject in a timely manner: “We will be discussing the latest decision by the Arab League and the possible effects for us with the member states as early as this week,” said the spokesman.
The federal government is also sticking to its position
The German federal government had previously confirmed that it did not see any prerequisites for steps towards normalizing diplomatic relations with Syria.
The Syrian regime continues to block any progress in the political process and commits the most serious human rights violations against its own people every day, a spokesman for the Federal Foreign Office said on Monday in Berlin.
“In this respect, unfortunately, nothing has changed in the reality on the ground, which would allow us to provide support, for example for reconstruction, to lift sanctions and, from our point of view, there are currently no prerequisites for a dignified return of refugees.”
At the weekend, the foreign ministers of the Arab countries ended the isolation of President Bashar al-Assad’s Syrian government, which was expelled from the organization in 2011 because of its brutal actions against its own people. (dpa)
