EU open to supporting Arab League on Syria but refuses direct engagement

Arab states urge Europe to shift its stance to 'stalled' conflict at donor conference in Brussels

Front row, from left, Iraq's Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein, EU foreign chief Josep Borrell and Jordan's Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi at a donor conference in Brussels. EPA

The EU will not join an Arab League-led campaign to re-engage Syria but is open to supporting its diplomatic efforts to achieve a political solution after more than a decade of conflict.

“We are not in the same line as the Arab League. That's clear,” said EU foreign chief Josep Borrell on Thursday as he responded to a question from The National during a press conference in Brussels on the second day of the seventh donor conference in support of Syria and neighbouring countries.

“But it doesn't mean we will not explore possibilities for improving the situation in [Syria]. We are trying to work together with the Arab League, and combining the pressure we can do from our position and the reach-out the Arab League can do from their new position.

“If the Arab League believes that this new policy can bring some results, we can support them – but [while] keeping our position.”

Mr Borrell comments came shortly after he told senior Arab officials in a speech that the EU would not change its policy on Syria and was, to the contrary, toughening sanctions against Damascus.

The Spanish diplomat expressed doubt that a political solution to the conflict could be found soon.

“Progress seems to have stalled completely,” he said.

The end of the status quo

Arab officials said their attempts to re-engage Damascus were a direct consequence of the stalled political progress described by Mr Borrell.

“Status quo politics will not work. Doubling down on old positions will not work,” said Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

“So, what we did in the Arab world – we assumed leadership in efforts to find a solution to the Syrian crisis.”

The UN’s special envoy for Syria, Geir Pederson, said he would be taking notes of future results of intensified diplomatic efforts between Arab countries, Turkey and Syria.

“We’ll see whether this new engagement can be a circuit breaker for some political progress,” said Mr Pederson. “This will require pragmatism, realism and frankness from all sides.”

Mr Borrell also said that Europe would evaluate, “very soon”, whether these diplomatic efforts have been able to convince Damascus “to engage in a dialogue with Gulf and Arab states over various aspects of UN Security Council resolution 2254”.

Adopted in 2015, four years after the start of Syria’s bloody civil war, the resolution calls for a ceasefire and a political settlement.

Mr Safadi highlighted that it was imperative to act now.

“At the end of the day, we, in the neighbourhood, are the most affected,” he said, pointing to drug trafficking at the Syrian-Jordanian border.

His Iraqi counterpart Fuad Hussein also defended the Arab League’s decision to invite Syrian President Bashar Al Assad back to the Arab League at a summit in Saudi Arabia last month.

Syria had been suspended after the brutality of its repression against demonstrators in 2011.

“The return of Syria to the Arab League is part of the policy that must be applied to find a solution to the Syrian crisis,” said Mr Hussein.

Arab and Turkish dignitaries focused a large part of their intervention on calling for refugee returns.

International community disengagement

They argued that their presence caused too much of a strain on local infrastructure and that western countries were not helping them enough.

“We believe that the international community should take more responsibility not only financially but also through other legal pathways for refugees,” said Turkey’s ambassador to the EU, Faruk Kaymakci.

“The burden is shifting on us alone,” said Mr Safadi. “This year, the international funding to our response plan stands at a mere 6.8 per cent. Last year, it stood at 3.3 per cent, compared to almost 70 per cent in 2016. You can see the trajectory.”

Lebanon’s Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib estimated the cost of hosting refugees for his country at $5 billion by next year.

On behalf of the EU, Mr Borrell announced the first pledge of the day – €560 million ($607 million) for 2024, down from €1.5 billion ($1.6 billion) in 2023. Further pledges are expected in the afternoon.

Speaking in a pre-recorded video, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres said the UN was asking for $11.1 billion for the Syrian people.

“We have no time to spare,” said Mr Guterres. “Food or cash assistance will run out for 2.5 million Syrians next month alone.”

The conference laid bare further disagreements between the EU and Arab states on how to deal with Syrian refugees.

Mr Borrell criticised Lebanon for forcibly returning Syrians to their home country, describing such procedures as “completely ineffective”.

“At the same time, I understand that Lebanon requires more support. If you compare the living situations of [the] local population and refugees, both are bad,” he said.

Human rights organisations have accused Lebanon of forcibly returning Syrians to a country that is still deemed unsafe for returnees by the UN.

The National has previously spoken to Syrians in Lebanon who have described being “kidnapped” and forced to return.

In his speech, Mr Bou Habib dismissed such accusations, saying Lebanon did not use “coercion to force refugees to return” and “consistently adheres to humanitarian law”.