Guy's apostrophe on Syria
(BRUSSELS2) Pointing a finger, Guy Verhofstadt denounced on Tuesday (11 September) the attitude of the Europeans and of the High Representative of the EU on Syria.
Having just met two witnesses to the violence in Aleppo, the leader of the Liberals and Democrats in the European Parliament did not mince words. " We are talking about political transition, when there are thousands of people who have died and several hundred thousand refugees. It's absurd. Tell the reality. (...) It must be recognized that neither the Annan plan nor any other plan can succeed. »
The European Union is too weak
The lack of action by the international community in the face of the humanitarian crisis in Syria is a " real scandal he continued. " The European Union has simply been weak in Syria. The arguments of the international community for not intervening in Syria are pure nonsense. If Western democracies fail to intervene, the Syrian population will become increasingly dependent on Jihad fighters. »
Create a coalition
The European Union must create a coalition of goodwill. " It's yours (he then addresses the High Representative) to take the helm of it. "We have made coalitions of good will for bad causes" A reference to the American coalition in Iraq in 2003, a coalition which several countries had to refuse at the time, including Belgium, then led by G. Verhofstadt. "This one (Syria) is a good cause". " It is our responsibility. To us Westerners! »
According to the MEP, this coalition must put in place certain measures: (1) establish a no-fly zone over Syria — “ without No Fly Zone, Assad will be able to continue using his planes to bomb his population” —; (2) create safety zones on the pitch — “ without a buffer zone, there can be no safe zone for refugees” —; (3) setting up humanitarian corridors; (4) have real help for the Free Syrian Army, not just rhetorically — “ If you don't give arms to the SLA, there will be Jihad. » ; (5) and finally, more humanitarian aid for refugees.
And to conclude: " The EU cannot afford to be absent during the historic changes and challenges we are witnessing in the Middle East. We cannot be a credible defender of human rights through statements. Our real impact will be shown in actions. »
How did the High Representative respond to this short diatribe?
