| Author (Person) | Cronin, David |
|---|---|
| Series Title | European Voice |
| Series Details | Vol.10, No.3, 29.1.04 |
| Publication Date | 29/01/2004 |
| Content Type | News |
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By David Cronin Date: 29/01/04 A CONTROVERSIAL move to develop closer ties between the EU and Syria has been thrown into confusion due to concerns over provisions in an association agreement relating to weapons of mass destruction. While talks on the agreement with Damascus concluded last month, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten announced this week that the accord still has a major hurdle to overcome. Both the European Commission and Bashar al-Assad's government had approved a clause in the accord, committing Syria to refrain from taking steps that would cause an arms race in the Middle East. However, top-level officials in the Council of Ministers have now warned the clause would not be legally watertight and want it strengthened. According to Council sources, the discussions over fine-tuning the accord are bogged down at working group level and it is not yet clear when EU governments will be given a text to rubber-stamp. After five-and-a-half years of negotiations, the Commission has been eager to clinch the deal on deeper political and economic ties with Damascus. Syria is alone among the 12 participants in the Barcelona Process, which underpins relations between the EU and countries in the southern and eastern Mediterranean, not to have yet signed an association accord with the Union. The agreement is seen as one of the missing pieces in the jigsaw of creating a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area. Syria policy at odds The Commission's policy on Syria is at odds with that of Washington, where Damascus has long been accused of sponsoring terrorism as it has allowed Hamas and other militant groups to operate on its territory. The US Congress passed a bill in November stating that if Syria fails to end its 13-year military occupation of Lebanon and scrap its weapons of mass destruction programme, America must ban sales to it of dual-use goods - those which are capable of both military and civilian applications. Moreover, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld stated in October the "overwhelming majority" of foreign fighters arrested by occupation forces in Iraq were Syrian. A US government spokesman yesterday said the Bush administration had raised concerns with the EU institutions about the association accord. "We hope the EU will use the agreement as a mechanism to press Damascus to halt its support for various terrorist organizations, as well as to pursue meaningful political and economic reforms," he added. |
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| Countries / Regions | Middle East |
