|
Trending Topics
|
Source: http://washingtoninstitute.org/templateC05.php?CID=2972
The EU and Syria Move Closer
[Washington Institute for Near East Policy] David Schenker - On Dec. 14, the EU is slated to initial an association agreement with Syria, a pact that had been on hold since 2004. The agreement is the latest in a series of cost-free diplomatic gains for Damascus in Europe. Europe was impressed this past May by the announcement of Israeli-Syrian (indirect) negotiations in Turkey. But Damascus has already stated it will not meet Israel's quid pro quo - a strategic reorientation away from Iran toward the West - that would make an agreement possible. The EU's benign interpretation of Syria's regional activities does not mitigate extremely problematic Syrian behavior regarding Lebanon, WMD, and human rights. In 2006, the EU opened a civil-society awareness center in Damascus headed by Anwar Bunni, a human rights lawyer. The Assad regime shuttered the center just days after it was opened, and Bunni was arrested and sentenced to a lengthy jail term.