Sources in Brussels, the Belgian capital, commenting on a recent report in Al-Watan, confirmed that a letter sent by eight European capitals to Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, before a recent meeting of EU foreign ministers, has been classified as a “non-paper” by the countries themselves. This classification means it holds a semi-official status and is archived within the European Union’s documents.
According to an anonymous source cited by Al-Watan, the “non-paper” raised significant concerns about the EU’s approach to Syria, portraying self-criticism. It questioned the effectiveness of the EU’s boycotts, sanctions, and humanitarian aid policies towards Syria, highlighting the lack of tangible outcomes.
The source further disclosed that the document strongly recommended re-establishing direct communication with Damascus and appointing a special EU envoy to engage with Syria, contrasting the frequent EU diplomatic engagements in Damascus with the reluctance to engage with Syria’s representative in Belgium.
The eight countries—Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, and Slovenia—advocated for a comprehensive review of the EU’s Damascus policy, urging a departure from the “three no’s” policy (no normalization, no lifting of sanctions, no reconstruction). They proposed initiating early recovery projects and integrating Syria into talks with Arab nations like Saudi Arabia to explore cooperation and re-establish dialogue with Damascus.
Additionally, the “non-paper” suggested that European banks should cease blacklisting Syrians for financing goods that are not under sanctions, facilitating the flow of medical and humanitarian supplies to the Syrian people.
The document concluded with a call to support the UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen’s efforts and adopt a more realistic approach to UN Resolution 2254.
Ahead of the EU foreign ministers’ meeting, the Italian Foreign Ministry’s website published a statement revealing the contents of the letter, emphasizing the need to appoint a special envoy to coordinate relations with Syria and maintaining communication with the Syrian embassy in Brussels.
A source in Brussels informed Al-Watan that Borrell responded positively to the proposals in the letter, pledging a more pragmatic EU policy towards Syria. However, due to delays in receiving the letter, it was not formally included on the meeting agenda, despite all EU member states being aware of its contents and reportedly not objecting to its proposals.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
