Borrell to Asharq Al-Awsat: Reconstruction of Syria Hinges on Change in Regime’s Behavior

High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell stressed that the political leadership in Damascus must take clear steps to “end the repression of the Syrian people.”

In an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, he added that the regime must engage “meaningfully” in UN-led negotiations to make a clear decision “to change the way Syria is governed and the way it relates to the rest of the world” before a conference on its reconstruction can be held.

What do you expect of the donor conference in Brussels on March 30 at the political and economic levels? Does Covid-19 affect your expectations?

After ten years of conflict in Syria, the international community cannot waver in its focus on the need for a political solution. The European Union calls on all international actors with influence in the Syrian crisis to join forces at the conference in Brussels on March 30 to reaffirm and consolidate strong support for a political solution in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. The conference will ensure that Syria remains at the very top of the international agenda.

My aim is that the international community renews its political and financial support not just for the Syrian people – whether they be refugees or still in Syria – but also for Syria’s neighbors, particularly Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, as well as Egypt and Iraq.

This conference serves as the main pledging event for Syria and the region in 2021, and a central aim is to ensure that United Nations’ appeal is met as fully as possible – especially considering the extra challenge of the pandemic.

Since the start of the conflict in 2011, the EU including its member states have contributed almost €25 billion to meet the needs arising from the conflict in Syria, in Syria itself and in the wider region. Around two thirds of the pledges made at successive conferences come from the EU.

The Brussels conference is being held on the 10th anniversary of the Syrian uprising. When do you think the donors conferences to rebuild Syria will be held? What is your position on the reconstruction of Syria now?

I look forward to the day when a conference for the reconstruction of Syria can be organized. Its timing, however, depends on the actions first and foremost of the Syrian regime. We call upon that regime to change its behavior. It is up to the leadership in Damascus to make the clear and unambiguous decision to end the repression of the Syrian people, to engage meaningfully in UN-led negotiations; in short, to make a clear decision to change the way Syria is governed and the way it relates to the rest of the world – before such a conference can take place.

Syria is set to hold presidential elections in a few months. How do you view these elections? Will the EU normalize relations with Damascus after that?

If we want elections that contribute to the settlement of the conflict, they must be held in accordance with UN Security Council resolution 2254, under supervision of the UN, and seek to satisfy the highest international standards: they must be free and fair, all candidates must be allowed to run and campaign freely, there is a need for transparency and accountability and, last but not least, all Syrians, including members of the diaspora, must be able to participate.

Under the current circumstances of conflict and since the regime has failed to engage meaningfully in UN-led negotiations, it is not feasible that elections organized by the Syrian regime - such as presidential elections later this year - can be carried out in accordance with these criteria and UN Security Council Resolution 2254. These presidential elections cannot therefore lead to any measure of normalization with the regime. Consequently, we have urged other members of the international community, and the wider region, to also avoid any such normalization.

Did you invite Russia to the conference? How can you work with Russia on Syria while relations are at a low point?

The Russian Federation has been invited to each and every Brussels conference on Syria, and is always welcome. It is no secret that relations between Russia and the European Union are not easy at present. This should not prevent us, however, from exchanging views on global matters of mutual concern, nor to work towards solutions when we can. As an example, we have good cooperation within the Middle East Quartet.

The conference is being held after the European Union renewed economic sanctions against Damascus and one year after the implementation of the Caesar Act. Do they have any effect on the Brussels conference? Moscow and Damascus say that these sanctions will harm the flow of the humanitarian and medical aid. What do you say?

EU sanctions in place regarding Syria are designed to avoid impeding the supply of humanitarian assistance. This includes efforts in the global fight against the recent Covid-19 pandemic. Consequently, the export of food, medicines or medical equipment, such as respirators and ventilators, are not subject to EU sanctions. Furthermore, a number of specific exceptions are foreseen for humanitarian purposes.

Let us not forget the larger picture: the Syrian regime is largely responsible for the humanitarian suffering of the Syrian people. The regime has deliberately denied humanitarian assistance to areas of Syria as part of its strategy in this conflict. Regime behavior has led to the humanitarian crisis – not sanctions. This is a point that the EU will make quite clearly at the conference should there be any further attempt to blame sanctions for humanitarian suffering.

The goal of these measures is to put pressure on the Syrian regime to halt repression and negotiate a lasting political settlement of the Syrian crisis in line with UNSC Resolution 2254 under UN auspices. They are a response to widespread and systematic violations by the regime of human rights and of international humanitarian law. The Syrian regime needs to adopt a clear change of behavior before the lifting of EU sanctions can be contemplated.

The Brussels conference is being co-chaired by the United Nations. What is your position on the efforts of UN Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, and the progress of the Constitutional Committee? What do you think of Pedersen’s proposal to set up a new contact group on Syria?

The EU will continue to support UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen in his tireless efforts to advance all aspects of resolution 2254 in a comprehensive approach. It is important that progress is achieved in the Constitutional Committee as it should serve as a door-opener to advance on other aspects of that Resolution. We are aware that Pedersen is also trying to advance on these other aspects, and support him in these efforts also. The EU believes that the fate of missing persons and those detained should be addressed with particular urgency as a matter of immense concern to families throughout Syria, and I encourage the Special Envoy in his efforts in this direction.

Regarding Special Envoy Pedersen’s appeal for constructive international engagement on Syria, I also agree with this. The gathering in Brussels on March 30 is a practical example of the commitment of the European Union to enhancing dialogue among those actors with influence in the Syrian crisis.

Russia announced its willingness to negotiate with the United States to reach a political solution in Syria. Is that possible these days? What is your position on the American-Russian dialogue on Syria?

It is true that US-Russia negotiations have played an important role on the Syria file in the past, such as those between Secretary Kerry and Foreign Minister Lavrov. Whether such negotiations are possible today you would need to ask them. What we are trying to do with the Brussels conference is to bring together all key actors and donors precisely to encourage dialogue and progress towards a political solution. The European Union stands ready to engage and to help where we can, as Syria is an issue of primary importance to us.

Currently, Syria has three spheres of influence: in the northeast, northwest and the rest of the country. Does the European Union have the same vision for these zones?

Yes, the EU has the same vision for each of zone: the unity, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Syrian state. Moreover, the political solution to be reached in the framework of resolution 2254 for the future of Syria must be Syrian-led and Syrian-owned.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs Ethan Goldrich has told Asharq Al-Awsat that the US does not plan to withdraw its forces from Syria.

The US is committed to “the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with,” he said.

Here is the full text of the interview.

Question: Mr. Goldrich, thank you so much for taking the time to sit with us today. I know you are leaving your post soon. How do you assess the accomplishments and challenges remaining?

Answer: Thank you very much for the chance to talk with you today. I've been in this position for three years, and so at the end of three years, I can see that there's a lot that we accomplished and a lot that we have left to do. But at the beginning of a time I was here, we had just completed a review of our Syria policy, and we saw that we needed to focus on reducing suffering for the people in Syria. We needed to reduce violence. We needed to hold the regime accountable for things that are done and most importantly, from the US perspective, we needed to keep ISIS from reemerging as a threat to our country and to other countries. At the same time, we also realized that there wouldn't be a solution to the crisis until there was a political process under resolution 2254, so in each of these areas, we've seen both progress and challenges, but of course, on ISIS, we have prevented the reemergence of the threat from northeast Syria, and we've helped deal with people that needed to be repatriated out of the prisons, and we dealt with displaced people in al-Hol to reduce the numbers there. We helped provide for stabilization in those parts of Syria.

Question: I want to talk a little bit about the ISIS situation now that the US troops are still there, do you envision a timeline where they will be withdrawn? Because there were some reports in the press that there is a plan from the Biden administration to withdraw.

Answer: Yeah. So right now, our focus is on the mission that we have there to keep ISIS from reemerging. So I know there have been reports, but I want to make clear that we remain committed to the role that we play in that part of Syria, to the partnership that we have with the local forces that we work with, and to the need to prevent that threat from reemerging.

Question: So you can assure people who are saying that you might withdraw, that you are remaining for the time being?

Answer: Yes, and that we remain committed to this mission which needs to continue to be pursued.

Question: You also mentioned the importance of humanitarian aid. The US has been leading on this. Are you satisfied with where you are today on the humanitarian front in Syria?

Answer: We remain committed to the role that we play to provide for humanitarian assistance in Syria. Of the money that was pledged in Brussels, we pledged $593 million just this past spring, and we overall, since the beginning of the conflict, have provided $18 billion both to help the Syrians who are inside of Syria and to help the refugees who are in surrounding countries. And so we remain committed to providing that assistance, and we remain keenly aware that 90% of Syrians are living in poverty right now, and that there's been suffering there. We're doing everything we can to reduce the suffering, but I think where we would really like to be is where there's a larger solution to the whole crisis, so Syrian people someday will be able to provide again for themselves and not need this assistance.

Question: And that's a perfect key to my next question. Solution in Syria. you are aware that the countries in the region are opening up to Assad again, and you also have the EU signaling overture to the Syrian regime and Assad. How do you deal with that?

Answer: For the United States, our policy continues to be that we will not normalize with the regime in Syria until there's been authentic and enduring progress on the goals of resolution 2254, until the human rights of the Syrian people are respected and until they have the civil and human rights that they deserve. We know other countries have engaged with the regime. When those engagements happen, we don't support them, but we remind the countries that are engaged that they should be using their engagements to push forward on the shared international goals under 2254, and that whatever it is that they're doing should be for the sake of improving the situation of the Syrian people.

Question: Let's say that all of the countries decided to talk to Assad, aren’t you worried that the US will be alienated in the process?

Answer: The US will remain true to our own principles and our own policies and our own laws, and the path for the regime in Syria to change its relationship with us is very clear, if they change the behaviors that led to the laws that we have and to the policies that we have, if those behaviors change and the circumstances inside of Syria change, then it's possible to have a different kind of relationship, but that's where it has to start.

Question: My last question to you before you leave, if you have to pick one thing that you need to do in Syria today, what is it that you would like to see happening today?

Answer: So there are a number of things, I think that will always be left and that there are things that we will try to do, to try to make them happen. We want to hold people accountable in Syria for things that have happened. So even today, we observed something called the International Day for victims of enforced disappearances, there are people that are missing, and we're trying to draw attention to the need to account for the missing people. So our step today was to sanction a number of officials who were responsible for enforced disappearances, but we also created something called the independent institution for missing persons, and that helps the families, in the non-political way, get information on what's happened. So I'd like to see some peace for the families of the missing people. I'd like to see the beginning of a political process, there hasn't been a meeting of the constitutional committee in two years, and I think that's because the regime has not been cooperating in political process steps. So we need to change that situation. And I would, of course, like it's important to see the continuation of the things that we were talking about, so keeping ISIS from reemerging and maintaining assistance as necessary in the humanitarian sphere. So all these things, some of them are ongoing, and some of them remain to be achieved. But the Syrian people deserve all aspects of our policy to be fulfilled and for them to be able to return to a normal life.

Borrell to Asharq Al-Awsat: Reconstruction of Syria Hinges on Change in Regime’s Behavior