Rapprochement with Assad?

Schallenberg demands realpolitik from the EU in Syria

Bashar al-Assad survived the "Arab Spring" and the subsequent civil war in his country.(Bild: APA/AP)

13 years of civil war have not succeeded in removing him from office. On the contrary: Syria's ruler Bashar al-Assad is still firmly in the saddle. For this reason, several EU states - including Austria - are calling for a rapprochement with Damascus.

"As bitter as it is, the Assad regime is still firmly in the saddle with the help of Iran and Russia," said Foreign Minister Alexander Schallenberg on Monday ahead of a meeting of EU foreign ministers on Monday. The EU should not be blind to this reality and must adapt its policy accordingly. A "non-paper" (informal policy proposals at EU level) presented on Monday is also supported by Italy, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Cyprus, Greece, Slovenia and Slovakia.

In a joint letter with Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Schallenberg justifies the change in policy he is calling for with a view to the people fleeing Syria to Europe because of the civil war in the country. "With 13.8 million internally displaced persons and refugees, Syria is still the cause of the world's largest displacement crisis. (...) We are feeling these effects far beyond the Middle East, including in Italy, Austria and the rest of Europe."

One of the goals: The return of Syrian refugees
The above-mentioned states now want to initiate a discussion in the Council of the European Union. Among other things, they are considering greater equal treatment of the various parties to the civil war at a diplomatic level. In addition, the EU should appoint a Syria envoy to maintain contact with all sides. Furthermore, the EU should work towards a situation in the country in which the "safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrian refugees" is possible, "on the assumption that security guarantees are the responsibility of the regime". 

Two thirds of the country back in Assad's hands
In the course of the so-called "Arab Spring", there were also protests against the Assad government in Syria in spring 2011. The regime took violent action against them, which led to a civil war. However, Assad now controls two thirds of the country again. The north-west is under the control of opposition forces.