Last update - 00:00 06/09/2006
EU: Syria may hurt relations if it does not back Middle East peace
By The Associated Press
Syria risks harming relations with the EU if it does not commit itself to respecting Lebanon's sovereignty, helping to disarm Hezbollah and supporting wider Middle East peace efforts, the EU warned Wednesday.
Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, whose country holds the EU presidency, said he hoped Damascus would play a positive role on de-escalating tensions in the region.
He said it was "crucial" that Syria, a neighbor to both Lebanon and Israel, support United Nations-led reconstruction and peace efforts in Lebanon.
"We need to be ready to engage Syria," Tuomioja said during a debate at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.
He added that it was Syria's choice whether to play the role of "a constructive partner or a spoiler; this will also determine the future EU relations with Syria."
Tuomioja last month described EU-Syria relations as "quite cool and distant" already, and stressed that the 25-nation bloc expected Syria to comply with UN resolutions.
Syria initially said it was not in favor of UN peacekeepers patrolling the Lebanese-Syrian border, which Israel claims is being used as a major route for weapons for the militant Hezbollah group based in Lebanon. But last week Syria said it would step up border patrols and work with the Lebanese army to stop the flow of weapons to Hezbollah.
Tuomioja said the EU welcomed "the stated intention and readiness of Syria" to respect UN resolutions on Lebanon "and also to be constructive in the comprehensive Middle East peace process."
Ties between the EU and Syria have been on ice after last year's assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri - a killing many Lebanese blame on Syria.
The killing, in which Syria denied any role, provoked pressure from the EU and other countries that led to the withdrawal of Syrian troop from Lebanese in April 2005, ending 29 years of military presence in the country.
The EU also recently criticized human rights violations by Syria's government against activists there.
During the debate on the recent Mideast crisis, EU officials reiterated calls for Israel to lift its sea and air blockade of Lebanon, so as to allow for full-scale reconstruction efforts.
EU contributions to Lebanon's reconstruction total around -330 million (US$422 million), and EU nations have said they would contribute around 7,000 peacekeepers to bolster the UN mission in southern Lebanon.