Foreign Minister Tuomioja met his Syrian counterpart
The visit by Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Al-Moallem to Finland on 23 August was a part of the nascent peace process in the Middle East and Lebanon. This entails the recently passed UN Security Council resolution 1701 and the ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah that operates from the Lebanese territory. The deployment of the UN troops to the area is also under preparation. "It is crucial for the EU to maintain contact with all parties relevant to the peace process. Right now it is particularly important to engage with Syria", Tuomioja described the background of the meeting between the Foreign Minister of the presiding EU country and the Syrian Foreign Minister.
"Syria is an important neighbour to Lebanon and Israel, with the capability of becoming a part of the problem or its solution. The Syrian Foreign Minister himself wanted to emphasise that Syria wants to be a part of the solution, which was positive news", Tuomioja said. The Syrian Foreign Minister had assured Tuomioja that his country will accept the UN resolution 1701, the arms embargo that it entails and the requirement that in the future the Lebanese government and its troops will be the only armed force in Lebanon. The Syrian Foreign Minister has also stated that his country will support the Lebanese government, the observation of the ceasefire and the UN's Unifil operation.
"I noted that as far as the EU-Syria relations are concerned, the union will have to monitor Syrian statements and action in the future as well. For example, we have to be able to monitor the arms embargo . Furthermore, the EU expects that Syria respects all UN resolutions", Tuomioja described the EU's message he had mediated to Syria. "Nothing the EU expects and hopes of Syria conflicts with Syrian interests; a fact acknowledged by the Syrian Foreign Minister."
Answering a question from the press, Tuomioja noted that despite its goodwill towards the Unifil troops, Syria has stated that it does not want the UN troops deployed in Lebanon to be stationed on the Syrian border. Should this happen, Syria has threatened to close its borders. "The deployment of the troops depends on the Lebanese government. The closure of the border would naturally have a negative effect on the local population on the both sides of the border", Tuomioja said.
Foreign Ministers had a common view on the swift resumption of the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. "Our unanimous opinion is that the peace talks need a new opening as soon as possible", Tuomioja said.
The situations in Iraq and Iran also featured briefly in the discussions.
The situation in the Middle East and Lebanon will be discussed next time on Friday 25 August at an extraordinary General Affairs and External Relations Council. The general Secretary of the UN, Kofi Annan will also attend the meeting. Before that Tuomioja will meet with his colleagues in Germany and France. "Hopefully by Friday we will know to what extent the EU countries are prepared to commit themselves to the build-up of the UN troops. In quantitative terms the EU's troops are not among the largest, but the EU's stake is central due to Italy's role as the nation in the lead of the operation", Tuomioja predicted and said that the mandate of the UN troops and the rules of engagement might not require another UN resolution.