In spite of an EU arms embargo prohibiting the sale, supply, transfer or export of arms and related materiel of all types to Syria from EU member states, there have been two reported cases of EU member states being potentially directly or indirectly complicit in the transfer of arms to the Assad regime this year, with the latest occurring a few days ago.
In response to this, the Greens/EFA group in the European Parliament has sent an
open letter to the EU high representative for foreign policy Catherine Ashton and distributed it to their fellow MEPs calling for the EU to ensure respect of the embargo by all member states and entities within their jurisdiction
.
Green MEP
Franziska Brantner handed over the open letter in the hemicycle yesterday evening to Catherine Ashton.
The
letter detailed grave concerns by the Greens/EFA group over weapons shipments bound for the Assad regime. It included details of two cases: one from a few days ago involving a German cargo ship that was stopped carrying weapons on its way to Syria and later turned off its transponder after changing course; and another from Janurary of this year when the Cypriot authories allowed the docking and refueling of a Russian ship carrying weapons for Assad.
Franziska Brantner had previously sent a
letter to the European Council on the actions of the Cypriot authorities, but has not yet received a reply.
