US says it will not normalise relations with Syria’s Assad
Al JazeeraDec 22, 2022
EU States Call for A Change of Policy on Syria
Above: Bashar al-Assad. Image copyright: Mohammed Hamoud/Contributor/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Facts
Eight EU member states have urged the bloc to re-evaluate its policy toward Syria, suggesting direct engagement with Pres. Bashar al-Assad's government.
In a letter to the EU's chief diplomat Josep Borrell, foreign ministers from Austria, Croatia, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Czech Republic requested "a more active, outcome-driven, and operational Syria policy."
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
The 13-year-long conflict and EU sanctions have resulted in the deaths of 500K people, with millions seeking refuge in Europe and millions more being internally displaced. Assad remains in power, mainly due to the support of Iran and Russia, while the Syrian opposition is fragmented or in exile. The current EU policy is ineffective, and the bloc must reset it to bring a regime change.
Pro-establishment narrative
Assad's regime cannot be recognized as legitimate due to its blatant human rights violations. The US has no intention of normalizing relations with Syria, and it actively urges others not to improve relations unless there's political progress under Resolution 2254, which asks Syria to hold free and fair elections and facilitate the safe return of refugees.