Italy resists EU drive for sanctions
BELGIUM: European Union leaders condemned Russia yesterday for its bombing of civilians in Syria’s besieged city of Aleppo but faced resistance from Italy to impose new sanctions against Moscow over the atrocities.
Horrified by Russian air strikes on hospitals and an aid convoy that have killed hundreds of civilians, including children, Britain, France and Germany want maximum pressure on Moscow to stop its assault on rebels in eastern Aleppo.
Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, whose country has broad trade ties with Russia, said economic sanctions should not be part of that strategy because they would not force Moscow to nego- tiate a peace settlement.
With no military role in the Syrian civil war, the European Union is relying on its neutral status to help the United Nations to end the conflict, anxious to be seen to be active.
France has sought to isolate Russia diplomatically, first at the UN Security Council in New York with a failed bid to force a ceasefire, and then with a formal condemnation by all 28 EU foreign ministers this week of Russia’s strikes in rebel-held eastern Aleppo.
European leaders followed up with equally strong language in their summit statement. But the final version removed wording in earlier drafts threatening sanctions on Russian individuals and companies linked to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia’s intervention in the Syrian conflict a year ago has turned the tide of the war in Assad’s favour. The recapture of Aleppo, Syria’s biggest city before the war, was now Moscow’s goal, seemingly at any cost, diplomats said.
Russia has told the UN it will stop bombing eastern Aleppo for 11 hours a day for four days, an announcement that EU officials speculated was timed to coincide with the EU summit in Brussels and as momentum was building to impose more crippling sanctions on the Kremlin.
As the EU leaders discussed their options over dinner, a fleet of Russian warships carrying fighterbombers made its way along Europe’s western coast towards Syria.
It is a naval operation that Nato believes is likely to intensify the assault on Aleppo, despite the Russian ceasefire pledge.
European Council President Donald Tusk, who chaired the summit, accused Russia of trying to weaken the EU, saying leaders were worried about Russian hostilities ranging from airspace violations to disinformation campaigns and cyberattacks.
UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon pushed yesterday for the 193-member UN General Assembly to hold a rare emergency special session on Syria, since a deadlocked security council has failed to take action to end the nearly six-year war.
Under a 1950 resolution, an emergency special session can be called for the general assembly to consider a matter if the security council fails to act.
‘‘I call on all of you to cooperate and fulfill your collective responsibility to protect,’’ Ban said. ‘‘I regret that the security council has failed to discharge its responsibilities to uphold peace and security for Syria.’’
Russia has vetoed five Security Council resolutions on Syria since 2011. China joined Moscow in vetoing the first four resolutions.
- Reuters