Maas calls for pressure on Russia over its Syria role
April 13, 2018
After talks in Brussels, Maas condemned Moscow for blocking resolutions on Syria at the UN Security Council. As the UN council met again, Maas said there must be consequences following the chemical attack.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/V. Mayo
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Maas: 'We will keep up the political pressure on Russia'
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Germany's Foreign Minister Heiko Maas said the EU and western powers must increase pressure on Russia for its role in Syria.
"We must increase pressure on Russia to force it to change its attitude," he said during a news conference in Brussels on Friday alongside EC President Jean-Claude Juncker.
"There will be no peace in Syria without a political solution. Therefore we must also increase the political pressure on Russia to end the impasse in the UN Security Council," the Foreign Ministry said in a short statement on Friday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel regrets UN Security Council's failure to agree to investigate alleged chemical attack in Syria.
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Military option discussed
The US, France and UK are discussing the possibility of a military strike on Syria in response to the alleged chemical attack on Douma last Saturday. Germany has said it would not take part in any such action and Maas warned of an "escalation spiral."
However, the minister said of the Douma attack: "I am also of the opinion that what has happened there cannot remain without consequences."
Russian military police near Douma, the site of the alleged chemical attackImage: picture-alliance/Photoshot/M. Memeri
UN's Guterres warns of escalation
At Russia's request, the UN Security Council met again on Friday to discuss Syria.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned that the increasing tensions over Syria and the deadlock in the Security Council could "lead to a full-blown military escalation."
The Middle East was in "peril" the UN chief said and had become a threat to global peace. Guterres urged countries "to act responsibly in these dangerous circumstances."
Lavrov: 'God forbid any adventurous action will be taken in Syria'
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No US decision yet
US Ambassador Nikki Haley said that President Donald Trump had not yet made a decision about possible action in Syria and there would be no rush to launch military action but "at one point you have to do something."
Haley said that analysis by the US, France and Britain had concluded a chemical attack had taken place in Douma last Saturday.
The US estimates that Assad's forces have used chemical weapons at least 50 times during the seven-year-long conflict, Haley told the Security Council.
"All nations and all people will be harmed if we allow Assad to normalize the use of chemical weapons," she said.
Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia urged the US, France and Britain to refrain from military action: "We continue to observe dangerous military preparations for an illegal act of force against a sovereign state," he told the Council.
Common European foreign policy - by majority vote?
After meeting with the EU's top diplomat Federica Mogherini in Brussels, Germany's Maas said: "If we want to be heard in the world, we need a common European foreign policy."
For the EU itself, Maas suggested that to achieve a more capable EU: "We should consider taking more decisions by majority vote, rather than insisting on unanimity."
EU foreign ministers are to meet in Luxembourg for their regular monthly talks on Monday. They are expected to condemn the Douma attack and call again for a political resolution to Syria's conflict.
Who's fighting in the Syria conflict?
Syria's civil war erupted out of the Arab Spring protests that swept much of the Middle East and North Africa in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in multiple warring factions from around the world.
Image: Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images
War with no end
Syria has been engulfed in a devastating civil war since 2011 after Syrian President Bashar Assad lost control over large parts of the country to multiple revolutionary groups. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and brought misery and death to Syrians.
Image: picture alliance/abaca/A. Al-Bushy
The dictator
Syria's army, officially known as the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), is loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and is fighting to restore the president's rule over the entire country. The SAA has been fighting alongside a number of pro-Assad militias such as the National Defense Force and has cooperated with military advisors from Russia and Iran, which back Assad.
Turkey, which is also part of the US-led coalition against IS, has actively supported rebels opposed to Assad. It has a tense relationship with its American allies over US cooperation with Kurdish fighters, who Ankara says are linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) fighting in Turkey. Turkey has launched multiple military offensives targeting Kurdish militias.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/L. Pitarakis
The eastern guardian
The Kremlin has proven to be a powerful friend to Assad. Russian air power and ground troops officially joined the fight in September 2015 after years of supplying the Syrian army. Moscow has come under fire from the international community for the high number of civilian casualties during its airstrikes. However, Russia's intervention turned the tide in war in favor of Assad.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Tass/M. Metzel
The western allies
A US-led coalition of more than 50 countries, including Germany, began targeting IS and other terrorist targets with airstrikes in late 2014. The anti-IS coalition has dealt major setbacks to the militant group. The US has more than a thousand special forces in the country backing the Syrian Democratic Forces.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo/A.Brandon
The rebels
The Free Syrian Army grew out of protests against the Assad regime that eventually turned violent. Along with other non-jihadist rebel groups, it seeks the ouster of President Assad and democratic elections. After suffering a number of defeats, many of its members defected to hardline militant groups. It garnered some support from the US and Turkey, but its strength has been greatly diminished.
Image: Reuters
The resistance
Fighting between Syrian Kurds and Islamists has become its own conflict. The US-led coalition against the "Islamic State" has backed the Syrian Democratic Forces, an alliance of Kurdish and Arab militias. The Kurdish YPG militia is the main component of the SDF. The Kurds have had a tacit understanding with Assad.
Image: Getty Images/A. Sik
The new jihadists
"Islamic State" (IS) took advantage of regional chaos to capture vast swathes of territory in Iraq and Syria in 2014. Seeking to establish its own "caliphate," IS has become infamous for its fundamentalist brand of Islam and its mass atrocities. IS is on the brink of defeat after the US and Russia led separate military campaigns against the militant group.
Image: picture alliance/AP Photo
The old jihadists
IS is not the only terrorist group that has ravaged Syria. A number of jihadist militant groups are fighting in the conflict, warring against various rebel factions and the Assad regime. One of the main jihadist factions is Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, which controls most of Idlib province and has ties with al-Qaeda.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/Nusra Front on Twitter
The Persian shadow
Iran has supported Syria, its only Arab ally, for decades. Eager to maintain its ally, Tehran has provided Damascus with strategic assistance, military training and ground troops when the conflict emerged in 2011. The Iran-backed Lebanese Shiite militant group Hezbollah also supports the Assad regime, fighting alongside Iranian forces and paramilitary groups in the country.
