Saturday, July 26, 2008
Editor”s note: The following is a letter, dated July 22, 2008, addressed by the foreign ministers of Germany Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Italy Franco Frattini, and Spain Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaubth to Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem.
His Excellency
Walid al Moallem
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Syrian Arab Republic
Damascus
Berlin/Madrid/Rome, July 22, 2008
Dear Colleague,
We welcome recent moves by Syria to improve relations and positively engage with neighboring countries. We hope that indirect talks with Israel will lead as soon as possible to direct negotiations. The European side will fully support these efforts, as well as those made on other tracks, and will assist all actors involved in order to achieve a just, lasting and comprehensive peace in the region.
We especially acknowledge that Syria has openly declared its readiness, as in your letter to Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier of June 29 and in your recent conversations with Foreign Minister Moratinos and with Foreign Minister Frattini, to discuss all aspects of bilateral relations with Lebanon once a government would be formed in Lebanon. We also appreciate the positive reply by Lebanon and the constructive meeting between the Presidents of both states in Paris on July 13.
At the same time, your government has expressed a strong wish to improve relations with european partners and the European Union in its quest for economic reform and social development.
We stand ready to work for the improvement of our bilateral ties with Syria and to work with our partners in the EU to develop the relations between the EU and Syria. At the same time, we remain committed to further the independence, sovereignty and stability of Lebanon. To achieve rapid and lasting progress in both fields, we believe a number of issues need to be addressed:
Concerning Syrian-Lebanese relations, whilst welcoming the commitment of President Bashar al-Assad and President Michel Sleiman to re-establish diplomatic relations and to open the respective embassies in Beirut and Damascus, we suggest that both governments should commit themselves publicly to a mutually agreed process for the normalization of bilateral relations, based on the principles of full equality and mutual recognition containing the following elements:
l proceeding in opening the embassies in Beirut and Damascus and in exchanging Ambassadors;
l activation of the Lebanese-Syrian border committee for the demarcation of borders,
l activation of border cooperation with the aim of improving security on the Lebanese-Syrian border.
To support the National Dialogue in Lebanon on strengthening the control of the Lebanese state over its territory as agreed in Doha, we expect that Syria exert her influence on Palestinian factions to stop all armed activity in Lebanon and hand over control over their positions to the Lebanese authorities in a phased and orderly manner.
(These elements are, of course, in no way intended to impede Lebanon and Syria to take additional measures to improve their bilateral relations.)
Concerning EU-Syria relations, we are ready to work with our partners in the EU and with Syria so that,
l the EU would commit to urgently dispatch fact-finding missions with a view to identify ways of intensifying cooperation in the economic, financial and scientific fields and to increase technical support to Syrian border security,
l both sides would agree to establish a regular and comprehensive political dialogue, including on regional and human rights issues,
l after taking stock of overall progress, the European Union would invite Syria to sign the EU-Syria Association Treaty before the end of the year 2008.
Sincerely yours,
Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Franco Frattini, Miguel Angel Moratinos Cuyaubth