<h6><strong>Eduardo González</strong></h6> <h4><strong>The EU Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) has reached an agreement on Monday to begin lifting sanctions on Syria, in line with the proposal presented at this same meeting in Brussels by the head of Spanish diplomacy, José Manuel Albares.</strong></h4> “Today we have reached a political agreement to begin easing sanctions on Syria,” a measure that “could give a boost to the Syrian economy and help the country to recover,” declared the High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, at the press conference after the Council. “While our objective is to act quickly, we are also willing to reverse course if the situation worsens,” she warned. “At the same time, we will intensify humanitarian aid and recovery efforts,” she added. Regarding the specific sanctions that are beginning to be lifted, Kallas explained that priority has been given to “the sanctions that are most hindering the early construction of the country.” “What we are not easing, of course, is everything related to weapons and arms trafficking” because “we are still worried about radicalization and what may happen,” she clarified. “Therefore, at this moment we have a political decision, we have the roadmap, we have a step-by-step approach so that, if we see that some steps are going in the right direction, we are also willing to ease the next sanctions,” she added. José Manuel Albares assured on January 16 in Damascus that he would propose to his EU counterparts in Brussels the “progressive” lifting of sanctions on Syria as long as the “red lines” defended by Spain are met: “rights of women, of minorities, reintegration of all armed militias, avoiding external interference, guarantee of territorial integrity, arms control and destruction of synthetic drug laboratories.” Albares reiterated on Tuesday his intention to present the proposal. “I will advocate for a gradual lifting of sanctions against Syria,” because “they are sanctions that were imposed at other times, against the dictatorial regime of Al Assad, which is no longer in power,” he told the press before starting the FAC. “We have to lift very quickly, immediately those that affect the population, those of humanitarian aid, economic and reconstruction,” he continued. “It is different with those that affect chemical weapons, where we still need a more detailed study and a greater commitment from the Syrian authorities, and we also have to ensure that there is no foreign interference at this time in Syria,” he added. “It is clear that the lifting of sanctions is also a strong political sign of confidence that there is a peaceful, inclusive future, with equal rights for all Syrian citizens, men and women, regardless of their religion or ethnic origin, and if that were not the case, the sanctions could obviously be reversed,” he warned. <h5><strong>Rafah</strong></h5> On the other hand, José Manuel Albares has proposed to his EU counterparts the deployment of a European mission at the Rafah border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and has offered the participation of the Civil Guard in this mission. “EU humanitarian aid must enter Gaza en masse, as humanitarian aid from Spain is beginning to enter,” Albares told reporters upon his arrival at the meeting of the EU Foreign Affairs Council, held in Brussels. “I am going to request that a European mission be deployed at the Rafah crossing to help control the entry and exit of people and to normalise this crossing and, of course, if this European mission is launched, the Spanish Civil Guard will be present in this mission,” he added. Regarding the possible number of Civil Guard troops that could participate in the mission, Albares stated that his initial intention is “that there be that deployment of that mission” and it will then be the High Representative for Foreign Policy of the EU, Kaja Kallas, “who will tell us what is the number of troops that are necessary and the deadlines”. “Given the situation, what I am going to convey is that the deployment has to be as soon as possible and as fast as possible” and that, subsequently, Kallas “will carry out the analysis of what the Palestinian Authority needs, because that mission will be deployed in support of the Palestinian Authority”, he added. In this regard, Kaja Kallas assured at the press conference that the EU is supporting the implementation of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas “including by redeploying our civilian mission in Rafah to monitor border controls.” “The reopening of the crossing will allow the transfer of wounded people out of Gaza for treatment,” she added. This mission, EUBAM Rafah, will be carried out at “the invitation of both Palestine and Israel, and Egypt also agreed to this, saying that this is also important for the implementation of the ceasefire.” “We had one mission before, so we are redeploying the mission within the same mandate that we had,” she explained. “If I remember correctly, it is already starting from February, so people are ready to go and start working,” she specified. On the other hand, Albares showed his rejection of the proposal of the President of the United States, Donald Trump, for Egypt and Jordan to take in the million and a half displaced people from the Gaza Strip for their “accommodation” in the medium or long term, at least while the process of reconstruction of the enclave lasts. The two countries have rejected this proposal and the Palestinian Authority has described it as a “flagrant violation of the red lines”. “The place of the Gazans, of the Palestinians of Gaza, is precisely in the Gaza Strip. What we have to do is help them with their most basic needs and with reconstruction,” warned Albares. “The Gazans have to remain in Gaza” because “Gaza is part of the future Palestinian State, we have to establish, as soon as possible, a single Palestinian National Authority in Gaza and the West Bank and what we all have to do, and very clearly the European Union, is help the Palestinians in Gaza,” he warned. <h5><strong>Sanctions against Russia</strong></h5> On Monday, the EU Foreign Affairs Council extended sanctions against Russia for another six months, until 31 July 2025, in response to “unprovoked, unjustified and illegal military aggression” against Ukraine. Shortly before, José Manuel Albares declared that any attempt by any Member State (referring to Hungary) to “block” the sanctions is “unacceptable”. “These economic measures, which were first adopted in 2014, have been significantly extended since February 2022 in response to the unprovoked, unjustified and illegal military aggression by Russia against Ukraine,” the Council said in a press release. To push through the extension of sanctions beyond 31 January, unanimity of the 27 was required, and to do so, Hungary had to be persuaded to back down on its threat of a veto. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had threatened to block the renewal of sanctions following Ukraine's decision to cut off the flow of Russian gas through its territory. Diplomatic sources quoted by Euronews indicated that, in order to appease Hungary's concerns, the 27 agreed to include a declaration on "the integrity of the energy infrastructure". These restrictive measures against Russia affect various sectors, such as trade, finance, energy, technology and dual-use products, industry, transport and luxury goods. They also cover a ban on the import or transfer of seaborne crude oil and certain petroleum products from Russia to the EU, the exclusion of several Russian banks from the SWIFT system, and the suspension of the broadcasting licences and activities in the European Union of several Kremlin-backed disinformation companies. In addition, the EU has specific measures in place to counter sanctions circumvention. “As long as the illegal actions of the Russian Federation continue to violate fundamental rules of international law, in particular the prohibition of the use of force, all EU measures should remain in force and additional measures should be taken, if necessary,” the Council added. “EU foreign ministers have just agreed to further extend sanctions on Russia. This will continue to deprive Moscow of revenue to finance its war,” said EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas on social media. Speaking to the media before the start of the CAE, Albares warned that “the sanctions must be renewed” because “there is no criterion or political reason that could be beneficial for any European citizen for these sanctions not to be renewed.” “They are good for defending European democracy, they are good for defending European security, they are good for European prosperity, because a war of aggression cannot succeed,” he continued. “They must continue from 31 January,” he warned. “It is not acceptable that any State wants to block them, because it is not good, from any point of view, for any European citizen,” he said.
