Speaking to reporters in Beirut after a meeting with the new Syrian leaders in Damascus, Tajani said the EU sanctions were imposed under President Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted on December 8 by an all-out rebel offensive.
– I think we can start changing things. The next step is the meeting of EU foreign ministers and we will discuss that. Italy is in favor – he said.
The meeting should take place in Brussels on January 27.
– The solution should be a moratorium – six months, one year. I put that idea on the table – declared Tajani, and added that “the lifting of sanctions is not a national decision, it is a decision of the European bloc”.
Tajani met with the new head of the Syrian administration, Ahmed al-Shara, and the minister of foreign affairs, Asaad al-Shibani. He said they had committed to tackling illegal immigration and drug trafficking, issues he described as crucial for Italy.
When asked what specific steps he would like the new Syrian administration to take before the EU meeting, Tajani only said that “the beginning was positive” and that the new leaders in Damascus gave “very good statements, not aggressive speeches”.
France’s foreign minister said this week that EU sanctions that have hampered the delivery of humanitarian aid and the country’s recovery could be lifted quickly.
The United States on Monday issued an exemption from sanctions on transactions with the ruling institutions in Syria six months after the end of Assad’s rule to try to ease the flow of humanitarian aid, Reuters reports.
(Vijesti.ba / FENA)
