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German reactions to Turkey offensive: "Europe must react faster"

2019-10-19T07:43:37.628Z


Even Europe's representatives on the Turkish invasion of northern Syria are angered by representatives of the Grand Coalition. They fear that Germany will completely lose its influence on the region.



There are clear appeals to Turkey to end the military offensive against the Kurds. They come at night from the summit of the European Union in Brussels, they are, oddly enough, in a joint message from the Foreign Affairs Committees of parliaments in France, Britain, the EU and the United States, they come from the EU Council of Foreign Ministers and in a joint statement by German Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and French President Emmanuel Macron. The 28 EU foreign ministers even managed to agree last Monday to suspend new arms permits to Turkey. However, they could not get through to a general arms embargo.

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Issue 43/2019

The capitulation of the West

How the victory of despots in Syria destroys a people, strengthens IS and threatens Europe

Digital Edition | Printed issues | Apps | SUBSCRIPTION

Europe speaks with a clear and a certain voice on the Syrian issue, and yet the words remain ineffective. For what the intervention of the Turks to Northern Syria mainly keeps Europe in mind, is its utter powerlessness: The real figures in the Syrian conflict are two despots following the surprise withdrawal of US soldiers alongside Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan: Syria's dictator Bashar al-Assad , who was forced by the Kurds and his protector in the background, Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Disillusioned look

Anger over the restrained and helpless attitude of the Europeans is therefore not only widespread in Germany in the opposition, but extends into the grand coalition. "Europe has to react faster," says CSU defense politician Florian Hahn , for example. It could not be "that the European reactions take so long and are so minimal".

Among the foreign policy experts of the Union faction in the Bundestag prevails a disillusioned view of the role of Germany and the EU in the Syria conflict. "The EU had no ability to deescalate the conflict and to end it more quickly at the outbreak and in the following years of the Syrian civil war," says CDU foreign policy official Roderich Kiesewetter , for example. "In addition, it has not learned enough from this development so far, because in future the European states must be in a position to curb and prevent crises more effectively at an early stage."

In their criticism, the security and defense policy politicians are almost in agreement with the opposition. "Half-hearted," Green Party leader Annalena Baerbock finds the reaction of the Federal Government and the rest of Europe, the temporary ceasefire for Turkey is a "farce". After all, according to EU law, arms deliveries to war zones are prohibited.

  • Read the SPIEGEL title story on the situation in Syria here

From the outset, Europe had agreed to a bad deal with Turkey, criticized Baerbock and meant the complex interdependence in the Kurdish issue, but also in migration. "For fear of the effects one tramples European basic values ​​with feet," she says to the so-called refugee deal. The crisis now escalating as a result of Erdogan's offensive in northern Syria comes as no surprise to the graduate in international law: "For a year and a half, the Kurds have been demanding our support, but we have left them alone with the problems."

"Even current exports can be stopped"

But Baerbock still sees ways to be more determined, such as a radical export blockade of arms to Turkey. "Even current exports can be stopped," says the Green Party leader, if necessary, would just be paid compensation.

The CDU foreign politician Roderich Kiesewetter floats more of a preventive intervention of Europe "with flanking military means" before. "An EU-sponsored protection and surveillance zone in northern Syria and on the border with Lebanon is a possible scenario in which EU states must provide the necessary capabilities to secure the peace process in the future," says Kiesewetter.

More at SPIEGEL +

Delil Souleiman / AFR withdrawal from SyriaThe capitulation of the West is becoming a threat to Europe

So far one does not think in the Federal Government at present, one looks rather for ways, the pressure on Ankara to increase, without at the same time to let the discussion thread tear off. Demands to throw Turkey out of NATO or to completely cut off EU relations with Erdogan are considered unworldly. Even on personal sanctions such as entry barriers against Turkish politicians, as they had recently proposed the foreign policy spokesman of the SPD faction, Nils Schmid wants to think in the Foreign Ministry yet: one fears to create by such punishments martyrs.

Nevertheless, the Foreign Office is very worried that the peace process in Syria, which was initiated by the Norwegian UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen, is being given a major setback by the current conflict. Russia had put pressure on Assad, whereupon he had engaged in the drafting of a new constitution for Syria under UN auspices. In Berlin, people now fear that these advances will be suppressed by the new developments - and you have to start from scratch again.

Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2019-10-19

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