DAMASCUS, 2 April 2004 — The Netherlands is hopeful the European Union and Syria will reach a compromise over a clause on mass destruction weapons which is blocking a political and trade agreement, Foreign Minister Bernard Bot said yesterday.
The European Commission initialed a draft association agreement with Syria in December, but Britain, Germany and the Netherlands refused to approve the text, demanding Damascus explicitly renounce nuclear, biological and chemical weapons in the accord.
At last month’s EU summit, the Netherlands and Britain held out for a tougher clause. Syria has said it stands by the original text. “I am very hopeful... I believe that we can come to a satisfactory agreement,” said the Dutch foreign minister after meeting Syrian President Bashar Assad and his foreign minister, Farouk Shara, in Damascus.
“We understand the preoccupations from your side but we have also said you have to understand our problems, our preoccupations,” Bot said he told Bashar and Shara.
“I have urged you country, your president and (foreign) minister to be very open on this issue. We have stressed the importance of the association agreement because it can help to strengthen relations between Europe and Syria. We are convinced that we will be able to find a compromise solution that will satisfy both parties.”
The EU agreed in June to make renunciation of weapons of mass destruction a standard feature of trade and aid agreements with third countries under its common security strategy.
Syria argues the EU makes no such demands of the Arab state’s archfoe Israel, which is widely believed to have 200 nuclear warheads. Damascus hopes to counterbalance looming fresh US sanctions by signing the pact with the 15-nation bloc.
