Communiqué de presse de l’Alliance des Démocrates et des Libéraux pour l’Europe (ADLE) et de Guy Verhofstadt, président de l’ADLE du 28 février 2012 // « Following the relentless Syrian bombardment of towns like Homs and Baba Amr resulting in hundreds of civilian casualties, including the deaths now of two brave western journalists who risked their lives to report on the horrifying scenes inside Syria. Guy Verhofstadt, ALDE group leader said that there is only one option that the Syrian contact group can take at Friday’s meeting in Tunis and that is agree on decisive action to end the violence and facilitate a transition to a new, legitimate government: »
« Today’s news of the tragic deaths of two prominent western journalists in the city of Homs underscores once more the indiscriminate brutality of the Assad regime that clearly has no intention of stopping its attacks. The meeting in Tunis on Friday of the Friends of Syria’ contact group must not end without agreement on clear and decisive action to end the senseless killing. »
« The European Union and Member States must give their strong backing to the latest Arab initiative for an international peace-keeping force and offer financial, material and even military resources to enforce and maintain safe havens and humanitarian relief corridors. If Assad’s forces refuse to halt the shelling of civilian areas, Member States participating in the Contact Group must be ready to use all necessary force to protect the inhabitants of towns like Homs. »
« It is not possible to remain a silent witness to the massacre of so many innocent people. The objections and reluctance of Russia and China to get involved must not stand in the way of the will of the vast majority of international opinion and the UN principle of the right to protect. »
28 février 2012
