BRUSSELS, July 18 (KUNA) - The Socialists and Democrats (SD) Group, the seocnd-largest political group in the European Parliament, Wednesday called on the EU to agree on a common approach based on the best practice to deal with Syrian asylum seekers and to suspend any deportations of third-country nationals to Syria.
Sylvie Guillaume, SD vice-president and European Parliament rapporteur on asylum policy, in a letter sent today to Catherine Ashton, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, said "we urge the EU to adopt a common approach to processing asylum claims from Syrian nationals, based on the best practices identified by the European Asylum Support Office." She also called on the EU and member states to respect a moratorium and not return third-country nationals to Syria.
"We need to get clear information on the steps the EU and its member states are taking - or planning to take - to help those fleeing the violence in Syria to enter European territory," said the MEP.
Meanwhile, Elmar Brok, Chairman of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, in a separate statment today said "the main support of Syria's President Bashar Al-Assad at the present time is the tacit approval that he gets from the Alewite, Kurd, Christian and Druze minorities." "If these minorities feel secure enough that the future of Syria will not be in the hands of Islamist Sunni forces alone, which they fear may victimise them, then they will abandon their passive support to Bashar Al-Assad and he will be left isolated. This will be a turning point for the end of Al-Assad's regime," he added. (end) nk.ajs KUNA 181437 Jul 12NNNN