Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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48. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to advocate at the EU Foreign Affairs Council for the lifting of the EU’s economic sanctions against Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53156/17]

Mick Wallace (Wexford, Independent)
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56. To ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade his plans to contact the US Ambassador to raise the issue of lifting the United States’ economic sanctions against Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53157/17]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 56 together.

Sanctions are a tool which the international community may use to put political pressure on those who commit violence against their own people. In the case of Syria, the EU sanctions include an oil embargo, restrictions on investments, a freeze of Syrian Central Bank assets and export restrictions on equipment and technology that might be used for internal repression, or for interception of internet or telephone communications. There are no sanctions on food, medicines or most other civilian goods.

In addition to these measures, targeted EU sanctions are in place against over 250 people and almost 70 entities which are complicit in the violent repression of the civilian population in Syria. The first person on this list is Bashar Al Assad, whose forces have been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

The EU’s Basic Principles on the Use of Restrictive Measures, state that “Sanctions should be targeted in a way that has maximum impact on those whose behaviour we want to influence. Targeting should reduce to the maximum extent possible any adverse humanitarian effects or unintended consequences for persons not targeted ....” Accordingly, the EU’s Syria sanctions include specific exemptions for essential civilian needs and for humanitarian assistance.The EU keeps the impact of sanctions under constant review, and will consider options to mitigate any unintended consequences which can be documented as relating directly to the measures themselves, as distinct from the more general economic disruption caused by the conflict and the Assad regime’s actions.

In line with the EU strategy on Syria, the EU will maintain its restrictive measures against the Syrian regime and its supporters as long as the repression of civilians continues.

Ireland has consistently supported EU sanctions targeting the Assad regime and its supporters, and will continue to do so as long as the situation on the ground justifies these measures. To lift these sanctions would amount to tacit support for the Assad regime and would serve to encourage further impunity with regard to attacks on civilians, and disregard for the UN-led peace process.

Some of the US measures pre-date the current conflict. However, I understand that the aims of the sanctions that the US has imposed since 2011 include depriving the regime of the resources it needs to continue violence against civilians, and this is a goal shared by the EU.