Syria war: Assad regime accuses EU of supporting terrorism and says it has no right to criticise them

Foreign ministry source says EU is 'an accomplace in the suffering of Syrians'

Samuel Osborne
Wednesday 19 October 2016 12:27 BST
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EU foreign ministers say the bombardment of Aleppo by the Syrian regime and Russia 'may amount to war crimes'
EU foreign ministers say the bombardment of Aleppo by the Syrian regime and Russia 'may amount to war crimes' (ALEXEY DRUZHININ/AFP/Getty Images)

Syria has accused the European Union of fuelling the country's civil war by supporting terrorism and said it has no right to criticise the government or its ally Russia.

EU foreign ministers vowed on Monday to impose more sanctions on President Bashar al-Assad's government, saying the bombardment of Aleppo by Russia and the regime "may account to war crimes".

The ministers also said the Syrian government should be referred to the International Criminal Court.

"The European Union lacks the lowest degree of credibility when it talks about the humanitarian situation in Syria because it is, through its support of terrorism, an accomplice in the suffering of Syrians," an official source at the foreign ministry was quoted as saying by Syrian state media.

The Syrian regime regards all rebel groups seeking to overthrow Mr Assad as terrorists, some of which are backed by European countries, the United States, Turkey and Gulf Arab states.

On Wednesday, a senior German official told Reuters European Council President Donald Tusk indicated EU leaders would not take any decisions on sanctions against Syria this week.

"That means it won't take any options off the table. Sanctions are one of the options on the table. We expect they will remain on the table after the summit," the official said.

UK Ambassador gives damning speech to UN after Russia's security council veto over Syria

Syria's five-and-a-half-year civil war has killed hundreds of thousands of people, displaced half the country's pre-war population, dragged in regional and global powers and created space for global jihadist movements to plan attacks abroad.

Additional reporting by Reuters

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