Tuesday, January 22, 2019

Assad Blocks EU Diplomats' Access to Damascus; Suppresses Efforts to Provide Aid to War Victims

Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has revoked special visas for EU (European Union) diplomats and officials traveling regularly between Beirut and Damascus, three EU diplomats said today (January 22, 2019), thus complicating efforts to distribute aid to civil war victims, according to the Reuters website.

Since a civil war broke out in Syria in 2011, the EU has used the Lebanese capital -- the nearest major city -- for its diplomatic base while closing most embassies in Damascus over what they describe as Assad's brutal assault on the opposition.

But the special permission to use multiple-entry Syrian visas for access to Damascus was rescinded at the start of January with no explanation from the Syrian government.

The EU diplomats said they believed it was an attempt to try to force European governments and the EU to re-open embassies in Damascus, as the Syrian government regains control of most of the country.


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