Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1530615
10 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 15 DECEMBER 2024 SYRIA'S NEW ERA Gonzi draws lessons from Libya for Syria's transition, warns against early asylum suspensions IN a recent discussion on the com- plexities of the Syrian crisis, former prime minister Lawrence Gonzi drew attention to the significant differences between Libya's situation during the 2010 Arab Spring and Syria's current turmoil. He immediately highlighted the "dramatic differences" between the two, emphasising the contrasting "history and context" behind their re- spective uprisings, while also noting that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former affiliate of Al-Qaeda, is a des- ignated terrorist organisation by the UN, US, EU, and several other states. "This scenario is further complicat- ed by what is happening in Ukraine, Israel, Gaza, and Lebanon, as well as the role of Iran and Russia," Gonzi re- marked. Despite these distinctions, he be- lieved there were "important lessons to be learned from what happened in Libya during the critical phase of the transition process." "To begin with, there must be an ur- gent and concerted effort to engage with and support the fledgling Syrian authorities in their challenging task of building an inclusive society. This includes ensuring that all segments of society have a voice in the politi- cal process, which must start at some point," he said. He acknowledged the difficulty of this task, noting that certain precon- ditions must first be established: Law and order, security and safety for all citizens, protection of national assets and infrastructure, a functioning cen- tral bank, and a robust administra- tive framework capable of addressing immediate needs, such as salaries for police, judges, teachers, and civil serv- ants. "I mention all of this because Libya suffered immensely in those first few days after the revolution, when the transitional government struggled to persuade the international commu- nity to unfreeze its substantial assets due to international sanctions. Sadly, this left the Libyan National Transi- tional Council unable to quickly set up a functioning administration to address the bread-and-butter issues – the very reasons that triggered the Arab Spring in the first place," Gonzi explained. He described HTS's initial public declarations as "encouraging" but tempered this with caution. "Whether this will prove to be the case in the medium to short term re- mains to be seen. However, these ear- ly positive signs should encourage the EU and the international community to adopt a policy of early engagement and comprehensive support, address- ing both political and economic chal- lenges faced by Syria at this crucial juncture, with priority given to ensur- ing security and stability." Suspending asylum applications does not bode well Gonzi also emphasised the impor- tance of providing humanitarian aid and support to refugees and internally displaced persons. "Suspending asylum applications at this very early stage of development is not something I would support, and it does not bode well for an interna- tional community that wishes to offer a constructive helping hand," he said. He acknowledged the need for cau- tion during this phase, particularly in assessing whether HTS intends to im- plement an inclusive policy. "How they handle the Christian community and other minorities will be a crucial test. However, shutting the door on those who are legally and morally entitled to protection is certainly not the right approach," he concluded. JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt MaltaToday approached former Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who led Malta during the Arab Spring and navigated the challenges following the collapse of Gaddafi's regime in Libya, to explore whether any lessons from that experience could be applied to Syria's current crisis Lawrence Gonzi and one of the two Libyan jet pilots who defected to Malta in the first days of the Libyan crisis in 2011 Millions of Syrians were displaced by the civil war, ending up as refugees in other countries