Amid reports that the Syrian regime is failing to pull back troops in compliance with the UN brokered peace plan, Guy Verhofstadt on behalf of ALDE MEPs has issued the following statement. 

" It is now up to Baroness Ashton to urgently meet with her international counterparts and provide  military protection to help civilian refugees by means of an enforceable humanitarian aid corridor.

We expect Baroness Ashton to come to the European Parliament next week and set out a comprehensive plan for setting up effective humanitarian protection of civilians in Syria.

What is certain is that the EU and her international partners can not just sit back and be ignored - watching as Assad effectively mocks them by carrying on "business as usual" with his slaughter.  Diplomacy is not a substitute for policy; Assad has exposed the failure of the EU and the UN  to deal with the Syrian crisis.  The EU needs a High Representative that deals with foreign policy and not foreign relations".