Special to WorldTribune.com

WASHINGTON — Relations between the United States and the European Union have been strained over the Al Qaida war in Syria.

Diplomats said the EU has been concerned over U.S. policy concerning the Sunni revolt in Syria.

The diplomats said the administration of President Barack Obama was tolerating the flow of fighters and weapons to Al Qaida militias in northern Syria.

“Syria has attracted thousands of Europeans and some of them were returning to their native countries,” a diplomat said.

NATO has determined that up to 11,000 foreigners were fighting in Syria, most of them with Al Qaida-aligned militias. The diplomats said the Europeans were trained in improvised explosive devices, intelligence and recruitment.

“I’ve talked to leaders in those countries who are deeply concerned about what those people may do when they return to their country,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said.

Over the last month, Kerry has been meeting EU foreign ministers regarding the prospect of an Al Qaida blowback. The secretary said Washington was working with Brussels to track foreign fighters in Syria.

“So we have a global interest in trying to know what terrorists are
going to do before they do it,” Kerry said.

Diplomats said the threat of a blowback from Lebanon and Syria marked a
leading concern of the EU. They said the proximity of these two Levant
states to Europe combined with the Al Qaida presence in Turkey would enable thousands of Islamist insurgents to
operate in EU countries.

“The conflict is hardening and it is no longer only a battle between the
government and the opposition of Syria, but it is a battle, a fight between
different groups of the opposition,” German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter
Steinmeier said.

  Al Qaida militias, EU, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, John Kerry, Obama administration’s handling of Syria crisis seen threatening EU security