Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-24-Speech-3-050"
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"en.20020424.3.3-050"2
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"Mr President, first a word about the distasteful scenes that have unfolded this week. I am referring to the utterly despicable attacks on Jewish synagogues and citizens in Europe under the pretext of the Middle East conflict. The authorities should warn public opinion most emphatically and must take a tough stance against the perpetrators. However, this also applies to verbal, xenophobic attacks by the extreme right in Europe on migrant fellow citizens.
The exploitation of fear and turning others into scapegoats is, as we have seen in the previous century, a cancerous growth in our society. Only by building a future step-by-step and by joining forces, with due respect for everyone, irrespective of creed or race, can viable prospects emerge. This applies to Europe and the Middle East alike.
The announcement that Mr Solana and Mr Moretinos are on their way to meet Mr Sharon and Mr Arafat is hopefully a minor breakthrough. It is high time that Europe acted in a more united manner and more effectively than it has done so far. The European Parliament has asked for maximum pressure to be exerted, for a suspension of the Association Agreement and for a willingness, in the event of a ceasefire, to contribute immediately to the monitoring and intervention force which would help develop the Palestinian Authority and help separate the warring factions.
The pressing question is: at the level of the European Council, have the necessary preparations been made, as stipulated in the Association Agreement, to convene the Council to discuss the violations of that Agreement with Israel? Has the Council started the internal preparations for a contribution to the UN’s monitoring and intervention force, or have the words still not been backed up by action?
At the risk of labouring the obvious, this is not about Europe versus the US. We need each other, as well as Russia and the Arab countries, in order to reach a genuine prospect of peace. As Yossi Beilin, the architect of the Oslo agreements which now seem to have been destroyed by Sharon, told me this week: ‘A ceasefire and an international peace force only make sense if the parties are forced to actually work on a political solution and to negotiate.’ We are both of the opinion that all the necessary ingredients are there.
It may be true that in the darkest hour, when things are at their worst, mutual bloodshed seems to go on forever and extreme strategies appear to be never-ending, only serious negotiations can offer a true way out. The pressure exerted by a self-aware, strong and united Europe would serve this purpose. This is the best and most credible way of getting the United States on our side and making a contribution to an effective second Madrid Summit."@en1
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