Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-29-Speech-3-080"
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"en.20030129.3.3-080"2
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"Mr President, I am pleased to see that both the countries of the European Union and Parliament have achieved a common position on the subject of Korea with less difficulty than they had with regard to Iraq. I believe that this is proof that the threat of North Korea to world security is seen as greater and more real, as, moreover, both Commissioner Patten and the High Representative, Mr Solana, have said this afternoon. Clearly, there can be no possibility of military action to destroy nuclear plant in Korea. In his account of the facts with which we who are concerned with these issues are already quite familiar, the Commissioner mentioned a possible US attack. I feel that this is to be completely excluded, for it could lead to war, possibly even nuclear war, on the Korean peninsula. Therefore, unlike in the case of Iraq, here, a peaceful approach is the only possible way forward, and that could take two forms: the isolation of North Korea or diplomacy and an attempt at dialogue. The United States, which favoured isolation at the start of the crisis, now appears to lean more towards dialogue. I believe that this is the opinion even of those Members who were here just now but have just left the House holding up placards saying ‘No to war’, not realising that, in doing so, they are making war more likely. Every initiative which supports Saddam Hussein’s cause makes him more stubborn and less inclined to bow before our requests and pressure.
Now, there are two mistakes we must avoid in negotiations with North Korea. Firstly, we must not fall into the trap laid by Pyongyang, which is trying to create a division between the United States and South Korea, an attempt which is furthered by the fact that north-south relations have not been very good for some time, to the extent that the outgoing President
was moved to describe Kim Jong-Il as a very astute man whereas, judging from what he has done with his country and the way his people, the population live, one might be induced to think the opposite. Secondly, we must not give other countries, other potential Kim Jong-Il-style dictators – and they do exist – the impression that one only has to violate the non-proliferation treaties in order to be rewarded with support and assistance from the United States. There must, however, be two indispensable conditions in our negotiations with North Korea. Firstly, we cannot tolerate the existence of a nuclear weapons programme in that country. Secondly, any agreement must lay down exceedingly rigid, pervasive control measures to prevent North Korea from taking us for a ride once again. On this basis, the conference we propose in our joint motion for a resolution would be extremely useful as a European Union initiative."@en1
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