Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-12-Speech-3-153"
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Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, there is no need for me to emphasise how crucial the next few days are going to be for the situation in Iraq. There is now a common awareness that time is running out and the view is being expressed that political decisions are being anticipated by events and developments, which are taking on a momentum of their own which may well inevitably result in open conflict with Iraq.
May I say that I do not subscribe to this view. To my mind nothing, least of all war, is a foregone conclusion. There is always room to stay calm and maintain peace, and politicians have a duty to do everything they can and to exhaust every possible avenue before deciding to go to war. You all know the ins and outs of the Iraqi crisis; there is no need for me to describe it in detail.
I should just like to round up a number of recent developments. One, the conclusions of the General Affairs Council held on 27 January, setting out a number of principles behind the policy of the Fifteen on Iraq. Two, the Presidency’s demarche to Iraqi missions in Athens, Brussels and New York, making it perfectly clear that Baghdad urgently needs to comply fully, immediately and unconditionally with Security Council Resolution 1441. Three, the American Secretary of State Colin Powell’s presentation to the Security Council on 5 February of evidence that Iraq still has and is continuing to hide weapons of mass destruction. Four, President Bush’s announcement of a new Security Council resolution authorising the use of violence. Five, the recent decision by Baghdad to allow a number of scientists to be examined in private by the international inspectors and to allow flights to use Iraqi airspace and, finally, the new progress report by the international inspectors on their work in Iraq, due on 14 February. These events which I have picked out are not particularly encouraging. However, the latest moves by Baghdad do, I think, give us cause to hope that, provided the message is clear, there may be room for it to comply fully with Resolution 1441.
I should like at this point to emphasise that the Presidency’s basic priority is to work towards a peaceful resolution of this dispute and we hope that efforts by the United Nations will have positive results. We believe that Iraq must respect and duly apply the Security Council resolutions and we believe that the Iraqi crisis is determined by three basic parameters: respect for the international legal order and the territorial integrity and sovereignty of each country, respect for human rights and greater peace, stability and security in the area. It is precisely within the framework of these parameters that the Presidency is hoping to give Europe a strong, united voice, and it will make every possible effort to deescalate the crisis and find a peaceful solution. That is why the General Affairs Council was so keen to distil the European Union’s common principles in its conclusions on 27 January, in which it stresses that: first, the European Union’s goal remains the complete disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction; secondly, the Iraqi authorities must provide the inspectors, without delay, with all the necessary information and must engage in active cooperation with the international inspectors; thirdly, the work of the international inspectors has our full confidence and support and we welcome their intention to continue and intensify their operations; fourthly, this is Iraq’s final opportunity to resolve the crisis peacefully and Iraq must comply fully with Resolution 1441; fifthly, the responsibility of the Security Council in maintaining international peace and security must be respected.
These core conclusions were the main thrust of our demarche to the Iraqi missions in Athens, Brussels and New York. We formulated a common approach and codified the main points of that approach, which are complete disarmament of Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction, exhausting all avenues for resolving the problem peacefully, full compliance with Security Council resolutions, active cooperation on the part of Iraq, support for the work of the inspectors and respect for the role of the Security Council. Obviously, there is no need for me to point out that if Iraq engages in any further obstruction, it will be responsible for the consequences and subsequent developments, given its delaying tactics and total indifference towards compliance with the Security Council resolutions.
Ladies and gentlemen, one question that arises is the significance of all these recent events in connection with Iraq to an internal dimension of the European Union. I refer to the common foreign policy and defence policy. There has been a great deal of debate over recent years and recent months and a great many stands have been taken by important public figures and governments, by Europe, by the European Parliament, by independent think tanks, about the importance of developing the common foreign policy and defence policy in the Union. The time has come when action will show if all these ambitious stands have any real substance or if that is not the case at present. We hope it will not be the latter. We also believe that this is a difficult process and will of course take a long time; on the other hand, however, Europe needs to take a number of decisions today. It needs to safeguard its unity, it needs to safeguard its role on the international stage, a role which may not be steeped in military power and high-profile leadership, but which has achieved eminent results over the last fifty years. To underestimate them is to misinterpret history.
Ladies and gentlemen, the chief international weapons inspectors, Dr Hans Blix and Dr El Baradei, returned from recent contacts with Baghdad with a degree of optimism. They are due to submit their next progress report to the Security Council on 14 February and we await it with serious and evident interest. The Presidency has decided to convene an extraordinary European Council at the beginning of the following week, on 17 February, in order to assess the situation and try and bring about greater convergence on the Iraqi crisis. A great deal will depend on what the inspectors have to say in their report. If it is at all positive, this may affect the overall situation accordingly, whereas if there are still serious unanswered issues or questions, a major effort will have to be made to convince Baghdad that it needs to comply absolutely and definitively with Resolution 1441 if it wants to avoid war. However, either way, Europe will need to take an ordered approach to the developments outlined and to formulate a common position which will consolidate its credibility and allow it to play a fundamental role. President Prodi referred this morning to the importance of this process. As things stand today, at this particular juncture, it will not be an easy task, but it is a necessary task. I trust that the common values that unite us will make it both easier and more feasible.
What are our expectations of the summit on 17 February? We expect a sober appraisal of all the assessments presented, we expect a considered approach to the repercussions of any decisions taken on Iraq, we expect confirmation that the European Union has no intention of abandoning diplomacy and policy as tools for resolving international crises before until every possible avenue has been exhausted, we expect support for the role of the United Nations as the basic institution and system in international relations, we expect a decisive stand on the application of UN resolutions by Iraq, we expect a bold decision that Europe as a concept and our common foreign and security policy will not be marginalized the first time its credibility is seriously tested. We also expect a decision on every initiative in every direction which might help bring about peace, deescalate the crisis, disarm Iraq and avoid unnecessary suffering. Generally speaking, we are looking for a reason to believe that Europe can create its own approach and win over its trans-Atlantic partner, the people of the Middle East and public opinion in general, and break the cycle of escalating tension which is giving rise to insecurity, uncertainty and anxiety in large sections of the global system.
To close, ladies and gentlemen, we need to answer the question of whether or not we can achieve convergence. My reply is that I do not know if we can, but that we must try, we must find a way. And we must exhaust every possible avenue in order to do so. When it comes to Iraq, it is not just issues concerning Iraq, the danger of the use of weapons of mass destruction or the balance of power in the region that are at stake. The credibility of the European Union, its interests, its role and its prospects are at stake. The Greek Presidency considers that these are achievements that must be protected and strengthened. And that applies both to the Fifteen and to the 10 new Member States. We need unity in the European Union. And behind or alongside unity there is solidarity. And solidarity does not just mean the Structural Funds; it is a horizontal concept. If it is undermined, its ramifications will be crucial for everyone in Europe, for each country individually and collectively for the European Union."@en1
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