Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-14-Speech-3-007"
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, two days ago there was another terrorist attack in Riad with a significant number of victims, deaths and injuries. Again a few days ago, a similar terrorist attack in Chechnya gave rise to a significant number of victims. The presence of violence is strong everywhere. In my capacity as President-in-Office of the European Union, I should like to roundly condemn these disgusting actions, to express my profound sorrow for the victims and their families, to express the wish for ways to be found to break this tragic form of political intervention and dispense justice and to emphasise the urgent need for us to achieve conditions of stability, security and confidence; for us to impose the policy against blind violence and fanaticism.
The issue of disarming the country must be settled definitively in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council of the United Nations and must be linked to the adoption at broader regional level of an overall and efficient policy for preventing the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, it is often easy to agree on general principles, but it is proving to be particularly difficult to agree on specific solutions and decisions, especially when questions are raised of institutions, of international legitimacy, of arrangements which emerge after a war, of situations which have arisen objectively and need to be dealt with. This naturally has repercussions both on the extent to which and the method by which questions are dealt with.
From the Presidency's point of view, however, I believe that we can summarise the priorities as follows: first we need to develop a pragmatic, global, cohesive European policy for post-war Iraq, taking account of the long-term aspects of developments in the Middle East as a whole; to clarify how we, the European Union, see the role of the United Nations in post-war Iraq; to help Iraq get over the problems it has been through and to set up conditions of peace, security, acceptance, dignity and prosperity for the Iraqi people; to implement the principles we accepted in our joint decisions at recent Councils; and to promote regional stability and cooperation by supporting the peace process in the Middle East.
These priorities do not mean that we do not face problems and dangers. I shall refer specifically to just some of these dangers. One such danger is that discussions on Iraq will turn from being fruitful dialogue on dealing with the central problems affecting the country to secondary conflicts. A second issue is the difficulty in agreeing on subsequent measures and subsequent decisions by the Security Council. A third issue relates to developments in trans-Atlantic relations. Fourthly, the differences between the European states, although I believe that, on the issues of the post-war phase, these phenomena will be far less acute. Fifthly, the inability to determine the role we wish to play in Iraq and, finally, any obstacles that might lead us into inertia. I think that we must bear these dangers in mind so that we deal with them efficiently, so that we arrive at an approach and action which will enable us to deal with the Iraqi question and its repercussions.
In the final analysis, it is the stability, security, normalcy and economic development not only of the country but also of the wider area which are put into doubt or which are linked to these developments. The whole issue is also connected to the credibility of everyone involved in the Iraqi crisis and, consequently, of Europe also.
In closing, however, I should like to confirm that the Council, as I mentioned, is demonstrating a constructive approach to the formulation of joint answers to the issues of Iraq. There is close contact between all sides without exception, which is helping us, on the one hand, to prevent splits in contacts between the Member States and, on the other hand – and these intentions are indicative – to reach agreements despite any differences, to have open lines, to see as a matter of priority where there are bridges and how we can make use of them. It is this constructive stance that also appeared in our discussions in Gimnich and which, I believe, can make us more optimistic about the ability of the European Union to finally play a positive and active role at this stage in Iraq.
Allow me now to move on to the item on the agenda relating to Iraq. Today, we face a new situation in Iraq. From a military point of view, the operations have essentially been completed. From a political point of view, a series of questions is being raised to which I shall refer in a moment. From a practical point of view, the predominant issues are humanitarian aid and the safeguarding of security, order and the restoration of normalcy in the area. Although the overall situation appears to be improving, the rate of progress is slow and it is obvious that considerable difficulties and problems need to be resolved. At the present stage, the allied forces are responsible for consolidating security and providing humanitarian aid with the presence of Member States of the European Union; however, the assistance and support of the international community as a whole are needed for there to be a fast, efficient and operational return to normalcy.
The first priority, of course, is the channelling of humanitarian aid and the full restoration of order and security. Significant sums have been amassed within the framework of the United Nations – approximately USD 1.7 billion – without, however, there being a clear picture of the record of damage and the reconstruction requirements of the country. The European Commission and, from what I heard, Commissioner Nielson obviously referred to this, has already earmarked EUR 100 million, part of which has already been channelled to the area and an important contribution is being made at bilateral level by the European countries. There are plans on the part of the European Union for a grant of EUR 250 million for 2003. I would point out that, as long as the sanctions regime continues to apply, the United Nations oil for food programme, which was recently extended to 3 June 2003, continues to operate.
I should like to add at this point that, in order to deal with the humanitarian crisis, cooperation between all the agencies involved is particularly important, so as to safeguard access to the country, as is independent and impartial action on all sides. There is no need for me to stress that, in addition to the provision of humanitarian aid, the need to protect the cultural heritage of Iraq from a repeat of incidents such as those that took place recently is extremely important.
I should like to express my disgust at the looting and destruction of archaeological treasures, museums and monuments and stress that our immediate objective must be to find the priceless exhibits that have disappeared and seize and return them to the country as and when they appear. We expect the planning and the administrative work of the military forces occupying Iraq to have tangible results in this sector shortly and we also see coordinated action on the part of the international community on this matter as a top priority.
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union, on the basis of its previous experience with regard to the reconstruction of states and areas – I refer to Kosovo, Afghanistan and East Timor – must and can contribute efficiently to the reconstruction of Iraq. Its active participation can focus on numerous sectors, not just on the humanitarian aid I referred to, but also on replacing infrastructures, on support and the provision of know-how with the democratisation and restructuring of institutions, so-called institutional building
on cooperation within the framework of international financial organisations in order to find a solution to the question of Iraq's debt and, of course, on the political reconstruction of the country. It is precisely the joint objective of contributing to the more general reconstruction of the country which is yet another point of convergence and reason for putting the differences which recently split the Member States on the question of Iraq behind us.
At the European summit in Athens on 16 and 17 April, the European Union confirmed its commitment to playing an important role in this direction and asked the High Representative and the Commission to examine this question. I would point out that this question was also discussed during the course of the informal Council of Ministers for Foreign Affairs in Greece two weeks ago and we are examining how and what we can contribute. In fact, important questions still remain open, such as, in particular, how oil revenues are to be controlled, what the future of the oil for food programme will be, what will happen to the contracts signed by the previous regime, how the weapons of mass destruction will be located, what will happen when UNMOVIC returns and others.
The basic principles governing our action to manage the situation in Iraq, however, remain unchanged. The territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, the vital role of the United Nations and the right of the Iraqi people to determine their future. Equally important, of course, is the establishment of a government which is representative of the entire population and the use of the natural wealth of the country for its own benefit. We believe that the United Nations, and the Security Council in particular, with its special institutional and organisational infrastructure and its political experience from similar situations, have a fundamental role. The appointment by the Secretary-General of the United Nations of a special representative to Iraq is a positive step in this direction.
A smooth transition to a democratic and stable situation will also contribute towards regional peace and stability. Within this framework, we have repeatedly pointed out to neighbouring countries the need to demonstrate sangfroid and self-control and to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq and to combating the humanitarian problem, with the objective of stability in the region. Both Turkey and Iran are taking a positive approach to the overall question. Similarly today, attention has also been turned to the question of the road map for peace in the Middle East. It is clear, as has been said many times, that the promotion of the peace process in the Middle East will have highly positive repercussions overall. The meeting of the Quartet at ministerial level on 21 May is particularly important within this framework, given that the establishment of positive prospects take precedence and we urgently need to restore a climate of trust with the Arab world. Regional stability and security will also help substantially to combat the problems linked with Iraq, and will also facilitate the reintegration of the country into the international community after 12 years of sanctions and essential isolation."@en1
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