Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-14-Speech-3-050"
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"en.20030514.1.3-050"2
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".
Mr President, a few very brief final comments on the debate in Parliament this morning.
We have to deal with three issues that are closely bound up with each other. The main issue, I think, is what we are doing in Iraq immediately, what we are doing in Iraq in relation to the problems that have arisen, with the misery, with the people, with the need to restore normalcy, to combat the phenomena tormenting the people over there. I think that, at this stage of the debate, this is much more important than debating internal divisions and a series of other issues which are of course important, but which are not as pressing or urgent as the situation in Iraq. I think that the European Union, to judge by appearances, has answers to this. It has both practical answers – humanitarian aid, support for cultural issues, support and pressure to find a peace process in the Middle East – and political answers to a series of issues which I shall not repeat, because it is important that the European Union has come out, has supported these principles, has made the efforts it has made during all these months for a different position to be heard on a series of such issues.
The second point, of course, is what happens with the international system, with the role of the UN, where this war in Iraq has got us in terms of weapons of mass destruction. There are important gaps here which need answers. In fact, the European Union does, I think, have a position here and you here, today, raised a series of issues and it is important that they be raised and answered.
The third point, the major issue to come out of this entire crisis is the need for a common foreign policy, a common policy on security and defence issues. I think that, within all these procedures, a new momentum has started up in the European Union, from which we need to learn lessons and see what we can do.
I should like, however, to close by commenting that many who speak of the need for a common foreign policy or common security or defence policy consider that what must of necessity emerge from these procedures are decisions or positions which correspond absolutely to their creed and their positions. This is precisely the problem we have in developing a common foreign policy. This policy will prosper, will become a reality only once we realise that we need to broker compromises between us, understand the positions developed by all of us and find those elements that can unite us, that can act as a common denominator, and not those elements on which we have differences. It was this approach, moreover, that allowed us, I believe, over the last two or three months, to take certain steps in this direction, steps which were welcomed both by public opinion and by you here, by the European Parliament."@en1
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