Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-09-15-Speech-3-036"
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"en.20040915.2.3-036"2
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".
Mr President, Iraq is an issue by which we Europeans have for some time been deeply affected, and, moreover, divided. Although the developments in Iraq have given us cause for concern, it is of the utmost importance that the European Union should support the Iraqi people in the coming months, and that we should not abandon, but should, in fact, keep providing them with support. Although the ongoing violence is causing us concern, the past few months have also created space for a coherent and unified stand on the part of the EU in its support for Iraq. In a moment, I will talk about the kind of support the EU could possibly offer, but first, I hope you will allow me to give a brief retrospective of what has gone before.
Accordingly, I myself visited Iraq in August to underline the EU’s support for Iraq’s economic, social and political reconstruction. To this end, I had meetings with the President, the Prime Minister and the Foreign Affairs Minister. I also talked to representatives of the United Nations in Iraq.
All the Iraqi people I spoke to underlined the importance they attach to the EU having a clear and visible role in Iraq. In that connection, they called for the opening of a Commission office in Baghdad. On behalf of the EU, I have also expressed our concern about the reintroduction of capital punishment in Iraq.
Mr Allawi, who recently visited Iraq’s neighbouring countries, emphasised the importance of stability in Iraq for the region as a whole. My response to that was that the EU would be very happy to lend a hand to secure regional security and stability. I also told them that the EU would very much appreciate an invitation to take part in the next conference of neighbouring countries. Even now, the EU is regularly reminding Iraq’s neighbouring countries of their responsibilities.
During my visit, the UN representatives indicated that EU support for their activities is vitally important, certainly where the election process is concerned.
In Iraq, I also instituted the EU Exploratory Mission, which has now returned. Delegates of the presidency, the Commission and the Council Secretariat looked into the possibilities of concrete EU involvement in the framework of civil crisis management in the areas of police, the rule of law, public administration and elections. The mission did not only have talks with the Iraqi authorities, but also with representatives of the United Nations, the United States, NATO, the Multinational Force and the Election Committee. The upshot of the mission was that the following activities are under consideration. If you will allow me, I will briefly outline those areas:
First of all, police training.
Secondly, in the area of rule of law and human rights: training of judges and prosecutors, technical assistance in the establishment of the Iraqi Special Tribunal; forensic expertise and assistance in exhuming victims from mass graves; assistance in setting up a national centre for human rights and democracy; education in the legal field.
Thirdly, civil administration; increasing capacity in various ministries and in the prison system.
Fourthly, elections: assistance with, and monitoring of, elections.
Fifthly, the development of weapons export control legislation, demobilisation programmes for militias and support for the ownership committee.
June, in particular, was an important month for the long-term future of Iraq and the Iraqi people. First, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1546 on 8 June, and on 28 June, Iraq’s temporary occupation came to an end and sovereignty was restored. The coming into office of Mr Allawi’s interim government marked a key turning point in the history of Iraq.
All in all, there are plenty of areas where the EU can become active. It is important in this respect that the activities that it undertakes should meet real Iraqi needs, and should add value and be complementary to any activities that may already be going on. In addition, the synergy between the EU instruments and activities needs to be monitored effectively. Also, the political, budgetary and technical aspects will all need to be weighed in order for the activities to be planned well, and the EU should therefore also be certain that it can actually deliver.
What is of importance now is for a fact-finding mission to visit Iraq and to give a more definite picture of the possibilities for EU action. The Council Secretariat will start planning a mission of this kind in consultation with the Commission and the presidency.
I would also like to briefly mention the importance of the UN presence in Iraq, which, as I indicated, certainly with a view to the elections, is considerable. For the UN to function properly, it is crucial that there should be sufficient protection. Resolution 1546 provides for this. The UN Secretary General has asked the EU governments for a financial contribution to the second protective ring, the so-called UN Protection Force. Apparently, the Member States set great store by the EU making a contribution to this. The presidency is currently working hard to ensure that this EU contribution will actually be made. To that end, the Member States are asked for a contribution and it is also examined to what extent a contribution from the CFSP budget is possible.
Finally, I can report to you that I have invited Prime Minister Allawi to attend the European Council on 5 November. I am counting on us having a concrete offer of support for the reconstruction of his country ready by then.
The new resolution also restored unity in the international community and, moreover, made it possible for the UN to again become involved in Iraq, which is an important step, certainly in view the elections to be held in January 2005.
Just as important is the way in which the developments in June made it possible for the differences of perception, which there had been up until that point with regard to certain areas of Iraq policy within the EU, to be bridged. This became evident in the conclusions of the first general Council of Foreign Affairs Ministers under the Dutch Presidency in July. This Council ratified the European Union Medium Term Strategy
produced by Mr Solana and Commissioner Patten, as well as the Communication by the Commission with regard to Iraq, entitled ‘The EU and Iraq – A framework for Engagement’. These documents offer a clear framework for the EU’s involvement in general and also in respect of a number of details.
As I have already stated, these conclusions also contain very specific action points. For example, it was agreed that the EU will be providing active cooperation to the UN in Iraq, and will be starting a dialogue with the Iraqi authorities to find out in what other way the EU can support Iraq. In order to examine this in more detail, an exploratory mission has meanwhile been to visit Iraq. I will return to their findings in a moment.
It is in any case obvious that the objective of EU involvement is to aid in the reconstruction of Iraq and of the country’s internal political process. In that connection, the National Conference deserves a mention. Despite the major difficulties during the preparations, this meeting can be considered a success. All layers of Iraqi society were represented, including many women. Eventually, it appeared possible to reach agreement about the delegates who will be seated on the National Council. The formation of this Council is an important step on the way to elections.
Unfortunately, this good news is also laced with a great deal of bad news. The abductions and killings of foreign citizens, including EU citizens, are a poignant example of this. Our thoughts are with the victims and their relatives. However, we should not overlook the fact that very many Iraqis have also become the victim of violence, in most cases those very Iraqis who have taken on responsibility in the reconstruction of that country. In addition, the many attacks on oil pipelines constitute a serious threat to the recovery of Iraq’s economy.
The constant violence is not only threatening society and the Iraqi economy, but also the political process in Iraq. The situation in Fallujah is very alarming and over the past few months, what happened in Najaf and in Baghdad showed that violence is also bubbling away under the surface in the Shiite parts of
Iraq and can explode at any time. In that connection, we welcome the agreement that was recently concluded in Najaf. Partly thanks to the courageous efforts on the part of Ayatollah Al-Sistani, the restoration of order and safety in Najaf under the leadership of the Iraqi Interim Government is in sight. Let us hope that this is a step in the direction of better relations in Iraq and improved conditions of safety. After all, it is clear that the sectarian violence is not in the interest of the ordinary Iraqi citizens who, as a result of terror, see their country lapsing into unnecessary delays in its construction.
Needless to say, the security situation is a determining factor in the extent to which the EU can offer effective help in the reconstruction of Iraq. Clearly, this situation is currently not good. Nevertheless, the Netherlands Presidency has adopted the conclusions by the July General Affairs Council and as a result of this, there is already greater EU involvement in Iraq’s political process."@en1
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