Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-07-06-Speech-3-030"
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"en.20050706.2.3-030"2
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"Mr President, Iraq is the frontline of the war against terrorists. These terrorists have made it quite clear that their goal is to force foreign powers to withdraw from Iraq, and then to crush the beginnings of democracy in the country. The world cannot allow them to achieve their goals or to carry out their plans, and the EU Member States cannot afford to allow such a thing to happen.
The war on terror is a global challenge with which the world was confronted at the beginning of the 21st century. This is a war that we must win, because our opponent does not understand the meaning of such words as treaty, agreement, compromise, dialogue or peace. The aim of modern terrorism is to destroy the civilisation in which we live. Its current target is the United States, but it will be Europe’s turn in a few months’ time. The EU should therefore resolve to take joint decisions that are both courageous and practical, as it is no longer enough to provide EUR 200 million in aid.
The EU should start by responding to the basic problems faced by the Iraqi population. These include a lack of water, to which two million Iraqis have no access, a lack of food – according to the latest UN report, one in four children goes hungry – a lack of work, with unemployment standing at 70%, a lack of security and the fear of terrorist attacks. The destruction of pipelines and other oil installations by saboteurs has meant that Iraq has suffered losses of USD 11 billion over the past two years. These are issues that should be included on the EU’s list of priority areas for aid to Iraq.
We cannot allow our most notable effort towards reconstructing Iraq to be the announcement that a Commission representation will be opened in Baghdad, or the sending of an observation mission to the December elections. It is ordinary Iraqis who are waiting most impatiently for concrete assistance. We must step up our involvement in Iraq, and this involvement must be better organised. We need a vision that is worthy of a community comprising 25 Member States.
The cost of failure would be high. A defeat for the democratic forces would strengthen the terrorists’ position, and this would have a knock-on effect in the shape of a new wave of terrorism, not only in Iraq but all over the world. Peace in Iraq will be key for the development of transatlantic relations and for peace in the region as a whole. Pressure must be brought to bear on Syria and Iran to ensure that these countries no longer provide support to terrorists there."@en1
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