Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-07-Speech-3-142"
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"en.20050907.18.3-142"2
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"Mr President, it is a great and genuine honour for me to be here in the European Parliament today on behalf of the Council. I personally welcome the opportunity to discuss the situation in the Middle East. We are witnessing a new chapter of that region’s history, which brings with it both opportunities and considerable challenges.
Drafting the constitution has, of course, been difficult. All of Iraq’s communities have worked together to draft this constitution and there have been compromises on all sides. But they have now produced a constitution that we hope will be a key building-block towards a democratic Iraq.
In particular, the principles of democracy and basic human rights are, with Islam, the founding tenets of the new Iraq. No law can be passed that contradicts those tenets. All Iraqis are held equal before the law, regardless of gender or, indeed, of religion. Freedom of belief is protected in the constitution. All extremist groups are prohibited. The new Iraq pledges to respect its neighbours and its international obligations. The oil of Iraq is owned by all the Iraqi people and is to be exploited so as to maximise the benefit to the Iraqi people.
The European Union will continue to encourage all Iraqis to play a part in the next stage of the political process by voting on the draft constitution in the October referendum. Broad public support for the constitution will help ensure a stable future for Iraq.
The Iraqis have succeeded in drafting this constitution despite the actions of terrorists who are trying to destroy the country’s desire for that peaceful future. The Council recognises the many challenges still ahead for Iraq, particularly in terms of the security of its people. The European Union is working to build up the capacity of the Iraqi security forces and the judiciary through its integrated Rule of Law and Police Training Mission.
On Iran, however, we are deeply concerned by that country’s unilateral resumption of activity at the uranium conversion facility in Esfahan on 8 August. This is in clear breach of successive IAEA Board resolutions and, indeed, the Paris Agreement Iran entered into just last November. The IAEA Board resolution, which was adopted by consensus on 11 August, is a clear and united signal from the international community of its wish that Iran return to suspending all conversion activities without delay.
We also regret that Iran has chosen to reject, without serious consideration, the European side’s detailed proposals presented on 5 August. These are the most far-reaching proposals for relations between Iran and Europe since the Revolution. They would lead to a new relationship based on cooperation.
I would like to reiterate that the European side is not asking Iran to give up its civil nuclear programme. The European proposal specifically offered support for that programme, but there is no civilian operational need for Iran to develop fuel cycle capabilities. Putting its fuel cycle activities on hold would not affect Iran’s ability to develop a civil power and research programme; yet allowing them to continue would bring Iran closer to the ability to produce fissile material for a nuclear weapon.
We remain committed to a diplomatic solution. We hope Iran will reverse its decision and re-suspend uranium conversion activity. The key to resolving this issue is for Iran to take the confidence-building steps requested of it by successive IAEA Board resolutions and restore the suspension.
As part of our wider engagement with the region, November’s Euro-Med 10th Anniversary Summit in Barcelona will be a critical opportunity to help the European Union’s Mediterranean partners to meet the challenges of the 21st century. The Barcelona Process needs to modernise and move towards a more results-orientated process, with much more focus on reform. In other words, it needs to address the concerns of the peoples on both sides of the Mediterranean.
The 1995 Declaration was a landmark and much of it remains valid today. But it still requires much in the way of implementation. This includes the need to address obstacles to progress on governance, human rights, market openness and foreign investment. We want to see medium-term targets adopted at that Summit outlining the kind of region we all want to see in five years.
I would like to begin by welcoming the historic progress made by Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the northern West Bank. The European Union commends the Israeli Government and the Palestinian Authority for their commitment to overcoming the difficult challenges they both face.
We cannot achieve these aims without peace in the region. Without peace, we will not achieve the zone of stability and prosperity that is our shared objective. But lack of peace should not also become an extra barrier to progress elsewhere. We would do well to heed the demands of the people across the region for more transparent government, for economic reform and for social and cultural awareness.
We believe that there is a new determination in the region to address the challenges facing its people. We are determined to work hard to ensure that the Barcelona Process plays a full role in addressing the challenges facing citizens across the Euro-Med region. The Summit would be a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate that our partnership is relevant to our peoples and can deliver results on the issues that matter to them.
Our partnership can help achieve a step change in regional development and indeed modernisation, through action on good governance, economic reform and education. Delivering results in these key areas, against specific targets and commitments, will help drive forward regional progress.
We are pleased that the disengagement process has so far gone well, with the avoidance of significant violence. The Israeli Government, with the assistance of the Palestinian Authority, carried out the disengagement plan effectively and quickly. The security forces evacuated the settlers sensitively but with resolve and determination. In short, they managed a difficult task well.
We applaud the close coordination between the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and encourage them to continue on this path. We are keen to see that disengagement is a success across the board. To this end, we welcome, and urge the continuation of, the restraint shown by the majority of Israelis and, indeed, of Palestinians.
The success of the disengagement process so far encourages both parties to continue their cooperation on the remaining steps of the process, not least in their close work with the Quartet’s Special Envoy for Disengagement, James Wolfensohn. He has presented plans for action to support Palestinian economic and institutional development in the context of disengagement and beyond, identifying key areas where progress would be needed. These include transport links, border crossings, customs issues between Israel, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority, the link between Gaza and the West Bank, and air and sea ports. The international community has pledged its full support.
Freeing-up of movement within the West Bank is essential to Palestinian economic revival. Improved access for people and goods, while maintaining security for Israelis, will also be crucial to creating a sense of hope for the Palestinians.
Taking full advantage of the opportunity of disengagement and promoting continued reform of Palestinian institutions – as set out at the London meeting on March 1 – will be our two main priorities during our Presidency. In this context, the European Union will work closely, of course, with Mr Wolfensohn in order to help realise plans to make Gaza economically viable after the Israeli withdrawal.
It is also important that we look beyond disengagement to advance the political process and to take advantage of the opportunity it represents. After disengagement, both sides will need to focus on making progress against their roadmap and Sharm El-Sheikh commitments.
In Iraq, we have also witnessed another important step forward following the publication of Iraq’s constitution as recently as 28 August 2005. We congratulate the Iraqi people on reaching this important milestone in the political process."@en1
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