Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-12-Speech-3-100"
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"en.20051012.13.3-100"2
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".
Madam President, honourable Members, thank you for your contributions to what has been an important debate at an important time. I shall try to respond to a number of the points that have been made in the course of this timely debate.
I start by echoing the contribution made by Mr Howitt and others in underlining how, over the last few months, we have genuinely shown what Europe can do by working together. I pay tribute to the other colleagues in the E3 process who have shown the strength of Europe’s diplomatic voice in challenging circumstances.
A number of honourable Members raised the issue of human rights. There is no reason why an Islamic political system such as Iran should deny fundamental democratic rights such as freedom of choice and freedom of expression. There can be no excuse for any system abusing human rights. Ms Beer and others echoed the appeal that I made earlier to Tehran to free Mr Ganji and to reinforce the significance of the wider human rights agenda within Iran. I reaffirm that call and let me echo the comments made by Commissioner Figel’, Mr Howitt and others on Mr Soltani.
It is important to recognise that the United Nations Security Council has a potentially significant role to play. I recognise that a number of contributions questioned the role of the Security Council. Let there be little doubt in this House, however, that the prospect of a report to the United Nations Security Council remains real. The responsibility in terms of the immediate steps that now need to be taken lies directly with the Iranian authorities.
The issue of military intervention has again been raised by a number of different honourable colleagues in the course of the debate – Mr Napoletano, Ms Beer, Mr Howitt and others – who expressed their concern at the possibility of military action being taken against Iran. I would simply reiterate that on 3 October 2005, European Foreign Ministers reaffirmed the European Union’s support for a diplomatic solution to international concerns over Iran’s nuclear programme, which should include an agreement on long-term arrangements. Such a solution would help create the climate for a better relationship with Europe and with the wider international community.
As I mentioned earlier, working and engaging with Iran will be a challenge. But we must all do our best to meet that challenge. The benefits to Iran and its people, to its neighbours and to the wider international community are literally incalculable. Our preference remains to aim for a mutually beneficial relationship based on cooperation on our shared interests. Europe wants to see Iran realise its potential and to grow and prosper. That is what its young population deserves. But a relationship of this sort will also need to address the European Union’s main concerns as reaffirmed today by so many honourable Members within this Chamber. Those concerns unequivocally include both the issue of nuclear proliferation and the related issue of human rights.
In conclusion, Iran is at a particularly crucial juncture. The world is watching to see how its new government will manage its economic and social policies and to see if it will be a responsible partner as judged by how it deals with international concerns such as human rights and non-proliferation. I believe that the message from this Chamber as regards the priorities of the European Union will be clearer now than at the beginning of this debate."@en1
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