Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-15-Speech-3-225"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060315.20.3-225"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, returning to the subject of the Balkans, I do believe that the time was ripe, and I feel even more justified in my decision to make the Balkans a priority for the Austrian Presidency of the Council. The time was ripe for a debate on enlargement, and the one we had in Salzburg went well. I see that as progress, for the worst course of action is to keep silent and fail to address the issues that need to be addressed, to fail to make the public aware of them, or to explain to them what is at stake, what is being done and why. And so I am glad we had this debate, not least also that we gave attention to the frustrations felt by the states of the Western Balkans.
I reject the idea that the Salzburg statement was a superficial compromise or even a retrograde move, and I would ask you to examine the wording carefully. Let me remind you that, in paragraph 3, we explicitly speak of EU membership as a long-term objective, as the ‘ultimate goal in conformity with the Thessaloniki Declaration’, and so what matters, and was our concern in our discussions, is that the prospect of accession be made more credible and tangible, not least for the people of the Western Balkans. That explains why we discussed the topics we did, and why we discussed them in a very constructive spirit.
Moving on to the Congo, work is underway on clarifying the conditions in terms of time, scope and substance; this is being done at Council level, jointly with Mr Solana, and in liaison with the Congolese authorities. It is very much in the interests of all of us that this matter should be clarified.
Moving on to Iran, we are now in a period of diplomatic wrangling in the United Nations, and, as one speaker pointed out, what really does matter is that the authority of the International Atomic Energy Authority be reinforced and the implementation of the many resolutions adopted on this subject be proceeded with apace.
Let me close by saying something, briefly, about what is currently going on both in Jericho and in Gaza. What happened yesterday is a matter of grave concern to the presidency. We have emphasised the need for appropriate action to restore peace and order; we have said that Israel’s use of force in Jericho and the activity by Palestinian extremists in response to it are both capable of further destabilising a situation in the Middle East that is already tense.
We have urged restraint on both Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Both sides must now give very careful consideration to the consequences of their actions. We denounced in strong terms the taking of hostages and – as Mr Winkler told you today – immediately called on the Palestinian Authority to do whatever was necessary, both now and in the future, to ensure the safety and protection of European citizens and buildings. It has to be said that, while we are willing to give aid – aid of a humanitarian nature, that is – such aid can be effective only in a peaceful environment, and all parties must play their part in creating one."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples