Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-09-11-Speech-2-527-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20120911.37.2-527-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, I would like to begin by warmly thanking the Chair of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, the rapporteur, Elmar Brok, for his impressive and comprehensive report. It is a really important contribution with a great number of good suggestions that we can certainly use as we build the foundations of the common foreign and security policy and as we build the foundations of the new service.
Just before this debate, I spoke to the former President, Sheikh Sharif, and to the new President, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud, to congratulate them on the outcome and to tell them that we would remain with them. They asked me to tell you that they are very grateful for the 22 years that we have worked to try to support the people of Somalia and that they look to us to stay with them.
When we talk to the politicians in Mogadishu and in the region, we talk about a range of different activities in which we are involved: tackling piracy; enabling the World Food Programme to safely deliver its aid; bringing peace and stability to the region; supporting democracy and human rights; helping trade to flourish; building infrastructure; helping to fight terrorism and engaging in support for the peace processes and mediation.
As a result of the work of Operation Atalanta, supported at this point by 11 Member States working together, with ships, planes, helicopters and logistical support at headquarters, working and linking with other countries operating in the region, successful piracy attacks have dropped from 65 in 2010 to just five so far this year. Those who are involved in Atalanta – and I visited the French flagship Lafayette while I was there – are the first to say that they can tackle the symptoms of the problem at sea but we have to find ways to tackle the issues on the land.
We have two other missions operating: the training of soldiers to help support the security situation around Mogadishu and beyond – I met the Amazon force commander who talked about the needs he has as he tries to drive forward and bring peace and security – and the operation that will help with maritime security, helping other countries to keep their shoreline and the seas free from piracy, especially important to countries like Kenya who have seen piracy now turn into kidnapping people from the shore.
I went to this mission with both admirals and the colonel in charge of those missions, but I also went with those involved in development and in the humanitarian exercise to work in a coherent and comprehensive way. When I met with the politicians, who were just about to start the elections for their new government, we talked about the range of different ways in which we are involved and the fundamental needs of development.
As the AMISOM forces move forward, they need help to dig wells and to provide for the people in communities who have suffered 20 years of war. They need help in supporting the move away from crisis, for peace building and mediation. I recall the very brave woman in charge of the electoral commission who talked about the need to help them build peace and to build that coordination, to engage the women of Somalia in doing that, building a government.
I raised the European Union flag. It flies in Mogadishu above a very basic place that we have there – no more than a tin roof and tin walls, and yet it provides meeting rooms and beds and places for our delegation to be able to be active every day. This is one example, and it is an important symbol of that comprehensive approach that we work together right across the Commission services – right through to the provision of our military knowledge and expertise.
Another example is through the task forces that we have built in supporting countries going through transition. As Mr Brok has said, the economic challenges are great and, for those countries facing transition, they are immense. We are helping to support the political process where people are allowed the democracy they yearned for and that they sought and we need to link that with the capacity to help support them economically with the jobs of the future and the security for their families that will make the difference.
In the task forces, we have brought together people who represent a range of support. Members of this Parliament came with us and have engaged with these new parliamentarians. These are people who, even a few weeks before the elections, were registering their political parties for the first time, people who have never worked out how you build a coalition or indeed how you build a political party that has roots that go deep, and people who need to understand the institutional side of democracy and to work, not just for one election but for all the elections to come. I pay tribute to all the Members of this Parliament who have engaged with people across the world in doing that.
By bringing together, on the one hand, the resources from the Commission that can support long-term development, the instruments for stability, all of these assets that we have, and, on the other hand, those of our partners – the European Investment Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Africa Bank, the World Bank, all of the institutions who are able to put grants and loans at the disposal of those who need to build sometimes the most basic of infrastructure – and by coordination through our special representatives, our delegation and our services on the ground, we are able to translate that into a day when people come together and have business leaders from across the European Union willing to commit, to engage and invest in those countries. It means we translate and leverage the resources that we have, translate the several hundred million euro we have available into billions of euro – for Jordan EUR 3 billion and for Tunisia EUR 4 billion – over the three years and make a significant difference to the lives of people.
I have always believed that this Parliament – and Members of this Parliament – have a critical role in ensuring that we have an effective and democratic EU foreign, security and defence policy.
I think in taking that approach, it is where, as I have said, we offer something unique. It translates into how we support those countries that are trying to deal with real challenges at the present time of transition, not just in our southern neighbourhood, but also the challenges that exist to our east.
As you know, we have been working closely in the Western Balkans, in Bosnia, to try to build this comprehensive approach on the ground. We are working with many countries who are engaged in Bosnia and Herzegovina and with all the leaders who need to try to push forward the government.
When I recently met the leadership in Serbia and Kosovo, Prime Minister Thaci, President Nikolić and Prime Minister Dačić, I said that I would engage myself in driving forward this dialogue. However, they need to commit to really wanting to find ways through that will help to support the people whose lives are made difficult every day by the ongoing tensions and challenges of that area. I will meet with them again in New York to try to push forward on that subject.
Supporting the process of change also in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Yemen and other countries in the Middle East and North Africa requires our continued support and our continued willingness to address the different challenges. On Thursday, President Morsi will arrive in Brussels for his first visit. The new President of Egypt was invited by me when I went to see him in July. He will meet with me and the Presidents to discuss the developments in his country and his role and work in the wider region. We will prepare for him the same kind of injection of economic and political support for the future but we do not just wait for those moments.
In Egypt, in July, we provided two million rural Egyptian women with identity cards because without an identity card, you cannot get health care or open a bank account and you are not recognised as an individual. For those women, something that is very simple and very straightforward was beyond their capacity to be able to do. We have to be in action all the time and to be in support of the people of the country – and, I would argue, in the countries in transition, to be especially aware of the role of women.
We will talk more about Syria later but I, of course, remain appalled by the violence and human rights violations which have occurred there. When I spoke with Mr Brahimi, the new representative, I offered him the full support of the European Union, including from the delegation we still have on the ground. In my discussions with countries immediately affected surrounding Syria, we have also offered them additional support. You will have seen an additional EUR 50 million being given this weekend.
We also remain committed on the Middle East peace process. The goal is a just and lasting two-state solution. We need to make sure that we continue to move forward and recognise the additional challenges that are faced at the moment by Prime Minister Fayed and the Palestinian Authority in financial terms. I spoke with him yesterday and we will work together, along with the AHLC and the Norwegian Foreign Minister, to secure additional support in New York to try to make sure that the work that has been done, and which is well recognised by Israel as well as by the World Bank and countries of the region and beyond, is not allowed to fail.
Of course, we also need to understand the needs of Israel – its deep concern for its security and its worries at the present time. So we have to continue to try and find a way through that will bring security for both, but, in my view, it is increasingly urgent.
I also mention, in the spirit of that region, the work that we do on Iran. I am very grateful for what Mr Brok said about my role as leader of the negotiations. I have spent 48 hours in direct negotiation and I spent an additional 18 hours in bilateral negotiations. I spoke with Dr Jalili, my counterpart, a couple of weeks ago to urge on him the need to make progress and to keep moving on the diplomatic track.
The E3+3 will meet during the General Assembly and we are having further contacts. But, at the same time, as the report reminds us, we must not neglect the broader agenda, including human rights and regional security.
I also believe – and have always believed – that, in this increasingly challenging economic environment, it makes even more sense for Member States to work together. That holds true for large Member States as well as small ones. When you look at the important issues that we face – let me take just two or three: Iran and its nuclear programme, the Middle East peace process and the crisis in Syria – we are stronger and more effective when we work together.
If we look to our east again – and I have mentioned Serbia, Kosovo and what is happening in Bosnia and Herzegovina – we have to continue to monitor the situation in Belarus, where the situation on human rights and democracy worries me a great deal. We have a policy of critical engagement and, with our measures, we continue to target those responsible for the crackdown and those associated with it. At the same time, we continue to engage with the people, with civil society and opposition.
In Ukraine, where Helga Schmid, the political director, is meeting today with the opposition parties, we want to see progress on three issues: selective justice, the conduct of free and fair parliamentary elections on 28 October, and the resumption of the delayed reforms in the joint EU-Ukraine Association Agenda.
When I look at that part of the world, I am pleased to see what is happening in Moldova. Moving dynamically within our broader Eastern partnership, we will also remain actively engaged in the 5+2 talks on the question of resolving the issues in Transnistria.
But we, of course, look at the region and consider too the issues of elections that are moving towards us, especially in Georgia. I met recently with President Saakashvili and we have sent messages to the opposition. We are very clear that we need a good election process and we need to make sure that it is run well. We will have observers there and we will have political support to ensure that the future of Georgia is assured.
We are also always continuing in our efforts in our relationships with Armenia and Azerbaijan. I visited both in the last few months and I have to say that I deeply regretted the recent decision to pardon Safarov, which went against commitments made by Azerbaijan and which has fuelled tensions in the region. I have expressed, together with Commissioner Füle, our concern. We have been following up on this and our special representative is currently in the region. I know Parliament will debate this on Thursday.
As I have indicated to you, much of what we do is in partnership. We work in close consultation and cooperation with the United States in our areas of common interest, especially the Western Balkans, the southern neighbourhood, and in the Asia-Pacific, where we met recently with the ASEAN countries and where Secretary Clinton and I held a bilateral meeting on the issues of that region. We remain in touch with the State Department on a daily basis.
I am also going to speak later on about Russia, so I will not say anything further about Russia in this debate in order that we can have a bigger debate later and save time. But, of course, it is critically important that we engage with the people of Russia and that we ensure that we have strong relationships.
When I went to China recently, we moved forward in trying to develop the dialogue that we have on global and regional issues. We have agreed a regular dialogue on defence and security policies and we have agreed to strengthen our cooperation on combating piracy. I have already said that, on the work that we do on Iran, we work closely with the E3+3 and China is a key partner in this, as it is also – as I have indicated – in the fight against piracy.
But as our relationship with China strengthens, we need to emphasise the importance of universal values and freedoms. During my nine hours of discussion with State Councillor Dai Bingguo, my counterpart, we had a very long discussion and debate on human rights. I brought that into the dialogue that I had with him as well as the dialogue that we had on human rights as a separate discussion.
Also with India, we have agreed to hold annual foreign policy consultations where we have a security dialogue, we work together in a Joint Working Group on Counter-Terrorism and where we cooperate on anti-piracy and cybersecurity issues. We have strengthened that relationship dramatically in the last year but, of course, I continue to try to support a solution, working with the Italian Government, for the two marines on trial in India.
We are seeking to build the best possible service that will meet the needs of Europe and the needs of Europe’s citizens. We are attracting some of the best talent from Member States and, at the same time, we have harnessed the tremendous depth of knowledge and expertise that staff from the institutions bring. I pay tribute to all of them.
Our cooperation with our other strategic partners goes on – Canada, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa, Japan and South Korea. Countries like Mexico and Brazil play an important role in promoting open markets in their region and following the political crisis in Paraguay. In my visits to Brazil, India and South Africa, I have promoted the idea of working together on development and international issues, using the common interests and values that we share, but I have to say that we have more to do on this.
Of the three, I most recently visited South Africa, and I want to say a word on the recent events. While I was in Pretoria, I was able to offer condolences on behalf of the European Union for the loss of life at the Marikana mine. Our thoughts are with the families affected at this terrible time.
I had the opportunity to discuss this in great detail with both the Foreign Minister and the Defence Minister. I think the South African authorities have taken the necessary steps now to establish the circumstances that led to these tragic events, through a full judicial Commission of inquiry and an inter-ministerial committee to provide assistance and support to the families of those who were killed.
It would be wrong to speculate and try to anticipate the findings of the Commission, but it is important to examine the root causes as well as the circumstances of these events and, as Mr Brok’s report says, not to neglect the broader issues in our discussions with South Africa and the region.
There is much more that we can do to work closely with regional organisations – organisations like the Arab League, the African Union, ASEAN, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – and, of course, with the United Nations, both in its broader role and its role in the regions.
We have worked together closely on the future of Libya with the United Nations, the African Union, the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation – an idea that came from me to the Secretary-General – and we worked very closely with organisations, especially the Arab League, on Syria. We have done very practical things to foster this cooperation with the Arab League. For example, we have equipped their crisis room at their headquarters in Cairo which I will be proud to visit and open in November.
When we look at all the different geographical areas of the world, we also have to remember that many of the challenges of the world are what we call horizontal – the potential for crisis and conflict because of energy or climate change or water are very real. Last week at the Gymnich, I took the opportunity to talk again with Foreign Ministers about some of these issues.
We specifically focused on water and education. It was because I recognised that, when we think about the Middle East peace process, water is a final status issue. When we think about what is happening in central Asia, there are real difficulties concerning water. The Sahel, the Nile basin and the Arabian Peninsula are all areas where water plays an incredibly vital role in the potential for conflict and we need to be engaged with that.
I have said a lot about what we try to do and how we try to do it, but, of course, what really matters is why. We do this to promote and protect human rights and democracy as the guiding principle of our foreign policy. We exist to serve our citizens, to help them be more secure, more able to pursue the lives they want, to give them the right environment and hopefully prosperity, and to help others obtain what we have. I have reported many times the young man in Libya who said, ‘We want what you have every day. You have democracy and freedom’.
Let me end with a quick word on our interinstitutional relations. I think we have strengthened the relationships between this Parliament, the institutions, our senior EEAS officials, myself and others, and that we have tried to respond as quickly and as positively as we can to all requests. I think our information to the Committee on Foreign Affairs and to the Committee on Development is better. The reports and resolutions that are in the Parliament are taken into account.
The External Action Service (EEAS) is fast becoming a centre of excellence and a source of ideas, policy and analysis, and our network of delegations across the world is the greatest asset we have. I have been able to open new delegations in Libya and South Sudan and an office in Burma/Myanmar, an office that I would like to upgrade. We need to develop this network. We are, for example, massively under-represented in the Gulf states.
Thank you for the idea of the EUSR on human rights. I was very pleased to appoint Stavros Lambrinidis to that role. Thank you for the role that you play in electoral observation missions which are held up across the world as true examples of a way to work with countries and to help support those looking to the future.
I am convinced that we can do more and, as we build towards the 2013 review of the decision, I hope that we will be able to show, not only what we have achieved, but also to give some pointers for what more we need to do.
Thank you to the European Parliament for the support that you have given the service and to me over this last year. I would like to say a special thank you to Mr Brok for his excellent report.
What makes us different from Member States is that we work in a different way. In fact, I would argue that we work in a way that is unique to the European Union. When you look at all the crises that we face, when you look at all the situations in which we are operating, they are multi-faceted, complex and particular. In none of them is there a simple one-size-fits-all solution – political, military or economic.
The great strength of the European Union, working with Member States and with our international partners, is the range of diplomatic tools at our disposal. By mobilising them all in an appropriate way, we can be more effective in preventing crisis and conflict and swifter in helping to resolve them.
To develop that comprehensive approach, we need three things. We need to clearly define our strategy, bearing in mind our own interests; we have to have effective coordination of what we do; and we need swift delivery by the European Union, its Member States and the network that we have overseas.
Let me consider two brief examples. As Honourable Members know, in August I went to Mogadishu and was also in Mombasa and Nairobi. You know very well the challenges of the region. I am very pleased that we have the new President elected in circumstances of calm. Our team in Mogadishu, our Special Representative, were there throughout the process."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata | |
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples