Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-25-Speech-3-105"
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"en.20020925.5.3-105"2
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"How can we prevent the United States from taking unilateral action in future, or from carrying out preventive attacks, wherever and whenever, even without our approval? Simply invoking the United Nations and international law is not enough as a formula to change Washington from a unilateral to a multilateral player. Only if the European Union organises itself more effectively on a political and military plane can it be a worthy Atlantic partner. However, as long as European leaders set greater store by internal political considerations than they do by common foreign policy, our endeavours in this area will be in vain and we will continue to give America all the political leeway it needs to determine its own agenda.
This particularly applies with regard to Iraq. The European Union must sail a liberal course midway between two Social-Democratic extremes: Mr Schröder, the electoral opportunist, and Mr Blair, President Bush’s London branch manager. The pressure on Saddam Hussein to allow unfettered access to all weapons and to destroy all dangerous weapons must be stepped up to the highest level possible. Needless to say, possible military action cannot be ruled out then. After all, if we continue to allow Saddam Hussein to ignore the UN resolutions, he will become a great danger to his environment and the UN Security Council itself.
Military action does, of course, require the Security Council’s explicit approval. If the international community joins forces, the Atlantic allies will have to follow suit. Only with Europe’s help can America tackle the problems in the world effectively. Political and cultural differences should not make us blind to Europe’s and America’s common interests.
Although the enlarged EU can add more weight globally, decision-making must be adapted and the right to veto must be abolished. It remains crucial, though, for a common foreign policy in Europe to become more important than the political leaders’ own national profile. If that does not change, we only have ourselves to blame for America being able to take global control on its own."@en1
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