Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-09-Speech-3-050"
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"en.20021009.5.3-050"2
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"Mr President, two minutes, six points.
First of all, Saddam Hussein is already a hardened war criminal. He clearly intends to continue. The only remaining doubt concerns the means still available to him.
Secondly, no situation, however serious, justifies contravening the fundamental principle of public and private morality, in other words, we must not use means that jeopardise the achievement of the objective we are pursuing. Our objective here is to build peace, to refuse pre-emptive war in favour of negotiations, weapons inspections and the establishment of the Rule of Law.
Thirdly, I have rarely seen situations in which so little attention is paid to the study of what could occur should force be used. We are only discussing the legitimacy of the decision and decision-taking procedures. We are not considering what this could lead to.
Mr President, Europe already has a Military Staff. We are preparing a rapid-reaction force. We should at least ask it to consider the various possible consequences. Quite frankly, I have never seen such a lack of reflection.
Fourthly, President-in-Office of the Council, Europe needs a strong, clear, public position, and is capable of this. Many of us have asked you to communicate the European Union’s position in writing to the Secretary-General of the United Nations and make it public.
Fifthly, the main thing in this matter is to adhere to the UN rules on two counts. The first is to convince the United Nations not to change the rules once the game has begun. This is also part of behaving with common decency at an international level. The second aspect proposes solving the problem in two stages: first, with regard to inspectors and their right of work, and second, lastly, taking account of what would happen should Saddam refuse, in other words the use of Chapter 7 of the Charter. We are not pacifists. I believe it is possible to have recourse to force. Saddam Hussein is dangerous, but it is the legality of this operation that is key, in particular with regard to the world as a whole.
Lastly, Mr President, all this is not at all anti-American. On the contrary, it involves preserving the Rule of Law with the agreement of an overwhelming majority – as shown by surveys – of the American people today, in order to prevent a government, intoxicated by its own strength, from forgetting the law when it thinks of the power it could use."@en1
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