Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-03-12-Speech-3-065"
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"en.20030312.1.3-065"2
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"Mr President, I speak as the PPE-DE Group spokesman on Islamic affairs and as a longstanding member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy.
Let us look at the politics. The failure of the CFSP is our fault. The Bush administration has never hidden its determination to remove Saddam Hussein by force if necessary. Congress approved this and Europe largely ignored it. Instead of seeking common ground and leading the debate, France and Britain – the two countries most responsible for the mess in the Middle East after the First World War – have fallen out again. I have an interest here, as my kinsman T. E. Lawrence sought and expected Arab autonomy. Meanwhile, in speech after speech, Washington, with the security of a President in mid-term, has placed a vast army in the region and has explicitly talked about wider regime change. Indeed, the road map for peace between Israel and Palestine is published – it is on the Palestinian Authority's website.
We all know that in the democracies public opinion is opposed to conflict. Who knows, however, what real public opinion is in the Arab countries? We can learn something from the comprehensive UNDP report written last year by Arabs, which states: 'Political participation in Arab countries remains weak, as manifested in the lack of genuine representative democracy and restrictions on liberties'. At the same time, people's aspirations for more freedom and greater participation in decision-making, have grown, fuelled by rising incomes, education and information flows. So speaks the United Nations.
It should be observed that there is nothing inherently intolerant and oppressive in the letter of the Islamic faith and in earlier centuries Islam exercised a culturally progressive and civilising influence. Our efforts to promote democracy and human rights in the world are founded in the framework of the Democracy and Human Rights Programme. The core principles of the CFSP – promotion of democracy, human rights, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms – are absolutely crucial here."@en1
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