Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-30-Speech-2-168"
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"en.20040330.5.2-168"2
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".
Mr President, as we meet to discuss the situation throughout the Middle East today, tensions in the region are high – and understandably so. The killing of the Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and seven other Palestinians by Israeli forces last week has resulted in outrage across the region. The European Union condemned this extrajudicial killing as contrary to international law. In an already inflamed situation, it is vital that all sides exercise restraint and refrain from acts of violence which will only lead to more deaths and which will put a peaceful settlement further beyond reach. Against this backdrop, the Arab League Summit scheduled for this week in Tunis has been cancelled.
It is clear that the Union already has a deep and close relationship with the countries of the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It is one based on partnership and dialogue, and on a willingness to work together to address the challenges facing the region. It is also a relationship that is based on the recognition of the strategic importance which each represents to the other. We are their neighbours just as they are our neighbours, and it is in our shared interest to see a zone of security, prosperity and progress develop across the wider region.
In recognition of the importance of the region to Europe, the European Union is currently working to develop a Strategic Partnership with the Middle East and the Mediterranean following a mandate from the European Council in December 2003. This is also a key objective of the European Security Strategy, again adopted in December 2003. Security and stability is a shared interest of the countries of the region and of the European Union. We need to do more to address the causes of instability which afflict the region – causes which include lack of economic development, under-developed educational opportunities and the need to promote open societies and economies.
Our primary objective is to promote the development, through partnership, of a common zone of peace, prosperity and progress across the Mediterranean and into the Middle East. The goal is to enjoy close and cooperative relations with all the countries of the region, responding as far as possible to initiatives from within the region itself.
Resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict is a strategic priority. However, reform in the region should not be conditional on progress in the Middle East Peace Process – or vice versa – but both objects should be pursued in tandem. This is the context that informed the adoption of the interim report presented to last week’s General Affairs and External Relations Council and endorsed by the European Council.
The interim report proposes an EU Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East. It sets out a series of shared understandings held by the members of the Union with regard to relations with the region, proposes key principles and objectives which might inform our strategic partnership and proposes these together with work programmes for the Mediterranean and the Gulf as a means to implement our partnership.
It is also essential that the impetus for reform comes from within. There is already much being done, both at governmental level and by civil society. It is for the region itself to work out an appropriate way forward. Equally, there can be no 'one-size-fits-all' solution to the challenges facing the region. We are actively consulting with partners in the region who are our key interlocutors. This will be an essential element in preparing our final report for the European Council in June.
In this spirit, the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, in his capacity as President of the European Council, had planned to address the Arab League Summit in Tunis yesterday, as a further step in our intensified consultations with the region. But, as I have already noted, that meeting was cancelled. Foreign Minister Cowen is currently in the region, holding a series of meetings with key interlocutors. The presidency's commitment to consultation and dialogue remains absolute. We will continue this process at the forthcoming Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Mid-Term Ministerial Meeting to be held in Dublin and at the Ministerial Meeting of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
I have already commented on the need for progress in the Middle East Peace Process. There can be no long-term solution in the region without the resolution of the Arab-Israeli conflict which has cost so many lives on all sides. Implementation of the Quartet Roadmap remains the basis for reaching a lasting comprehensive settlement resulting in two viable, sovereign and independent states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security. As members of the Quartet, we will continue to work towards this end. Acts of violence by either side cannot contribute to advancing the political process necessary to reach such a settlement, and such acts, therefore, must be rejected.
The countries of the Mediterranean and the Middle East are facing a broad range of challenges politically, economically and socially. Equally, those countries possess enormous potential which, if fulfilled, would result in benefits for all the peoples of the region. Progress in all areas – economics, commerce, education, democracy and civil society – is essential if the conditions for lasting peace and stability across the region are to be achieved. The European Union is committed to working as good neighbours with the governments and peoples of the region towards this end, which is in all our shared interests.
Now, more than ever before, there is a need for the countries of the region to choose the path of peace and to turn away from the path of violence and recrimination. There is a need for governments to show leadership for peace, and to turn away from the politics of the last atrocity, which serve no one’s interest.
Elsewhere in the region, in Iraq the security situation remains a cause of grave concern. It is disturbing that recent attacks have aimed at maximising civilian casualties and have been intended to promote sectarian violence. A secure, democratic and peaceful Iraq, within its present borders, can exert a positive influence for peace and stability across the entire region. The European Union looks forward to the transition to a representative Iraqi administration and is committed to working with the people of Iraq in securing a peaceful and stable future for that country.
There is a pressing need for action to address the various problems and challenges to peace and prosperity throughout the Middle East. I believe that the European Union is ideally placed to make a contribution in support of this objective. Historically, the European Union has enjoyed a close relationship with the countries of the southern Mediterranean and the Middle East, built up through centuries of intertwined history, commerce and exchange. We are not strangers to each other.
Indeed, through Euromed and the Barcelona Process, the Union has enjoyed a structured relationship with countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean for ten years. The Barcelona framework is comprehensive in scope – covering political, economic, social and security issues of mutual interest. It commits us to working towards a shared zone of peace, prosperity and progress.
In the economic sphere we are working towards the establishment of a free trade zone with a market of 700 million people by 2010. The possibilities offered by this vast market will lead to a growth in employment, prosperity and stability right across the partnership.
The Union has also concluded Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements with all but one of the Euromed countries, and I hope that the negotiations with the remaining country will be concluded soon so that the grid of arrangements can be completed. I would urge all partners to expedite ratification of these agreements, which are an important instrument in developing economic relationships between the European Union and the Mediterranean countries.
An important element of our engagement has also been to promote democracy, good governance and the rule of law. This is in line with the conclusions drawn by the 2002 UNDP Arab Human Development Report. Significant funding has already been made available by the Commission in support of programmes which promote these objectives.
The Union has also developed a framework of cooperation and dialogue with the countries of the Gulf through the Gulf Cooperation Council. At present we are working with our partners in the GCC to achieve a free trade agreement. Although negotiations have been long, and at times difficult, they are now moving in the right direction. In addition we are considering ways to develop relationships with Yemen and Libya, and reflecting on our relationship with Iran."@en1
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