Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-03-30-Speech-2-171"

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"Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, last Monday 22 March, there took place in Athens the inaugural session of this Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly, of whose future importance in relations on both sides of the Mediterranean President Cox just reminded us. This session marked the culmination of the efforts made immediately after 11 September 2001 to reach, on both sides of the Mediterranean, a better mutual understanding and to dispel the spectre of war between civilisations, which is a potential consequence of the downward spiral of blood and vengeance into which the barbaric supporters of indiscriminate terrorism are attempting to drag us. Still reeling from the shock of the images of 11 March in Madrid, it was on the morning of 22 March that we learned, President Cox, of the assassination of Sheikh Yassin, with all the consequences this could have. This gave us another reason to reiterate, in the presence of the official delegations from Israel and Palestine, the urgent need to find a fair and lasting solution to the conflict in which they are embroiled and to emphasise how important it is for the European Council, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, to launch that strategic partnership for a common future with the Middle East on the subject of which you have just addressed us. Let us be aware on our side of the Mediterranean that our future and that of our children and grandchildren will depend on the way in which we have been able to extend to Africa in general and to the Middle East in particular, that area of peace and stability that our founding fathers were able to establish on our continent. Let us therefore resolve to have more influence in the negotiations in progress within the Quartet, since we well know – as you said, Commissioner Patten – that Europe can and must now play a decisive role there. Whether or not we wanted it to be, the United States is considered, rightly or wrongly, to have taken Israel’s side. Russia does not have the same interests as ourselves, stemming from our geographical proximity to the region, and the United Nations does not have our means to act. If we Europeans were finally to speak with the powerful voice expected of us, there is no doubt it would be heard. I am sure that the will to do so exists in our Parliament, as this debate will once again prove, quite simply because it reflects the will of a very large majority of our fellow European citizens. Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Mr Commissioner, can we begin to hope that this will might finally manifest itself other than through pious wishes?"@en1

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