Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-04-21-Speech-3-068"
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"en.20040421.3.3-068"2
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"Mr President, many fine words have been said once again about relations between Europe and the United States. I nevertheless remain somewhat sceptical when I look at the reality. Relations between Europe and the United States have been better. The US Government often takes little notice of its transatlantic partners. US policy is characterised by unilaterality and ever changing coalitions. Iraq has proved a divisive issue, and a major role for the UN in that country still seems a long way off. Earlier this morning, we discussed the Middle East. President Bush’s support for Prime Minister Sharon and the latter’s unilateral policy has – rightly – been poorly received here. The EU is clearly not a serious partner for the US on this issue.
Nobody is intent on a genuine split between the United States and the European Union. We have a good deal in common, and together we could obtain more for each other in the world. Things would perhaps be better under a subsequent US Government, but in my opinion the trends run deeper. Today, we are discussing an agenda for transatlantic dialogue. This dialogue is necessary now more than ever, but it must be an open dialogue and not one in which one side only talks and rarely listens. Indeed, it is particularly important that we do not gloss over the differences between ourselves and the US.
In the field of international security, a number of priorities can be seen, including Iraq and what we can learn from this. The first lesson, of course, is that something like this should never happen again, and another is that we must return to a full role for the United Nations, which must assume political leadership of the reconstruction of the country as soon as possible. Furthermore, we must cooperate on the resolution of the Middle-East conflict, keeping to the roadmap. Unless President Bush adopts a much more critical attitude towards the
policy of Prime Minister Sharon – for example the security fence, the Gaza Strip and the assassination of Hamas leaders – it is unlikely that much will come of US cooperation with the EU. We also want an effective approach to international terrorism, but not just on US terms. What we want is that priority be given to a multilateral approach to international problems. We want pre-emptive engagement, as Javier Solana calls it, instead of pre-emptive wars. We want a strengthening of the United Nations and, in particular, a strengthening of the international legal order. We must therefore remain committed to the work of the International Criminal Court and the support that the European Union has given this all along.
We also want a serious approach to disarmament initiatives. We must enter into dialogue with the US on all of these issues, but we must also remain committed to our own strength. We must be pragmatic, yet pursue our own aims. Where the US stresses military supremacy, we envisage a role for the European Union as, say, a civil superpower."@en1
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