Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-170"
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"en.20050308.20.2-170"2
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"Mr President, there is no doubt that a world without nuclear weapons is an ideal vision that some people have demanded but all of us sympathise with. Unfortunately, things seem to be moving in the opposite direction. As Mr Wiersma and Mr Brok commented, there is a danger that we are entering a new era of nuclear arms proliferation – a fresh nuclear arms race in very sensitive regions where the ultimate consequence of proliferation could be actual use.
This makes it all the more important now to ensure that the European Union and all its partners should bring the necessary pressure to bear on those who believe that nuclear weapons give them greater power. We need to give a clear signal both to North Korea and Iran that developing nuclear weapons will not pay, and that the international community will not tolerate such a development.
I agree with those who say that in the case of Iran we need to pursue the negotiations already in progress vigorously, in order to convince the Iranians that there is an alternative to developing nuclear arms, and that the prospect of a partnership with Europe and of an economic cooperation agreement is more valuable than any development of nuclear weapons, both in terms of Iran’s security and of its economic development. I also agree that human rights should not be ignored in those negotiations, and that respect for those rights is essential.
North Korea is of course even more complicated, as that country has to some extent already been ostracised by the international community. Yet taking sanctions against this country, whose population is already suffering enormous deprivation, would not achieve very much. The European Union should not just limit itself to providing humanitarian aid here; we should also play a more significant political role. I totally agree with those who have said, as Mr Ford has just done, that it would also be wrong for the European Union to act as a provider of funds without a political role.
Our relations with China which, as Mr Jarzembowski said, are important, will certainly help us to bring pressure to bear on North Korea. China is perhaps the only country to have any real leverage over the North Korean regime.
In any case, it is crucial that the discussions concerning the Non-Proliferation Treaty should not essentially end in failure, in a kind of half-hearted status quo. The NPT is even more important now than it was in the past. There are now other, even more appalling risks, with proliferation to all sorts of non-State entities and terrorists. I believe that this is another area where the European Union must be very vigilant.
The European Union must, therefore, speak loud and clear at the NPT conference, and act, both in its negotiations with Iran and in the discussions with Korea, to which we must be a party, to make our voice heard. A world without nuclear arms may not yet be within our grasp, but we should at least halt their dangerous proliferation."@en1
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