Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-06-Speech-3-161"
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"en.20060906.21.3-161"2
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"Mr President, I should like to thank the President-in-Office of the Council and the Commissioner for their contributions so far.
Obviously this most recent war has brought home to us the horrors of conflict and the toll that it takes on human populations and human infrastructure. Rather than reinventing the wheel and coming up with new ideas, we should reinvigorate the whole idea of the roadmap that was agreed between the EU, the United Nations, the US and Russia. That charted the way forward in terms of bringing about peace and stability not only between Israel and Palestine, but also amongst their neighbours, including Syria, Jordan, Iran, Egypt and Lebanon. If we have seen anything over the last few months, it is the inability of the European Union to speak with a single voice; it is the failure by certain Member State governments within the European Union to agree with the majority of other Member States that has allowed this problem to continue and to get worse. At least now, late in the day, we have agreed to head the UN peacekeeping force that is going to Lebanon.
However, now is a time for us to be braver, to look at new ideas and new ways of engagement. If our own history in Europe has taught us anything, if our own experience of conflict resolution within the European Union or indeed in the wider world has taught us anything, it is that only through negotiation and dialogue can we actually achieve a lasting and just settlement. There is now perhaps an opportunity for us to re-engage with the elected representatives of the Palestinian people – Hamas, with the Lebanese Government, with Israel and with the Governments of Syria and Iran to try to come forward with a deal.
With regard to the Middle East, the most important lesson for us of the last six months has been our failure to speak properly, with a single voice, and to give a clear message to all those countries – whatever they try – that if they do something wrong, action will be taken by the European Union against them. By action I do not mean offensive action by the military, but with the strongest weapon we have, which is moral persuasion and the economic support that we give to those areas.
Commissioner and President-in-Office, now is the time to be brave. Now is the time to chart the new way forward and to dust down the roadmap, invigorate it and make it new for the 21st century."@en1
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