Brussels, 20/04/2001 (Agence Europe) - At EUROPE mentioned yesterday, European Commissioner Pascal Lamy began an official three-day visit on Saturday in the Gulf region, to take part in the 11th Joint Cooperation Council, alongside Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister Lena Hjelm-Wallen, and the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. The representatives of the Commission and the Presidency of the Council of the Union hope to reach an agreed text on progress in cooperation and its weak points, while also including a lengthy chapter on the question - so far cautiously avoided - of human rights, and raising the situation in Iran, as well as in Iraq. For the bilateral chapter of the talks, Saudi Arabia's accession to the World Trade Organisation and the possible launch of a new round of negotiations in Dola, as early as the autumn, will be key-topics that Lamy will broach in a one to one with each of his Arab counterparts.
EUROPE has reason to believe that, while confirming the basis of cooperation between the EU and the GCC (trade, investment and cooperation), the Europeans will propose to their Gulf partners that they confirm their commitment to respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, even though the scale of values is not the same everywhere. They could also try to secure a commitment, in the final declaration, from those countries that have not yet done so, to ratify different international conventions, including those aimed at torture and discrimination towards women, and urge them, in couched terms, to allow the relevant international bodies to check what is happening in their countries, noting that it would be beneficial for decentralised cooperation between the EU and the Gulf States.
The partners should, moreover, note that this approach, which aims at developing dialogue between companies, university establishments and the in the media sector, is bearing its fruit, and that different pilot projects should soon be up and running.
Trade is also flourishing, its total value having increased from 37 to 51.5 billion euro between 1999 and 2000, which the partners will not fail to emphasise, committing themselves to intensifying talks over a free trade agreement as soon as the European Commission has received its new brief (see EUROPE of 11 April, p.7) and noting that the proposal it made to that effect satisfies the expectations of the Gulf States regarding their main exports. They should agree that they could nevertheless do more to encourage investment and to develop coopration regarding standards, customs, energy and the environment.
At the end of general talks on international and regional topical issues, the partners could, in their final declaration, include a chapter on Iraq, backing the "oil for food" programme and calling on Saddam Hussein's regime to shed light on the fate of prisoners of war and people missing since the Gulf War and to return what was stolen from the Kuwaitis, while carefully avoiding any wording that could place the country's territorial or political integrity into question. The joint declaration could also underpin the strengthening of relations of each partner with Iran and the contribution thus made to regional stability. It could also mention the lack of progress in efforts aimed at resolving the territorial conflict between this country and the United Arab Emirates, and the need to limit themselves to peaceful options to achieve this.