Brussels, 05/07/2002 (Agence Europe) - In a speech to the American Enterprise Institute in Washington DC on 3 July, the Danish foreign minister Per Stig Moller called at length for a strengthening of transatlantic relations but while rejecting the stereotypes of ugly Americans vs nice Europeans, he did not conceal the fact that broader co-operation would require less unilateralism from the United States.
"When Denmark took over the Presidency of the EU three days ago, a long-standing ally and close friend of the United States assumed the chair…. It should come as no surprise that strengthening transatlantic relations and reinforcing the common fight against terrorism will figure prominently on our agenda for the EU Presidency….There is no need to hide the fact that … we do not always see eye to eye on everything. On issues like biotechnology, the International Criminal Court, the Biological and Toxic Weapons Convention Protocol, the Test Ban Treaty, the Kyoto Protocol, Death penalty, steel and Foreign Sales Cooperation, we clearly see things differently. And from time to time transatlantic trade disputes cloud the sky. It is of paramount importance that these disputes are managed in a constructive fashion through negotiation… I want to remind you that the nation states rule of law was not created until the strong accepted and respected the law. In the international society we today must create an international rule of law. Most countries have chosen to establish the International Criminal Court in order to enforce international law and order based on the respect of human rights. USA is fighting for human rights and democracy all over the world and has decided not to ratify the treaty of ICC, which I deeply regret."
"During the Danish Presidency we will certainly be guided by the fact: As different as we are, we are building and defending the same house of freedom. We shall not be each other's copies, but complement each other. As copies we cannot together do more than one can do. As complementaries we can do much more together," going on to stress that mutual confidence is a vital precondition for close co-operation. Mentioning "stereotypes of the unilateralist, trigger-happy, lone ranger United States with "the ugly Americans" and the soft, complacent and uncoordinated EU with "the nice Europeans"", Per Stig Moller said: "What we should do is avoid subscribing to superficial labeling, but enter into the substance, in each case, issue by issue. In this way, we will look at a positive agenda, an agenda that will further the United States' interests in Europe and Europe's interests in the United States. We must all know that no state in the long run can go on alone and friendless."
The Danish foreign minister also discussed:
Progress towards a political Europe. "European states still find it difficult to speak with one voice, but we are getting better day-by-day. Structural reform has increased EU efficiency. A European Security and Defense Policy - the ESDP - is emerging. We see a greater coherence between the common foreign and security policy of the Union, trade and development policies. We know more has to be done, but the trend is there. When Europe grows in unity, Europe and America both grow in security."
NATO: "A larger, more flexible, and more outreaching NATO will provide us with another strong tool to deal with an increasingly unpredictable security environment. At the NATO Summit in Prague our aim should be to preserve NATO as the core security provider of the Euro-Atlantic area. Time is ready for an ambitious enlargement decision in Prague. Aspirants and NATO are well prepared and we should aim at inviting up to seven new members.
Middle East: "First, we must work for the resumption of political negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. A political perspective of a Palestinian State must be established. And secondly, we must press for reforms of the Palestinian Authority. We must ensure that the Palestinian leadership keeps its promise and let elections be held in the near future. But Palestinian elections also demand concessions from the Israeli side. Israel should withdraw its forces from the Palestinian self-rule areas if elections are to take place", stressed Per Stig Moller.
Johannesburg Summit. "The developed countries must break the link between economic growth and use of resources. And the developing countries must enhance good governance to be able to benefit from trade and finance. We not only want - but we need - the United States to be a full partner in this process. We must move the process forward together. I hope this cooperation will be fruitful, so that the global alliance against terrorism will also be a global alliance against poverty! Poverty does not create terror or justify it. But poverty may fuel terror. And we can only stop this if Europe and the United States pool their resources. We share a joint responsibility to shoulder the problems of poverty - through expansion of trade, access to our markets and by increasing the levels of development assistance. The willingness of the United States to increase its core development assistance by 50 percent over the next three years is a major step."