Brussels, 04/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - In New York, where he had met Kofi Annan, the President of the European Commission, Romano Prodi expressed his worry over the most recent Eurobarometer results according to which, 59% of those interviewed consider that is Israel is the greatest danger to world peace and 53% consider the USA the greatest threat in this sense (EUROPE yesterday p 5). The Israeli Mission to the EU denounced the "biased questions" posed by Eurobarometer and the President of the European Council, Silvio Berlusconi, telephoned the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, expressing "surprise and indignation" at the survey, which he stated would not affect the European position on Israel. The Italian Prime Minister pointed out that "Europe is strongly involved in support of the road map to attain peace in the Middle East". In a press statement, Franco Frattini, the President of the EU Council described the survey as "mad" and did not reflect the position of the European Union. He outlined the "surprise and annoyance" of the Italian Presidency for giving out a "false signal", which was the result of an "ambiguous question". The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that the EU was, "even more annoyed as it knows perfectly well that the Israeli population is being hit by terrorism".
Romano Prodi, who Radical Italian, Gianfranco Dell'Alba, called on for an explanation at the opening of the plenary in Brussels on Wednesday afternoon (EUROPE yesterday pp 5-6), admitted in New York that the question posed by Eurobarometer "may be tendentious" and that in this case "we are looking for what lies behind it". He said that in such a survey, "we either mention the countries or we don't". he also pointed out that Eurobarometer did not, "reflect the spirit or the policy of the Commission: the Commission does not base its policy on surveys and does not determine or control public opinion". Mr Prodi explained that if these responses are a sign, "of a deeper prejudice against the Jewish world, then our rejection is even more forthright". He hammered home the fact that, "In Europe, born out of a reaction to the horrors of war and the holocaust, there is no place and no tolerance of anti-Semitism. The survey has provided indications on which we will have to reflect in a more profound way, together".
Italian MEPs were the first to react to the Eurobarometer results on Israel. The same defensive response from Radicals, including Democratici di Sinistra (Walter Veltroni who denounced a "mistaken, unacceptable and dangerous" response and Francesco Rutelli from Democratici decreed, "a badly structural and damaging survey in its results". Pasqualina Napoletano (also from the DS) was keen to point out that, "the warning according to which opinions expressed in the surveys did not represent the Commission's point of view is clearly indicated in every public survey produced". According to her, the technique used could be criticised but that that, "the main object, Iraq and world peace" should be kept in mind. Vitaliano Gemeli (Christian Democrat) said that, "we have to respect the Israelis who for fifty years have been trying to build their idea of peace in a sovereign state without getting there, just as we have to respect the Palestinians who want to do the same". According to Gemeli, the Commission was, "wrong to call for this survey" (but "Bush is mistaken as well" when he talks of "an axis of evil".
The spokesman for the US State Department, Adam Ereli said that, "if these are the perceptions, I'd say that they are very unrealistic…In a general sense what the USA does, is motivated by a desire to create stability, peace and freedom throughout the world, in partnership with their friends and allies".