Strasbourg, 30/03/2004 (Agence Europe) - The postponement of the Arab League Summit (see p 8), the assassination of Ahmed Yassine, continuing insecurity in Iraq are some of the reasoned for the president of the EU Council, Dick Roche to relaunch the peace process in the Middle East. Roche declared on Tuesday at the European Parliament that the EU was "uniquely placed" to do this. "We are not strangers to each other" and we realise the strategic importance that we represent to each other, insisted Mr Roche, who also called on the Union and Member States to do more to understand the causes of instability and violence in the region and fight it, as the interim report presented to the Council last week requested (EUROPE 26 March p 6). Roche also pointed out that the impetus for reform had to come from within. The principles laid out in the interim report are the basis of the work programme presented to the European Council in June, confirmed Commissioner Chris Patten, who added that they were not starting from scratch and that they had been developing their relations with Middle East countries on the basis of existing instruments. He declared that "Europe is the most significant player. The Community now spends close to €1 Billion a year in the region in promoting economic reforms" and growth (it is the main trade partner of each country in the region except for Jordan). So with this level of involvement, why has economic development and political reform been so slow to take off around the Mediterranean? And that it was important to remember that the Barcelona process was formulated in an atmosphere of optimism. Patten declared that "working in this part of the world means, almost by definition, to remain hopeful" and he hoped that Arab partners would be prepared to get together and contribute to the process. In the context of controversies provokes by US plan for the greater Middle East (because countries directly affected were not consulted) Patten said that the content of the project demonstrated that the USA would be prepared to make a long term commitment in the region, like the EU. The Commissioner stated that the "EU should focus on developing its own strategic partnership with the region", which would be a significant contribution to fighting terrorism and helping: "to promote a ring of well-governed countries … on the borders of the Mediterranean."
Whatever their political allegiance, MEPs agree on one thing: the fight against terrorism will not succeed if the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is not resolved successfully be the two sides. Philippe Morillon (UDF) said that Europe had to speak with a strong voice and Enrique Baron, president of the Socialist group, who called on the Palestinians to stop their attacks but also for Israel to respect international law, the application of Article 2 of the association agreement (suspension of the agreement, on certain conditions). The suspension of the agreement was called for by Per Gahrton (greens/EFA, Sweden), who called on everybody to judge the Israelis and Muslims in the same way. Italian Radical Gianfranco Dell'Alba thought that if they suspended the agreements with Israel, it would be necessary to do the same with other countries in the region. Dell'Alba considered that the US plan for the Greater Middle East was "naïve" but contained valuable elements. Cecilia Malström (ELDR, Sweden) sadly pointed out that they had tried everything: plans, conferences, but what was lacking was the will to negotiate. Luisa Morantini (GUE, Italy), denounced the approach of the USA which was limited to "exporting" democracy, Paul Coûteaux (ED, France) called on the Union to not give support to either of the two apparent sides but the moderates which existed in each camp.