Brussels, 30/04/2004 (Agence Europe) - Not only the speakers but also the public expressed very heated views at the conference organised by the IERI on Tuesday on the theme "Constitution and international situation". WEU Assembly President Armand De Decker said "we are in a real war against obscurantist forces which fuel terrorism". He added that the United States' response to this threat, with its attack on Iraq, was "exactly the contrary to what it should have been" and has caused a "universal disaster". Instead of attacking terrorism, the Americans attacked a country where there was no terrorism. "Everything has got worse", in Iraq, in Iran, in Jordan and in all the moderate Muslim countries. In Europe "we are all in a state of unpreparedness which gives the impression that there is no resolve to answer the challenge, as if we were convinced that everything can be settled with negotiation". Europe must have the "instruments that make its diplomacy credible", but it is far from this, he said. The Atlantic Alliance remains indispensable but must be reformed, and Mr De Decker launched the idea of enlarging it to all democracies (Russia, Japan, Australia, etc.) in order to "oppose those who wish to destroy us".
European Parliament member Jean-Maurice Dehousse (Socialist, Belgium), for his part, said that: a) the international situation is disastrous - never have we been so close to conflagration on a world scale; b) EU enlargement is to fulfil a "great hope", but it is dearly paid for with the "end of the true European Community"; c) European elections are in principle a positive thing, but "how many citizens will turn up to vote?" At any rate, they will have no impact on the major problems in the world; d) the battle over the Constitution is the least important thing, as it is only one more Treaty, not a real Constitution and it will be born, if it is born, with the "British guillotine" on its ratification.