Luxembourg, 27/05/2005 (Agence Europe) - At the EU-Mercosur ministerial meeting, co-chaired by the Luxembourg foreign minister and president-in-office of the Council of the EU, Jean Asselborn, and his Paraguayan opposite number, Leila Rashid de Cowles, which was held in Luxembourg on 26 May as part of the 12th EU-Rio Group ministerial meeting, Europeans and South Americans decided to return to the negotiating table at ministerial level before the end of July, to relaunch the wide-reaching draft association agreement- covering political issues as well as trade- negotiations on which have been at stalemate since last October (EUROPE 8812).
At this meeting, representatives of the Member States of the EU, alongside which Bulgaria and Romania also took part, and of the Mercosur countries “carried out a political assessment of the negotiations” on an association agreement, which “will contain a substantial plank on political dialogue”, Mr Asselborn pointed out. At the final press conference, the head of Luxembourg diplomacy, the Commissioner for External Relations, Benita Ferrero-Waldner, and Leila Rashid de Cowles stressed their common willingness to “breathe new political impetus into these negotiations”. The EU “reiterated that its main priority in Latin America is to conclude an ambitious and well-balanced association agreement with Mercosur” which “covers politics, cooperation and trade”, said Ms Ferrero-Waldner, stressing the “strategic political interest” of an agreement of this kind for each of the parties. The European Commissioner added that Brussels and Asunción are to set a date for a ministerial meeting which will lead to guidelines and a timetable between now and the end of July, and which will be preceded by a preparatory meeting. Ms Rashid de Cowles pledged the “strong political goodwill of the Mercosur countries to enter into political dialogue with their European cousins”, in order to bring to a conclusion negotiations which were started in 1999. “The Member States of the EU and those of Mercosur are very vulnerable and sensitive commercially, and we hope for the broadest possible agreement”, she added, with emphasis on the “political dialogue” plank.
The EU also assured Mercosur of its full support for the process of regional integration, “not solely due to its enormous economic and commercial potential, but in order to reinforce the stability of the South American continent”, said Mr Asselborn, adding that the ministerial meeting led to a decision to boost political dialogue by means of closer bi-regional and multi-lateral negotiations on issues of mutual interest.
On international issue, the Luxembourg Presidency underlined the commitment of the Mercosur countries to the UN's mission for stabilisation in Haiti, and that of Argentina in the ALTHEA operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina. With one eye on the United Nations Summit in New York this September, the EU and Mercosur are determined to “move towards a safer and more participative international community, on the basis of effective multi-lateralism”, said Mr Asselborn. As well as the situation in Bolivia, the situation in Cuba was also raised. “The Cuban approach isn't particularly helpful to improve the situation and dialogue”, Mr Asselborn acknowledged in response to a question, pointing out that last February, the EU “gave Cuba another chance to re-establish dialogue”. “I hope both sides will have the energy to resume sincere dialogue in the interest of the millions of Cubans living in Cuba (…), in order to give another dimension to human rights and get this country out of economic isolation”, he continued, adding that “boycotts and isolation are not the way to resolve the problems of the 21st century”. Mr Asselborn concluded by urging Havana to “stop the provocations (…) and re-establish dialogue”. Furthermore, Ms Rashid de Cowles and Mr Asselborn said that Argentinean concern at the inclusion of the Falklands as an “overseas territory” in the European Constitution had also been discussed at the meeting. Mercosur presented the Europeans with the position it unfolded to the United Nations in a press release, stressing the concern of the South Americans “due to the inclusion of the Falklands in the annex to the treaty”, said the Paraguayan minister. The Luxembourg Presidency in turn reiterated the EU's official position, which is that “the treaty in no way changes the situation of the Falkland Islands (…) and its status as an associated territory of the Community in line with the provisions of the fourth part of the EC Treaty currently in force”, Mr Asselborn stressed.