Strasbourg, 16/03/2006 (Agence Europe) - The message given to Balkan countries in the Salzburg Declaration at the end of the Gymnich ministerial meeting last weekend (EUROPE 9150) was at the centre of Wednesday afternoon's debate at the European Parliament on the EU Foreign Affairs Ministers' meeting. President of the Council, Ursula Plassnik, replied to those who spoke about “enlargement lassitude” that at Salzburg they gave these countries “a message of hope and optimism…We want to continue to advance step by step, theme by theme, solution by solution”. She also described the “particular symbolic moment” when they “all met together around the table”: Foreign Affairs Ministers from the EU and Balkans and discussed the consequences of the death of Slobodan Milosovic. She said that it was important to know at this precise moment that they could work together. In Salzburg the president of the EP Foreign Affairs Committee participated in their work for the first time, pointed out the President of the Council. During the debate, however, several MEPs said that they were disappointed by the Salzburg Declaration but Ms Plassnik exhorted them to read the declaration attentively. Austrian Social Democrat Hannes Swoboda stated that Europe would not be so strong if it distanced itself from the accession prospects of Balkan countries. Swoboda considered that the word on the agenda was the EU's “absorption capacity” itself, which meant that Europe had to prepare itself for new enlargements (working together, for example, on the Constitution and financial perspectives). Belgian Liberal Annemi Neyts-Uytterbroek said that the Salzburg Declaration was “weak” and “disappointing”. German Green Angelika Beer saw the declaration as a “weak compromise”. In anticipation of the Brok report on enlargement, the German Green (see other article) said her colleague was talking about a “third voice, Colonel Khadafy, which used to be spoken about and we know what happened”. CSU Bernd Posselt, on the contrary, congratulated Ursula Plassnik for having had the courage to debate Europe's borders. The Austrian Foreign Affairs Minister said that “silence is the worst thing as it feeds distrust”. UMP MEPs, indicated Margie Sudre (EPP-ED, France), share the vision that without the Balkans, European unity is incomplete but she also added that other real problems had to be tackled such as that of the EU's absorption capacity (she pointed out that the French Constitution was now planning referendums for all enlargements, following those for Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia).. Commissioner Olli Rehn said that they should give Balkan countries a “credible accession perspective and driver for reform”. He also recalled that in Salzburg he put forward the Commission's ideas on the conclusion of a trade agreement to replace the “patchwork of bilateral agreements…the Europeanisation of the next and current generation” in the Balkans by opening Europe up to researchers and students (Ms Plassnik outlined the work Interior Ministers would have to do on visas). On Kosovo the Commissioner called for “patience and determination”.
On the situation in Palestine following the assault on the prison in Jericho and the taking of hostages that followed (EUROPE 9152), Plassnik would only say that the Presidency had called on the two parties to show restraint and they now had to see what the consequences of their action would produce. She also warned that humanitarian aid to Palestinians could only be delivered in a “peaceful environment”. She said that “Yesterday I met President Abbas” before the situation degenerated on the ground: Editor's note) and I confirmed out support to him”. Elmar Brok (CDU) asked for the “dialogue between cultures” to be put into practice so that efforts by fundamentalists to silence the moderates was prevented. Hannes Swoboda warned that “Hamas has to recognise reality” but neither should they give a “blank cheque to violence from Israel”. The Austrian Social Democrat also urged the EU and US to reach a more coherent position on the nuclear issue, which had deteriorated due to the contradictory behaviour of Washington with regard to Iran and India (during a recent trip made by President Bush to New Delhi). Bernd Posselt (EPP-ED, Germany) said that Iran was not a “monolith, it is one of the most ancient countries in the world and is more than just its president”. Questioned by Elmar Brok on the EU's mission to the Congo in connection with the forthcoming elections, Ursula Plassnik simply indicated that the Council would continue to examine the question with Javier Solana (the next Council session is on Monday: Editor's note) together with the Congolese authorities.