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Statement by Javier SOLANA, EU High Representative for
the CFSP,
on Iraq and on a regional security arrangement for the
region
Javier Solana, European Union High Representative for the
Common Foreign and Security Policy (CFSP), made today the
following statement at the International Ministerial
Conference on Iraq, organised in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt:
"Thank you, Mr Chairman, for hosting this meeting, and for
getting us all together in support of the stabilisation of
Iraq. No one can deny the crucial role the neighbouring
countries can play in this regard.
There are several Europeans around this table and that is a
clear sign of how important Iraq and Iraq’s future is for
us. Iraq is not only a strategic issue for the EU. It is
much more than that. Iraq is in our neighbourhood. Indeed,
Iraq will be a direct neighbour once Turkey joins the EU.
Our engagement with Iraq comes from this fact: Iraq is our
friend and neighbour.
My colleagues have – and will – mention some of the measures
that the EU is carrying out in order to assist Iraq in the
current difficult situation. When Prime Minister Allawi
visited and met with EU leaders in Brussels several weeks
ago we offered him a solid package of concrete proposals to
support the process of stabilisation of his country.
Let me turn now to the situation in Iraq. A lot has been
said about the security situation, the political process,
the reconstruction assistance, the national reconciliation
process, the role of the neighbours and the international
community at large. Instead of repeating such positions, let
me try to focus a little bit on the wider picture. It is
important to try to find solutions for today’s problems, but
we should never forget the need to look ahead for what is
needed in the longer term.
We have had enough of wars in this region during the last
decades. Many lives have been lost in Iraq, in Iran, in
Kuwait and other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
We should not forget, but we have to look forward. It must
be a priority for us – for those countries, their neighbours,
and the international community; all of us assembled here
today – to avoid that it happens again. Bilateral relations
are now being normalised, but a regional security structure
or mechanism in this region is long overdue. We will not
have a secure and stable situation in the long term without
some kind of regional security arrangement which takes into
account the legitimate concerns of all the countries of the
region.
Some people will say that this is not realistic, that the
timing is not right, etc. I would rather say that it is
unthinkable and unacceptable not to try. Will the timing
ever be right? I don’t think we can afford to wait. And
believe you me: I have no illusions that this will be easy,
but we have to move in that direction. Clearly, the
initiative has to come from the countries concerned. But I
can assure you that the EU – and the rest of the
international community, I would hope – will be there to
assist and support any such initiative coming from the
region. The EU considers this to be a priority.
Mr. Chairman, I end on that note. This has been a very
useful and well-organised international meeting on Iraq, and
I would like to thank my friend Ahmed Aboul Gheit and his
colleagues once again for it. At the same time, I would not
want us to meet again in a decade or so because we did not
try to come up with a proper regional security arrangement.
I look forward to pursuing this issue with you later."
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