A moral obligation” “

What’s the role of the European Union for the material and democratic reconstruction of Iraq? And what’s the EU’s relations with America, on the one hand, and the nascent Iraqi authorities, on the other? Will the member countries be able to overcome the deepest divisions in their history caused by the Anglo-American war against Saddam? At the Summit of the heads of European diplomacy in Luxembourg on Monday 14 April, it was acknowledged that “the time is not ripe for a common European position on the role of the EU and of the UNO for the reconstruction of Iraq”. To examine the question, SirEurope met Nikolaos Vlachakis , philosopher and spokesman of the Greek Presidency of the EU. At a time when the EU is symbolically welcoming the countries of Eastern Europe, what grounds for hope are there that its internal divisions will be healed with a view to a unified intervention in the reconstruction of Iraq? “For the Greek Presidency, the signing of the Treaties of membership represents an historic day. After many years of division, Europe is reuniting itself with the countries of Eastern Europe that will become full members of the Union from 2004. It’s true that in recent times the divisions on the Iraqi conflict among the Fifteen – but also among the candidate countries – have thrown European stability into disarray. But it’s also true that the process of unification is so strong that, precisely through divergences and their recomposition, Europe succeeds in finding the road for closer cooperation and for the stabilizing role that it is called to play. The signing of the Treaties will prove the will of the European peoples and governments to overcome their differences and to go towards a new conciliation to guarantee peace in the continent and in the world. It represents a new day for the European family, which will continue with the Convention and with the intergovernmental Conference with the aim of defining the necessary institutional reforms for an enlarged Europe of the future which is already becoming a reality today”. Material, but also democratic and spiritual, reconstruction of the Iraqi people: What contribution should Europe make? “Europe has first of all a moral obligation towards Iraq and the Iraqi people, which has suffered for years under a dictatorial regime and is now suffering from the war. The EU is called to play a key role in the reconstruction. As emphasized by the European Council in Brussels at the end of March, the role of the UNO remains in our view essential. The Union intends to contribute to the reconstruction of Iraq in the wider framework of UN involvement: immediately with a view to humanitarian aid, and later with a view to economic, political and institutional support. We await the decisions of the international organizations on the precise modalities for the intervention of the UNO and of the European Union. The meeting of the European Council with Kofi Annan in Athens also serves to give the heads of state and government an idea of a first approach to the European presence in Iraq”. “Relations between EU and USA, and the role of the UNO; how can the mosaic of humanitarian aid be put together among partners who have hitherto had difficulty in communicating?” “For the Greek Presidency, as for the European Union in general, transatlantic relations are fundamental and must remain priorities, in spite of the recent war. A joint EU/US Summit will be held in Washington on 25 June, and our immediate task is to prepare this meeting by writing a new agenda of transatlantic relations. The ‘emerging consensus’ of the need to cooperate at the planetary level is recognized throughout the world. Time is short, but the EU Presidency is irrevocably committed to the strong role of the UNO and to international cooperation for the reconstruction of Iraq. It’s clear that so demanding and delicate a task cannot be assumed by a single administration”.