Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, President Prodi, the four weeks that passed between the Extraordinary European Council of 21 September and the Ghent Summit of 19 October were filled with events of strategic importance. In what ways did the Fifteen analyse these events? In the meantime, the targeted response, for which the Member States had already declared their support the month before, has escalated into real war, causing wide-spread devastation, civilian casualties and distraught people heading for the borders. On numerous occasions, targets have been missed, with refugee centres, hospitals, residential areas and even Northern Alliance positions being mistakenly attacked. The ultimate goal of these operations, which are being stepped up, is becoming increasingly blurred as each day goes by and their vague strategy is startling. There are growing protests...there is mounting criticism...the feeling of unease is spreading, including amongst fervent supporters and key allies of a consistent fight against terrorism. What is our objective? Do we sincerely believe that this is the way to win the necessary fight to close down these criminal networks and deprive them of their fertile breeding ground? How does the European Council view this development, that is worrying to say the least, particularly in the wake of the announcement that American soldiers will soon be deployed on Afghan territory, and even more so because both Ramadan and winter are almost upon us? Well, the European Council – and I quote – ‘confirms its staunchest support for the military operations [...] and [...] notes that these targeted actions are in accordance with the conclusions of the Extraordinary European Council meeting on 21 September 2001.’ In some ways, therefore, there is nothing new in this statement...I am saddened and concerned by this attitude, as it almost puts Europe out of the running altogether, at a time when much is expected of Europe, of a political Europe, not of a military Europe, and of a Europe which, admittedly, has expressed solidarity with the United States in tracking down these terrorist networks, but failed, however, to provide unconditional support for the unilateral choices made by those in Washington. In the weeks before the tragic events of 11 September, the European Union had, in fact, begun to play a role on the international stage, in the Middle East, in Macedonia, at the Durban conference on racism, and the EU knew how to make a mark on events. This was also true on the day after the attacks, when Europe supported the most realistic and responsible movement within the Bush Administration, helping to do away with the worrying concept of a crusade in order to set up a global coalition on an unprecedented scale. Unfortunately, since military operations got underway, the European Union has been acting as if it were paralysed. The new global situation means proper intervention by Europe is more pressing than ever on some crucial issues that are at the heart of the current world crisis, and most importantly, on the Middle East question. Mr Verhofstadt briefly touched upon this point and Mr Prodi came back to the issue: the European Council statement rightly reiterates that the UN resolutions must be respected in order to find a lasting solution to this conflict; the US leaders themselves now seem to agree that Mr Sharon’s policy is feeding the spiral of violence and is a fundamental barrier to peace. Now then is the time for straight talking before things once again spiral out of control and thus give another chance to those who fish in troubled waters. No one is better placed than Europe to give fresh hope to the forces of peace in the region. I believe that this should now be our overriding ambition.

Political group: GUE-NGL