Yesterday Socialist and Democrat Leader Martin Schulz warned that the Libyan crisis confronts Europe with “a huge challenge” in which wrong decisions could have dangerous long-term consequences
Speaking in a Strasbourg debate with EU foreign policy supremo, our very own Cathy Ashton, Schulz declared: “Gadaffi is a criminal. He is a murderer who should be put in the dock at an international court. This man will not escape his punishment.”
Schulz continued, “We are confronted with a serious, difficult challenge which demands clear-headedness on our part. We need to see a stop to fratricide in the country and we should not exclude any measures to achieve that, and that includes military ones.
“But we have to look at our conscience. A wrong decision here could potentially have a long-term detrimental impact.”
Martin Schulz insisted on involvement of the Arab League and the African Union in action over Libya, including the potential introduction of a no-fly zone. “On the basis of the UN Security Council and with the involvement of Arab countries — that is the only path that we can follow.”
He added: “I don’t think that we should act prematurely, which might salve our conscience on a short-term basis, because it could be dangerous.”
Mr Schulz welcomed proposals for a Marshall plan for the region. But he stressed that the original Marshall plan for Europe had required a one per cent commitment of the total economic performance of the US to Europe. Its result was the European Union, with peace dividends, prosperity dividends and the development of democracy never before seen on the continent.
Criticising EU leaders who thought a one per cent commitment was excessive, Mr Schulz said: “If we really want to stabilise our southern neighbourhood countries, there is something that people need. They need prospects of being able to live in peace, democracy and prosperity. They should be getting what we already have.”
He concluded: “It’s all very well to make noble pronouncements but that doesn’t help people in the southern neighbourhood. They need these words to be matched by tangible deeds.”
Martin Schulz is absolutely right that if peace is not restored to the middle east with a commitment from the west to increase prosperity in the region, we will all suffer. Libya is a concern for all of us in Europe and I hope Martin Schulz’s ideas for improving the region’s infrastructure and raising the general standard of living will be taken on board.
The West should be cautious about being too preachy towards Middle Eastern and African countries on the subject of democracy.
Hosni Mubarak was a despicable undemocratic president but he did submit himself to the pretence of public elections at regular intervals. The elections were flawed in many ways and the Egyptian public did not have access to an uncensored media from which they could make a choice.
President Hermann von Rompuy on the other hand became our President without even the pretence of a public election and now this unknown nonentity enjoys a salary which is greater than that of President Obama.
The EU should put its own house in order before it starts preaching democracy to anyone.
The EU responsible for ‘the development of democracy never before seen on the continent’? I guess Schulz means the pretence of democracy.