EU's anti-terrorism code dispute resolved
The European Union, Israel and its Arab neighbours endorsed an anti-terrorism code of conduct today after overcoming differences at a fractious two-day summit in Barcelona, diplomats said.
However, they said, disagreements over the Middle East peace process forced the EU to drop a “Common Vision” statement on its ambitious plan to revamp relations with its southern neighbours by linking aid more directly to democratic, economic and political reforms.
The diplomats asked not to be named because of the sensitive nature of the summit talks.
In the two-page anti-terrorism code of conduct, the EU, Israel and its Arab neighbours reiterated their “total condemnation of terrorism in all its forms and manifestations and our determination to eradicate it.” It said terrorism was a “global challenge” requiring international co-operation to stop the acts of terrorists and disrupt their networks.
The code was adopted after two days of fractious negotiations in which the EU and Israel sought to win Arab support for a statement saying terrorism can never be justified.
The talks almost collapsed as Arab delegates pushed for language that effectively said those “under foreign occupation” might legally resort to force to gain freedom.
Diplomats said this was resolved by removing a contentious section referring to the right to self-determination.
The code of conduct commits the EU, Israel and its neighbours to “prevent terrorists accessing money and weapons, to disrupt their plans and disrupt their networks and to bring them to justice by strengthening international co-operation.”
It adds that the response to terrorism must be “proportionate and solidly anchored within international and domestic legal frameworks that ensure respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.”
While British Prime Minister Tony Blair rescued the text, the summit he chaired failed to issue a lengthy “common vision” declaration on linking EU economic and other aid for Arab states to their economic and political reform efforts.
Arab nations have long resisted the EU reform push, and disagreement over the way forward in the Middle East peace process led Blair to drop the formal declaration altogether. The EU is eager to change course in its Mediterranean policy that has doled out 20 billion euros (£13.6 billion) in grants and soft loans since 1995 but has failed to undo the region’s poverty.
The summit faced problems from the start yesterday, when only two Mediterranean leaders showed up Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Those of Egypt, Algeria, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, Tunisia and Morocco were unable to attend.
The EU had high hopes for the summit that assessed a decade of economic outreach widely regarded as having failed to deliver results. In the future, it plans to link its aid to economic and political reforms in countries that shed their authoritarian ways. Its aim is to craft a Euro-Mediterranean free trade zone by 2010.
