Stable Iraq requires commitment from Europe for a generation

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 15th Sep 2004

Rebuilding Iraq will require "a commitment from Europe for a generation", ALDE President Graham Watson (LibDem/UK) argued today in a debate in Strasbourg on EU policy in Iraq. Mr Watson criticised those who put a "reckoning" on responsibility for the war in Iraq before a commitment to "that battered country". Mr Watson said: "When your friend's house is burning down, you do not stop to argue over who dropped the match." ALDE Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Annemie Neyts (VLD/Belgium) also argued for Europe to act to improve the situation in Iraq.

Mr Watson argued that with "the oppressive brace of dictatorship ripped away, Iraq has burst like a broken dam. If we do not control the flood...it will drown the hope of democracy in the Middle East. Everything else in Iraq depends on stopping the killing." Condemning Iraqi insurgency, Mr Watson criticised heavy-handed military tactics in Iraq's cities, arguing they "fed the resentment and disorder that recruits for militancy".

Mr Watson backed the European Commission's call for 200 million euros in additional funding for reconstruction in Iraq, but said "Iraq needs more than money":

"Iraq needs international help: a deep and wide commitment that cannot afford to countenance failure. When the security situation allows, the UN must return, and with it the European Union. Europe has experience to offer in everything from restoring Iraq's devastated infrastructure to advising on the drafting of its new constitution."

"Europe must help Iraq take a decisive step away from authoritarianism. A stable Iraq built on democratic foundations could change the face of the Middle East, but it will require a commitment from Europe for a generation."

Annemie Neyts MEP (VLD/Belgium), ALDE spokeswoman on Foreign Affairs and President of Liberal International, also intervened in the debate on the situation on Iraq, saying: "The situation raises a lot of questions. Is this the notorious clash of civilisations? Do we hope for a miraculous end to terror? One thing is certain: we, Europe, need to act against terror and the situation in Iraq. Freedom and democracy are values to be enjoyed by everybody all over the world."