Mideast peace needs EU - by Joe Remick
Vienna/Brussels. An Austrian member of the European parliament has said Europe should take a more active role in the Middle East. A member of the parliament’s foreign affairs committee, Hannes Swoboda is also deputy of the body’s delegation to the Palestinian council. "In light of the failure of the United States in the Middle East and its uncritical acceptance of Israel’s interventions in Lebanon and Gaza, Europe must take a clear position. This requires a common foreign policy”, Swoboda said. The Social Democrat declared that, "it is shameful enough that EU member states sent troops to the Iraq war, but it is equally dismal that the EU is unable to motivate the US towards adopting a more even-handed role in the Middle East”.
The MEP also feels Austria could play a more proactive position and called on Foreign Minister Ursula Plassnik to "speak out against aggression and for a long-term peace in both Lebanon and the Palestinian territories”.
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