"Base foreign policy on values" - Buzek in North Africa debate with Ashton and political group leaders

"Europe has a historic duty today to support the people in their fight for freedom and democracy against authoritarianism, repression and human rights violations," said EP President Jerzy Buzek in a special meeting of the Conference of Presidents on Wednesday. The meeting saw the EU Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative and Vice-President of the European Commission, Catherine Ashton, discuss the latest developments in North Africa with the Parliament's political group leaders.

The discussion with the High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) centred on Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Members were briefed on the latest steps the EU has taken in responding to the crisis, as well as the information that the HR/VP has been able to gather during her recent visit to the region. The political groups expressed their support for the efforts made by the High Representative and the European External Action Service, and underlined that at this stage, helping refugees and people in distress should be the utmost priority.

The political leaders also argued that the EU should play the principal role in helping the countries of the region in their processes of democratic transition, and urged a strong EU effort to help them in financial and economic terms, as well. On Libya, some wondered whether there is any possibility for further imposition of sanctions against the Gaddafi regime.

Next steps

"We must do all we can to overcome the humanitarian crisis in the region, to set foundations for a stable and prosperous future and to ensure that those who violated human rights are brought to justice. We have reached the point of no return: Colonel Gaddafi's time is over. The European Parliament has always been a strong advocate of an EU foreign policy based on values rather than interests. Our stance has often been overlooked as not being realist enough. Today, the people are proving the cynics wrong," said President Buzek.

The meeting of the Conference of Presidents – made up of EP President Jerzy Buzek and the leaders of Parliament’s political groups – also included the chair of the delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries, Mário David. At their next meeting, on Thursday morning, the Conference of Presidents is expected to add a debate on the EU’s southern neighbourhood, including Libya, to the agenda of next week's plenary session, along with the vote of a resolution.