EU Foreign Ministers had a very useful informal meeting in Rhodes and Kastellorizo on 2 and 3 May 2003. It was noteworthy as it included the ten accession countries for the first time. There were full and very useful discussions on a range of issues including the Middle East peace process, Iraq, weapons of mass destruction, transatlantic relations and the common foreign and security policy. As is the custom at such informal meetings there were no formal conclusions.
On the Middle East Peace Process, there was agreement that the EU must maintain its involvement and commitment to seeing that all parties take the necessary steps to implement the Quartet road map. With regard to Iraq, all member states agreed on the importance of a central role for the UN. There was also agreement that the EU has a role to play, particularly in the area of humanitarian assistance. The Commission was asked to undertake preparatory work to advance the EU's contribution in Iraq.
We also had a broad and forward looking discussion on weapons of mass destruction, transatlantic relations and the EU's common foreign and security policy. At the request of the Greek Presidency, I introduced discussion on the subject of transatlantic relations. In my presentation, I stressed the centrality of the transatlantic relationship to both the EU and the US. The relationship with Washington is one aspect of a ‘policy triangle' along with a reinforced common foreign and security policy and a firm attachment to the UN. While differences with the US should not be over-stated, there was a need to reassess the nature of the EU-US relationship in a strategic manner. An effective EU CFSP-ESDP is an essential component for this process. So, too, is political will to reach common positions and adhere to them. A common view was that the best way to repair the transatlantic relationship was to focus on issues where there are mutual benefits and shared interests. One such area is weapons of mass destruction and it was agreed that the EU and the US should work together on this issue.
One of the suggestions to emerge from the discussions was to prepare an EU Security Strategy for the 21st century, to which the Deputy refers. Dr. Solana, EU High Representative, was tasked with preparing an input for the European Council in Thessaloniki in June.