I will deal with the external relations issues first. As is usual, I will make arrangement for the list of A points to be sent to the committee. I am attending at very short notice because, as we know, the Minister has been unavoidably detained elsewhere.
Let us begin by considering the issue of the Wider Europe - New Neighbourhood initiative. At the last meeting of the Council in March the Foreign Ministers decided that the initiative should be the basis for an European Commission paper. The discussion will be taken up again at the April meeting of the Council of Ministers. The initiative focused initially on the enlarged relations of the European Union with Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus but has since been redefined to include all the countries on the external land and sea borders of the enlarged Union. In addition to Ukraine, Moldova and Belarus, Russia and the countries of the southern Mediterranean will also be included, namely, Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria and Tunisia. I came here from a meeting with the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Russian Federation at which we discussed this very issue. The initiative envisages strengthening the European Union's relations with those neighbouring countries and the development of a ring of friends with which it enjoys close, peaceful and co-operative relations. In return for the concrete progress demonstrating shared values and effective implementation of political, economic and institutional reforms, the new neighbourhood would benefit from the prospect of closer economic integration with the European Union.
Discussion of the proposal at the forthcoming Council meeting is still at an early stage. It is fair to say that, while it has been generally positive, much of the detail has still to be worked out. Ireland, together with a number of delegations, has asked that more in-depth consideration be given to the eastern European countries originally covered by the initiative. In addition, it is important that the principle of differentiation should be observed, because all the countries involved, from Russia in the north to Tunisia in the south, are very different from each another and a one-size-fits-all policy would clearly not be appropriate. I am sure the committee sees the logic in this. Ireland will follow the ongoing discussions closely. The new member states will accede to the European Union in the course of our Presidency in 2004. For this reason, it is vitally important that progress should be made as quickly as possible in determining policy in relation to the new neighbours.
In view of the central role played by the European Union in the promotion of democracy, stability and reform in the western Balkans, the situation in the region is a permanent item on the agenda for meetings of the General Affairs and External Relations Council. The meeting next week will consider developments in Serbia and Montenegro since the tragic assassination in Belgrade on 12 March of Prime Minister Zoran Djindjic. In the aftermath of the assassination, the federal authorities and the new Serbian Government under Prime Minister Zivkovic have stated their determination to pursue the reform process and the development of closer relations with the European Union. The European Council on 20 March reaffirmed the full support of the European Union for the reform process in the western Balkans and the efforts of the political leadership in Serbia and Montenegro.
As a strong expression of this support, the European Council asked High Representative Solana and Commissioner Patten to draw up concrete proposals for support for reform in the country. Discussions have been taking place in Brussels and Belgrade over the past two weeks to finalise a package of EU support which will be ready for discussion at the Council next week. I do not have details as yet. Ireland fully supports the role of the European Union in encouraging the political leadership in Serbia and Montenegro to implement vital political and economic reforms, step up the fight against organised crime, and improve co-operation with the international criminal tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
As I mentioned, I have just had discussions with the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister. Among other matters we discussed EU-Russia relations, the third item on the agenda. The April Council will also consider EU-Russia relations and the sixth meeting of the EU-Russia Co-operation Council will take place on the same day. EU relations with Russia are growing steadily and deepening across a wide range of issues from justice to the environment to political issues of mutual concern. This is a very encouraging development. On the one hand, it reinforces the common values between the European Union and Russia and, on the other, focuses dialogue on practical and long-term issues. There is a busy schedule of meetings in the run-up to the EU-Russia summit in St. Petersburg on 31 May to which President Putin has invited all 15 EU Heads of State and Government. President Bush has also been invited. I understand from my discussions earlier today that the ten accession states may also be invited to the meeting and that at the same time there will be a meeting of the Heads of State or Government of the CIS states in St. Petersburg. It is a very wide-ranging meeting. The meetings are scheduled to mark the 300th anniversary of the city's foundation.
A detailed agenda for the discussions has not yet been developed and from my contacts earlier today some work still needs to be done. The European Union is keen that the summit addresses a limited number of issues, including ratification of the Kyoto Protocol and progress on an agreed political solution for the long-standing conflict in the Transdniestran region of Moldova. We believe there should also be discussion at the summit on Chechnya and human rights issues as well as the wider Europe and the process of enlargement.
During my bilateral contact this morning I discussed the issue of Chechnya. I hope we develop a good agenda. It is the Minister's ambition that we have a concrete and specific agenda for this historic meeting which reflects our common desire with Russia to counter the threats of terrorism, illegal immigration and instability in our region. Russia's singularity by virtue of its location, size, economic potential and political weight makes it a unique strategic partner for the European Union. This leads me back to a point I made earlier on the discussion of the neighbourhood policy, a one-size-fits-all policy clearly will not satisfy.
The Government is deeply concerned at the various threats posed by the Iraqi crisis. We are concerned at the threat which Iraq's weapons of mass destruction pose to international peace and security, at the threat which Iraqi defiance poses to the authority of the Security Council and at the threat to regional stability. Given the divisions within the Security Council, we are particularly concerned at potential damage to the United Nations system arising from the disunity of its members. We believe it is time to move beyond the dissension in the international community, especially in the Security Council, over this issue. A strong, united and effective Security Council will continue to be a vital guarantor of international order in the future. The member states of the United Nations, particularly of the Security Council, must act to restore the authority of the council. We expect the United Nations to play a major role in the post-conflict situation. To paraphrase the Taoiseach, it must be at the heart of the solution. We expect the parties to the conflict to live up to their obligations under international humanitarian law to minimise casualties among the civilian population. We stand ready to assist with international efforts to address the humanitarian crisis which will inevitably accompany the use of military force in Iraq. In this regard the Government announced on 25 March that it was putting aside €5 million in humanitarian assistance for the alleviation of suffering of innocent Iraqi civilians.
Daily life in both Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories continues to be marked by violence from both sides but we have seen some positive developments in recent weeks. On 10 March the nomination of Mahmoud Abbas was approved by the Palestinian Legislative Council. On 14 March President Bush announced that he wished to see the Quartet road map for a Palestinian state presented to the parties after the confirmation of the new Palestinian Prime Minister. We now hope to see this happen in the very near future. The Quartet involves Russia, the European Union, the United States and the United Nations. The Taoiseach is meeting with Prime Minister Blair and President Bush this afternoon at Hillsborough and they will be discussing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as well as the situation in Iraq. The Minister will also discuss it with our EU partners at the General Affairs and External Relations Council.
With regard to North Korea, the actions of the Pyongyang regime, including the firing of a third short-range missile on 1 April, continue to be of great concern to the Government. As we regard this as a multilateral issue, I welcome the fact that the UN Security Council has scheduled discussions on North Korea for 9 April. I also welcome the conclusions of the Spring European Council which called for a special session of the General Affairs and External Relations Council to discuss North Korea with relevant countries in the region. Our position remains that North Korea must meet its international obligations by remaining within the non-proliferation treaty, NPT, and submitting its nuclear facilities to International Atomic Energy Agency, IAEA, safeguards. The General Affairs and External Relations Council will have further discussions on this matter on 14 April.
Discussion on European Security and Defence Policy items are expected to be relatively brief. The council is expected to focus, in the first instance, on the recently launched EU military mission to the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. This is the first such mission undertaken under the ESDP and is therefore something of a test case. The EU presence will be engaged in an ongoing monitoring and stabilisation mission in support of the 2001 peace agreement for FYROM. Although the agreement is so far being successfully implemented, it is felt necessary that the international community should continue to provide assistance at this stage and thereby help to ensure internal security there. The operation should also be considered in the context of ongoing EU assistance to FYROM in the framework of the CARDS programme. It is therefore entirely supported by the Government.
Irish military personnel will not participate in the mission, however, due to legal advice received from the Attorney General indicating that the particular expression of UN endorsement for the original NATO-led operation does not fully meet the requirements specified in the Defence Acts for participation in missions abroad by the Defence Forces. That the EU mission in FYROM has become possible at all is due in large measure to the conclusion of the necessary follow-up to the decisions by the Copenhagen European Council in the area of EU-NATO relations. A role for NATO on ESDP arises from the need for the EU, which is not a military organisation, to have access to certain capabilities and resources such as transportation, headquarters and planning facilities, matters to which the Chairman has referred on more that on occasion. At the Council on 14 April, Ministers will take note of the fact that relevant arrangements for such co-operation are now in place. The Government is satisfied that the arrangements in question are fully consistent with principles established by previous European Councils regarding the different nature of the EU and NATO, autonomous decision making by each organisation and non-discrimination against any member state.
The issue of weapons of mass destruction will also be on the agenda. Ireland has always been active in disarmament and non-proliferation efforts with regard to weapons of mass destruction and I welcome the Swedish proposal to have a discussion at ministerial level on this topic. The EU is already active in the disarmament and non-proliferation area and I look forward to an initial discussion that will take place at this month's Council on how we could improve our efforts in this area. Themes which might be discussed at the April meeting could include how best to strengthen the multilateral treaties in the area of non-proliferation and actions the EU might take to prioritise the issue of non-proliferation, both within the framework of the Union itself and in dialogue with other countries. The Swedish initiative is worthwhile and something at which the committee might do well to look.
The Council will also consider a request for derogation on existing sanctions against Libya so as to allow it to import certain equipment that, it says, is required to allow it to act effectively against illegal migration. We agree that illegal migration is a serious issue confronting the countries of the Mediterranean. However partial suspension or lifting of embargoes would be a questionable precedent. Since no case has been put forward for the permanent lifting of the embargo, we consider that its terms should be fully implemented.
Turning now to the final two trade-related items on the external relations agenda. The Generalised System of Preferences, GSP, provides special low rates of tariffs on EU imports from certain developing countries. The EU regulation governing the GSP provides that where beneficiary countries show improvements in levels of GDP growth or where certain sectors become more competitive, they will be graduated to the normal tariff levels and they will lose the special benefits they enjoy under the GSP scheme. A number of countries, including Colombia and Costa Rica, have lobbied to be excluded from the graduation proposal because their trade in cut flowers, fruit and vegetables would be affected and they fear that in such circumstances their farmers might be encouraged to return to growing illegal drug crops. COREPER discussed the matter on 2 April and is to return to it on 9 April. A number of options are under discussion including deferral of the date for the introduction of graduation until later in the year. Ireland is ready to agree to that course. A full review of the GSP scheme is planned for early in 2004, under Ireland's Presidency of the EU.
I now come to the Doha development agenda. This item is on the agenda in order to allow the Commission to report on the present state of the negotiations and to allow member states to express any concerns they may have. When the latest round of global trade negotiations was launched at the fourth WTO ministerial meeting in Doha in November 2001, the aim was that it should be concluded by the end of 2004. While it is still hoped this target can be realised, progress to date has not gone smoothly and deadlines for agreement on a variety of issues have been missed, including the question of special and differential treatment for developing countries with regard to access to medicines and on the modalities and parameters for the negotiations on agriculture, an issue of special interest to Ireland and to the European Union as a whole. The fifth WTO ministerial meeting is to be held in Mexico on 13 and 14 September 2003. I hope, but do not necessarily expect, that significant progress in the negotiations will have been made by then. As trade is a matter that falls within the scope of Community competence, the European Commission negotiates on behalf of the EU as a group. Together with our EU partners, Ireland will strive to achieve a successful outcome to the negotiations, one that takes account of the needs of the developing countries and is balanced and fair to all participants.
This covers all the items on the external relations agenda.
