Karamanou (PSE). – (EL) Mr President, if the European
governments are unable to arrive at a common position – and the Greek
Presidency’s painstaking efforts here do it credit – then we must raise a loud,
clear, united voice in the European Union against this war for oil and against
unilateral intervention which flies in the face of international law, the
resolutions passed by the UN and global public opinion. Yes, Mr Solana, we must
give the UN inspectors what they are asking for: time, money, resources and
information. We must give peace another chance. Unfortunately, war and violence
are your preserve, the preserve of the men who rule in the decision-making
centres, while the victims of war are mainly women and children. We in the
Committee on Women’s Rights and Equal Opportunities have repeatedly emphasised
the need for conflicts to be resolved by peaceful means. War with Iraq will not
only signal the resounding failure of diplomacy and policy, it will also mean
that we have betrayed our values and our culture. It will mean that old Europe
has no new, alternative standard to raise against the philosophy and culture of
violence being promoted by the USA. The rulers of Europe have a huge
responsibility at this crucial stage.