Address
by Mr Kotsonis, Vice-President of the WEU Assembly
Mr President, Ladies and
Gentlemen,
On behalf of the WEU Assembly,
of which I have been Vice-President for about a year now, I would like
to thank you for your invitation and for the very successful organisation
of this conference on the parliamentary contribution to stability, economic
growth, democracy and good neighbourliness in South-East Europe.
I think that neither the
timing nor the place for the organisation of this conference could have
been more appropriate. This is indeed a historical moment for South-East
Europe with democratic institutions being reinforced throughout the
region and cooperation with European institutions considerably enhanced.
We can only rejoice in these developments. Alas, they are not the only
ones ; old spectres we considered for ever gone like nationalism and
the exploitation of legitimate feelings and demands of ethnic minorities
by irresponsible groups or extremists seem to be re-emerging from darker
periods of history to endanger progress, stability and peace itself.
This perilous development should not be underestimated.
It is my firm personal
belief, Mr President and dear colleagues, as well as the belief of the
WEU Assembly, that the duty of the international community and especially
of international organisations lies both in discouraging any irresponsible
or extremist activity and in working for the better integration of ethnic
minorities in the national societies and institutions of the states
where they live.
Democratic institutions,
among them and perhaps above all parliamentary ones, can certainly make
an essential contribution to the development of cooperation and the
improvement of the political climate in the region.
The WEU Assembly considers
that it has already made significant steps in this direction because
it has systematically cultivated relations with the national parliaments
of all the countries of South-East Europe. It has adopted a number of
reports suggesting action for improving the political climate and the
security situation in the peninsula.
In this, our Assembly
has acted in parallel with the other WEU institutional organs which
have taken on responsibility for important action in the Balkan peninsula
such as MAPE - the programme of assisting the Albanian police - or the
mine clearance operation in Southern Croatia. These operations are now
continuing under the auspices of the European Union.
Mr President and dear
Colleagues, the fact that the European Union is now taking on a security
dimension and that it is gradually being given the necessary capacity
to assume its new responsibilities can only be a source of satisfaction.
Our continent can only benefit from the development of purely European
security - and later defence - structures. We are obviously convinced
that these structures must include a parliamentary dimension in order
to secure a close link with public opinion in member states and to enhance
democratic control over the actions connected with the new policies.
For the time being, the question of the form that democratic control
will take remains open. I sincerely believe that solving this question,
perhaps by the next intergovernmental conference of the European Union,
will constitute an important contribution to the causes of integration,
democratic cooperation and stability in Europe.
Thank you.
