The European Union’s High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, shared his views on the course of international events with journalists meeting for a training seminar organised by the French dailyOuest-France ⁽¹⁾ .Europolitics was present.

France has officially announced its decision to rejoin the NATO command. President Nicolas Sarkozy justifies the move as an advance for ‘Europe of defence’. Do you share that view?

This reintegration will strengthen the climate of confidence, among the EU and NATO member states alike and doubts as to a possible ‘hidden agenda’ on the part of France will be swept away. It will also help clarify relations with the NATO member states that are not members of the Union and allow progress on ‘Europe of defence’ issues. At the same time, we have another positive element on the American side. A US Secretary of State [Hillary Clinton], who spends three days in Brussels to meet all the country’s partners is something new. All of that creates a new dynamic. In Afghanistan, the Balkans, the Middle East, on climate change and energy, a global solution needs to be worked out with the United States, China and Russia.

If you had to name just one issue on which you would like to see headway in 2009, what would it be?

I hope to see progress on the situation in the Middle East. It will not be easy. There are still intra-Palestinian and inter-Arab problems. And on the Israeli side, it remains to be seen what policy stance the new government will adopt. But I have hopes. There was an important meeting in Riyadh, with Syria and Egypt (on 11 March). And the Arab League will meet at the end of the month. That is important. Peace in the Middle East is not a question of days. So we have to persevere, make every effort to move forward with determination towards a solution.

Europe is engaged in Afghanistan alongside the Americans. What more can it contribute? Military forces, another solution?

Afghanistan is a major responsibility for each of us and we all have to act constructively. The Americans are realists. They know perfectly well that the Europeans cannot double the military forces they have already deployed. However, there are other aspects on which we can work, in a more coordinated way, to bring about real change. Police reform, the development of a judicial system, reconstruction of the country: these are some of the tasks where Europe has an important role to play.

We cannot stay indefinitely. What might be a way out?

We have to set more realistic objectives than creating a ‘Swiss Afghanistan’. The country has to be stabilised, made capable of living with its neighbours, with sufficient elements of democracy. Then we have to let the Afghans choose how they want to live their future. What is important is to create this stability and to have free elections. That means involving the entire region. We will all be in The Hague at the end of March for an initial meeting.

This meeting in The Hague is a first in every respect...

Yes. It is the first time that the regional and international actors will be present, not just the European Union and NATO countries, but also all the countries of the region: the Central Asian countries, India and Pakistan, Iran, Russia and China. This meeting will consider all the problems: security, drug trafficking, the question of borders and central government. There is a need to prepare for the elections and for the post-election period. Incentive needs to be given to all the countries that have historical relations with Afghanistan to work constructively. Pakistan is fundamental. Without stability in Pakistan, there cannot be stability in Afghanistan.

Isn’t there a danger of being dragged into Pakistan?

Countries have to be added to the solution, not to the problem. The situation in Pakistan is different from the situation in Afghanistan. Pakistan is a very complex but structured state. The discussion on Afghanistan, which is regional in nature, could also be the opportunity for India and Pakistan to try to settle, historic problems constructively. We have two options today: either leave them alone or try to work together to find possibilities for coming up with a solution. I see only one solution: making a commitment. If India and Pakistan move forward, even just a little, it will be a major step forward for the region’s stability. If China makes a commitment, it will be easier to act. That is the challenge.

Russia and China - you seem to act more and more beyond the framework of borders.

Yes, because we are faced with problems of a horizontal nature that oblige us to go beyond borders. For example, climate change or the economic crisis – where we need China - and disarmament and nuclear agreements – where we need Russia. The year 2009 will be important for the question of armaments. The START ⁽²⁾ agreements will be renewed at the end of the year. The negotiations have to start as soon as possible. We have to make progress on this issue. Problems are global in today’s world and solutions have to be global too. One country cannot solve all the world’s problems. The days when one country could solve an international crisis on its own are a thing of the past.

Does that imply a new age iinternational relations?

Mentalities have to change and decision making has to be shared more with the emerging countries with which, we have to admit, we have had less intense relations. At the G20 in London, in early April, a solution to the economic crisis will not be possible if the other countries do not make a commitment. The world is changing and the Western world accounts for barely one sixth of the global population today. In 20 years, this proportion will be even smaller. The world is changing and it is essential to adapt.

Another subject, Sudan. In retaliation for his indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal, Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir forced NGOs out of Darfur. The population is consequently left without assistance and the president is strengthened. Aren’t we going against our objective? Has the international community been rendered ineffective?

Our position is clear. We strongly condemn the expulsion of the NGOs. And we support the work of the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT). The European Union was behind the initiative of creating the ICT. We think and will continue to think that it is a good thing. We should be proud of having worked for that. However, judicial decisions can have political consequences.

What do you mean?

It needs to be ensured that the citizens of Sudan do not pay the price. Law and politics have to be made compatible.

The African Union and China have called for a postponement of the decision. Will and should this decision be reviewed?

This is the first head of state in office to be indicted by the ICT so it is not an easy situation. That’s logical. But the court’s decision has to be maintained. According to its statutes, only a unanimously adopted Security Council resolution can oblige the court to suspend prosecution. Unanimity does not exist at present. The pressure has to be kept up.

To get back to our European affairs, the Lisbon Treaty has not been ratified yet, but Europe is advancing. How will this new treaty change things? Is it still as necessary?

We did not await the Lisbon Treaty to move forward and I think that we have worked well considering the instruments at our disposal. But with the Lisbon Treaty, it is clear that we would be in a much more advantageous situation. In foreign policy, the next treaty will enable us to work much more effectively and coherently. It offers two key advantages: a permanent president of the Council of Foreign Ministers and a common External Action Service. How many European partners did US President George W. Bush have to deal with during his eight years in office? With this treaty, the European Union will be more credible and better represented externally. That is why I say it has to be ratified.

Are you hopeful about the Irish referendum?

I am confident. In all likelihood, the referendum in Ireland will take place in October. And I have confidence in the Irish. If all goes well, we could count on entry into force on 1 January 2010.

Are you an optimist by nature? 

I am a realist, but I never lose hope.

The world is changing and it is essential to adapt  

The first to take on this role

Javier Solana, high representative for the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy, is a curious character.

At first glance, one might think that because he is a discreet man, he is boring or timid. In fact, he is quite the opposite: he is tenacious and full of strong European convictions. But he knows very well that, as high representative of a common foreign and security policy that scarcely exists and that some member states do not want to exist at all, if he wants his bet – to give Europe a common foreign policy – to be successful, there is a price to pay: discretion and efficiency. And so he is constantly travelling and meeting people.

Although he is virtually unknown in Brussels and despised in some European capitals, he is nonetheless Europe’s face and voice in the world. Whether in Iran, the Middle East or Africa, Solana is without a doubt one of the best-known Europeans and one whose word counts. He is a man with an in-depth knowledge of the issues and a good sense of humour.

Most heads of state or foreign affairs ministers who stop by in Brussels pay him a visit. His special representatives, who he has posted to the world’s hotspots, keep him up-to-date with what is happening and allow him to make quick diplomatic responses. He also has access to Sitcen, as the situation centre or the European Union’s mini-intelligence agency is called, and Coreu, the European diplomatic network. All in all, this makes him the best-informed person in Europe with regards to what is happening around the world.

Make no mistake. While his public profile may sometimes appear vague or hard to pin down, his silences and his interrupted phrases are sometimes symptomatic. He is a diplomat through and through. And he is also from the Mediterranean. His smiles, his grimaces, his questions sometimes say more than his words.

⁽¹⁾  The regional daily Ouest-France launched an original initiative six years ago. It sends its entire staff (around 500 people), in successive groups, to Brussels and Strasbourg for a four-day introductory seminar on the working of the European Union. Other French dailies have joined the initiative (Nord-Eclair, Dernières nouvelles d’Alsace and La Croix).
⁽²⁾ Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty