Tim King
in Brussels
Members of the European Parliament yesterday warmly welcomed a presentation by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, which stressed the importance to the European Union of promoting human rights around the world.
The MEPs made it clear they supported Mr Cowen's emphasis on human rights as they questioned him on a host of issues, including the US government's treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and on Russia's policy towards Chechnya.
Mr Cowen was appearing before the parliament's foreign affairs committee to outline the Irish presidency's agenda for European Union foreign policy.
"I do not intend to use the next six months to advance specific narrowly-defined national interests. I do, however, intend to highlight issues that are of concern to all of us as citizens of Europe," he said.
Mr Cowen said he saw his task as "defining and projecting a common EU stance on issues of global importance".
He gave MEPs a report on his visit last week to Israel and Egypt, making clear that he had reiterated the established positions of the EU. But he suggested the EU should not wait for things to happen but should act to make things happen, by identifying "small concrete actions" that could advance implementation of the now stalled "roadmap".
"Presently the situation is deteriorating. Inaction is not an option," he told journalists afterwards.
Mr Cowen stressed the importance of "effective multilateralism", saying that the presidency was "committed to working ever more closely" with the United Nations on such issues as crisis management and countering weapons of mass destruction, and reform of the UN.
"We need to be practical and imaginative in promoting human rights around the globe," he said.
A Swedish MEP told him about a Swedish journalist incarcerated in Eritrea for two years. Mr Cowen promised to take the matter up. "That is not acceptable," he said.
But faced with several questions about Zimbabwe, Mr Cowen preferred to give a holding reply. Zimbabwe would be discussed by the EU's council of ministers in mid-February, he pointed out.
He was firm in his view that the EU, in its dealings with Russia, should not confuse human rights issues with its negotiations over energy, but added, "We have an encouraging dialogue with Russia."
Asked if he would ensure that the treatment of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was on the agenda of the forthcoming EU-US summit, Mr Cowen said that the agenda was not yet fixed.
But he pointed out he had recently made clear to the US the EU position that the prisoners should be held within the provisions of international law and human rights, while the International Red Cross had stressed that those held should be given the status of war prisoners.
"It remains in our discussions which we are continuing to pursue," he said.