In his speech to the United Nations General Assembly yesterday on behalf of the European Union, the Tanaiste, Mr Spring, spoke appropriately of the world organisation's "irreplaceable" character for "advancing peace, economic and social progress, human rights, democracy and caring humanitarian action". It has been said, with justice, that if it did not exist the UN would have to be invented. The sentiment makes even more sense after the end of the Cold War
It is good to hear a strong statement of support for the UN from the European Union at this stage in the development of both organisations. As Mr Spring said yesterday, "peace and prosperity cannot be assured by states, or even regions, acting in isolation. He went on to say that "we need a renewed commitment to collective action with strong vision and leadership, sustained by the political will of each member state". This will require an increased emphasis on preventive diplomacy and a better response to crises. He noted that the EU currently provides the majority of UN peacekeeping personnel and some 37 per cent of its budget. In a pointed, although indirect, reference to the failure of the United States to meet its budgetary obligations to the UN, Mr Spring called on all states to do so.
There are many in the US who do not want to see a stronger UN and who suspect the world organisation's credentials as a broker of international peace and stability. This is partly driven by hostility to the stewardship of Dr Boutros Ghali as Secretary General, which Washington insists should not be renewed, but also by a more rooted opposition to giving the UN the real power it needs to carry out its international obligations effectively. The contrast between this agenda and that of the EU was clear from the contrasting emphases of the speeches by Mr Spring and President Clinton to the General Assembly yesterday, despite their significant and welcome agreement on greater measures of arms control and the elimination of land mines.
The EU's efforts to construct a common foreign and security policy in recent years can be traced through successive speeches to the autumn session of the General Assembly and voting on resolutions later in the year. The EU Presidency, currently held by Ireland, can choose to highlight certain topics but has to seek out consensus across the 15 member states, which can be a laborious task tending to the lowest denominator of common policy. On this occasion, Mr Spring has been able to deliver relatively strong statements on some of the foremost international issues, in addition to his forthright defence of the UN frame work itself.
It would be all too easy to dismiss these statements as mere rhetoric, unsupported by a common political will on behalf of the EU. But it would be a mistake to do so. They should rather be used as benchmarks to evaluate and, as necessary, to criticise the incremental progress towards a common EU policy that is undoubtedly being made.