Spain now paying price for Iraq involvement: foreign policy expert

The World Today - Friday, 12 March , 2004 ABC Australia

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HAMISH ROBERTSON: Well returning now to our lead story.

Is the bombing in Madrid a form of payback for Spain being one European nation, along of course with Britain and Poland, sending troops to Iraq?

Well, Dr Fraser Cameron is an expert on EU and American relations, from the European Public Policy Centre based in Belgium, and he's currently visiting Australia.

Did he think Spain is now paying the price for sending troops to Iraq?

FRASER CAMERON: Unfortunately, yes. I think it's clear from statements made by Osama bin Laden and his followers that those who are really behind the American administration's move on Iraq are now going to get the reward for involvement there.

HAMISH ROBERTSON: If this does turn out to be the consequences of an alliance between the Basque separatist group, ETA, and Islamic extremists, including al-Qaeda, as you suggest, this would be a pretty deadly combination.

FRASER CAMERON: It would indeed, but I don't think there's any evidence for that.

ETA has largely worked on its own, occasionally making ad hoc alliances with the Irish, but it would be a huge step to actually undertake something with al-Qaeda.

I think this is a separate, independent al-Qaeda operation.

HAMISH ROBERTSON: If this is payback by al-Qaeda for the Spanish decision to support the United States in Iraq, doesn't this point to the very real difficulties that the European Union has been facing in developing a common foreign and security policy?

Didn't the whole Iraq issue severely undermine that attempt to develop that policy?

FRASER CAMERON: There's no question that Iraq showed the disarray of the EU.

I would say, however, that this was arguably one of the most difficult foreign policy decisions of the EU. The common foreign and security policies have only been going a short period of time, and the trend is towards converging on most policy issues.

So although Iraq was a setback, the actual overall trend was quite positive in terms of developing a common foreign and security policy.

HAMISH ROBERTSON: And do you also see greater harmony now between perceptions in the United States now that the neo-conservative position has been somewhat discredited, and the views of the chancelleries of Europe, if you like, the views of European foreign ministers?

FRASER CAMERON: Yes, indeed. You simply have to see how the US is desperate to get the UN on board in Iraq almost at any cost, that the United States is desperately searching for multilateral solutions, not just in Iraq, but also now in North Korea and in Iran.

So I think you're absolutely right to say the neo-cons are on the defensive, and regardless of who is to win in November, either Bush or Kerry, the US is set more back towards a multilateralist track.

HAMISH ROBERTSON: Well looking specifically at the dynamics inside the European Union, which is about to be substantially enlarged – aren't all those new members, mostly former Soviet satellite states of Eastern Europe going to make it again quite difficult to forge a common foreign policy?

FRASER CAMERON: Not necessarily. There's a great deal of convergence already in the policies of most of these 10 countries joining on the 1st of May, and the present 15 member states, it'd be occasionally more difficult to take decisions. But by and large I think they will go with the overall consensus that has already emerged and is based on the Solana security doctrines, Solana being the EU foreign policy chief.

He has set down a doctrine which everyone has subscribed to in terms of the priorities facing the European Union, the threats and how we should deal with them.

HAMISH ROBERTSON: Well given the enormous gross domestic product of the European Union, even in its current form, which is comparable to that of the United States – the fact that it has a common currency, the fact that it is about to become enlarged – do you think there is possibly too little appreciation in this country of the importance of dealing with Europe as a single entity, rather than dealing with individual European nations?

FRASER CAMERON: Regrettably, I think this is the case. There's only a small number of people, largely in the Government and a few academic centres in Melbourne, Canberra, Sydney, who really understand the importance of the EU as a global actor.

I think it's important that the business community and the media and public opinion recognise that the EU is a growing important actor, and very important to Australia, in many many different dimensions, not just the trade dimension.

HAMISH ROBERTSON: I was speaking to Dr Fraser Cameron of the European Policy Centre, which is based in Brussels.

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