Washington - The United States has no doubt about the need for a vibrant European Union because it is essential to American prosperity and long-term security, Vice President Biden said in a May 6 speech before the European Union Parliament in Brussels.
(Media-Newswire.com) - Washington — The United States has no doubt about the need for a vibrant European Union because it is essential to American prosperity and long-term security, Vice President Biden said in a May 6 speech before the European Union Parliament in Brussels.
Biden, who is on a three-day diplomatic mission, praised the Lisbon Treaty, which has given the European Union expanded powers and responsibilities aimed at enhancing the efficiency and democratic legitimacy of the 27-nation bloc.
“What began as a simple pact among a half-a-dozen nations to create a common market for coal and steel grew into an economic and political powerhouse, a community dedicated to free thought, free movement and free enterprise, a Europe that one historian has called not so much a place but an idea,” Biden said.
“And I’m here to reaffirm that President Obama and I believe in this idea, and in a better world and better Europe it has already helped to bring about, a Europe where all member states benefit by negotiating trade agreements and fighting environmental degradation with one unified voice, a Europe that bolsters the cultural and political values that my country shares with all of you, a Europe that is whole, a Europe that is free, and a Europe that is at peace,” the vice president said.
Biden is in Brussels for consultations with NATO Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen and other NATO officials, and for meetings with EU and Belgian officials on a range of issues concerning mutual security, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Iran and its nuclear development program, counterterrorism, climate change and energy security, missile defense, relations with Russia, and the promotion of economic growth. It is Biden’s second visit to Europe as vice president, and is a direct effort to strengthen bilateral relations with the EU. The second part of his trip takes him to Madrid for bilateral talks with Spanish officials.
The United States and European allies have been working together in Afghanistan to bolster the Afghan army and police forces, while also working to help its fledging government create the infrastructure it needs to lead the country independent of outside assistance. Efforts there are across two fronts — one military, to provide security while its military and police grow strong enough to confront insurgents, and the other civil, to provide infrastructure to meet the growing needs of a modernizing nation.
“Across the troubled landscape of Afghanistan and Pakistan, we are working together to disrupt, dismantle and defeat al-Qaida and the Taliban fighters and to train an Afghan army and police force,” Biden said. “In order to build Afghanistan’s governing capacity, the United States, the European Union and its member nations are deploying significant financial resources and civilian resources.”
Biden said that while sustaining these missions has not always been popular, “you all know as I do, it is required.” And it is leaders’ obligation to make the case to their populations, he added.
The United States and Europe are also standing together to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, a development that would endanger the region and allies in Europe, he said. Iranian leaders have spurned collective good-faith efforts and continue to threaten regional stability, he said.
“Iran’s nuclear program violates its obligations under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and risks sparking a nuclear arms race in the Middle East,” Biden said.
The United States and several European allies on the U.N. Security Council have been circulating a draft resolution aimed at imposing sanctions on Iran’s regime for not cooperating with the International Atomic Energy Agency on its fledgling nuclear development program.
“Tehran faces a stark choice: abide by international rules and rejoin the community of responsible nations, which we hope for, or face further consequences and increasing isolation,” Biden said.
NATO MEETINGS
Earlier May 6, Biden met with NATO Secretary-General Rasmussen and military and political representatives to discuss the NATO-led coalition effort in Afghanistan, enhancing relations with Russia and a proposed limited missile defense system for Europe.
Instead of an advanced missile defense system that had been proposed by the administration of President George W. Bush, President Obama has opted for a more limited system using Patriot missile batteries in several East European nations and ship-based anti-missile systems in the Black Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
Biden said the United States has proposed an adaptive missile defense system to deter and defend against missile attacks from rogue nations, like Iran, that might threaten the European continent.
( This is a product of the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://www.america.gov )
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