Interview with French Foreign Minister acting in 1984-1986, as well as 1988-1993 Roland Dumas
Q.: The European Union is at a turning point at present. The structure has changed noticeably after the Lisbon agreement came into force in December 2009. How do you feel about this change?
A.: I think these changes are useful for the EU general structure. Restructuring of the EU can help to facilitate the work, as the procedure of decision making will be simplified. I hope that Europe will be more represented in the world arena. New agencies and institutions within the EU and new working methods will be useful for future development. But it will take some time.
Q.: Can we expect Europe to become not only economical, but a strong political Union?
A.: This is the main issue. I kept saying that the EU continues to be the economic force in the world. We have a single market, single currency. The political presentation of Europe in the world is not enough. In future it will be difficult to solve economic issues with the lack of a single political decision. Over the next few years it will be necessary to work for Europe to became a strong political player in the international arena.
Q.: Establishment of the European Army has become topical recently. Does the new shape of Europe with the Lisbon agreement make these plans more realistic?
A.: There is great ccomplication. It does not deal with the system of European security. When President Francois Mitterrand took office, we began to use the joint armed forces between Germany and France. This is the way where the work should be continued.
It will be difficult to create a unified European army with the lack of the coalition, without coalitions of France and Germany. But it is too early to talk about it. In the next few years it is necessary to strengthen this area of activity of the European Community. After all, if we want more involvement of the EU in international affairs, in the international world, in any kind of conflicts, more powerful armed forces are required. Then one can already speak of a unified European army.
At present, some countries in their spirit are not yet ready to make a decision on a unified European army. For example, Great Britain is not ready for that yet. It is more inclined to Americans, not Europeans.
Q.: Do you believe that the establishment of the position of EU Foreign Minister could increase the EU role in resolving conflicts, including the territorial conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh?
A.: It would be important to hear the voice of Europe, if Europe could state about itself more loudly and act with a single position. At present, Europe does not have such a voice, as the leading players in the talks are the United States and Russia. There is no place for Europe. The exception is the initiative of French President Nicolas Sarkozy towards the ongoing conflict, which was voiced several months ago. But this is not an institutional force. If we do not have it, nobody will hear Europe's voice.
Q.: Turkish accession to the EU has become one of the hottest points of French - Turkish relations recently. What is your attitude to Turkish accession process? How many perspectives does Turkey have? What is the reason for such a strong resistance of France in this regard?
A.: I believe that there is persistence of Americans in this issue. The U.S presidents made several trips to Europe to convince European countries to admit Turkey into the Union. This fact raises some suspicions. As long as Turkey is a member of the North Atlantic Alliance, it would be difficult to admit it into the European structure.
We have already solved many issues with Turkey on its accession. But it is too early to speak about Turkey's accession to the EU. Personally, I do not oppose that Turkey to become a member of the EU. But it is necessary to reveal all urgent problems and solve these problems together with the Turkish side.
Q.: What ways of restarting Israeli-Palestinian dialogue do you see?
A.: For many years, I hold a clear position. I stand for peace in the Middle East. I stand for support for the Palestinian government and for resolving the situation through political means. Unfortunately, Israel rejects the UN Security Council's decisions and just complicates the situation.
Another difficulty in this issue is Iran. I think that the countries of Western Europe and the U.S. conduct wrong policy towards Iran. All their actions are directed against Iran. But Iran is a country that is situated near and one can not call it a peaceful country. This problem should be solved differently.
I stand for peace with the Palestinians and for a peace dialogue with Iran. We are moving in the wrong direction. If we do not realize it and change tactics, we will face a war. Israel threatens in this part of the world. We must have a more intelligent approach to the issue of negotiations with it.
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