EU's double standard
 
 
 
Although it is not engaged in the conflict, the European Union is at war with terrorism in various ways, in tandem with the United States. At the same time, however, it appears to be doing everything to fuel terrorism and extremism, again like the US. Saturday's one-sided statement by its foreign policy-chief Javier Solana was the EU's latest provocation to Arabs, and would hand another justification to Al Qaeda and all kinds of other extremists for actions which are so objectionable to the west. In a statement to reporters at the end of a two-day meeting of EU foreign ministers in Bremen, Germany, Mr Solana urged Arab countries intending to acquire nuclear technology to abide by the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. Even countries that have close relations with the United States and the west. In fact, three of the countries he specifically named in his remarks -- "Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the Jordanians" -- have diplomatic relations and peace treaties with Israel. Saudi Arabia, hosted US and allied armed forces during the First Gulf War in 1991. You couldn't get more pro-western, and thereby anti-terrorist, than that. But since the three, as well as "several (other) countries in the Arab League (which) have decided to produce energy with nuclear processes," are Arab, their nuclear programmes must be restricted. Israel -- the best-armed country in the Middle East whose military nuclear programme is more than four decades old and which is known to possess more than 200 nuclear warheads -- didn't even come in for mention in Mr Solana's remarks.

The European Union may be liberal on other matters, but when it comes to Arab-Israeli differences it virtually has as much of a closed mind as the United States and Israel. Its attitude towards Hamas is little different from that of Washington and Tel Aviv -- to the extent of its support and cooperation with the financial starvation of Palestine's most popular party when it was in power after sweeping last year's general elections. The EU's opposition to the Iranian nuclear programme is too familiar a story to bear mention here. It is little surprise, therefore, that EU countries feel as much under threat from terrorism allegedly originating in the Middle East as the paranoid Bush administration. As a member of the Middle East "quartet" of mediating countries and organisations, the EU can play a constructive role for securing of a solution in that region. But from Mr Solana's statement, it appears the 26-member grouping doesn't have the courage yet to take on that role.