More EU fudge

Now is the time, surely, for the European Union (EU) to display the effectiveness of its much heralded influence and to speak with one voice in the devastating crises of the Lebanon/ Israeli war and show that it has a strong presence on the international scene. But of course there can not be a common European foreign policy since there is no pan-European common consensus of opinion.

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The presidency of the European Union currently rests with Finland at the moment (and I bet they wish it didn’t). Thus, it fell to Finnish Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja, pictured left, to chair the emergency session and to come up with some pointless draft statements which call for an immediate cease-fire. However, Britain, Germany and the Czech Republic have promptly rejected it, announcing that they, too, would like to see a cease-fire but do not want a definite timeframe.

It seems that EU officials are about to put pressure on Israel, otherwise its credibility will be in question (don’t snigger, please) to have a cease-fire and then get involved in a long-term political solution. Or so EU External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner told Reuters.

OK - but then what then ? How is the EU going to ensure that the cease-fire is maintained and that Hezbollah is disarmed? Are they going to send in troops to maintain peace on the border? Are they going to sit back and say, well, it will all turn out all right at the end and wring their hands when it does not?

Thus the desired united EU stand is as elusive and as impossible as ever; quelle suprise.