EGMONT IN THE PRESS - Source : Global Europe
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=205739
27 March 2010
“It is very important that we are supporting each other, not blocking each other,” said President Tadić. “If Croatia is an EU member, it is not only a success for Croatia but for Serbia. That is the new spirit, the European spirit.”
Josipović, whose country is expected to join the EU in 2012, promised that Croatia would not use its membership to block its neighbors’ bids. Serbia handed in its EU application in December.
Both Balkan leaders were addressing Brussels Forum, an annual high-level conference on transatlantic relations attended by heads of state, senior officials from the EU institutions and member states, U.S. and Canadian officials, Congressional representatives, parliamentarians, and academics.
Tadić and Josipović also vowed to do everything possible to bring stability to Bosnia-Herzegovina. While acknowledging that Bosnia-Herzegovina was still a “big problem” and “not a functioning state,” the Croatian president said it was impossible to impose a solution on the country. “We have to do everything possible to maintain the territorial integrity of Bosnia-Herzegovina,” Tadić said.
Many participants heralded the importance of Tadić and Josipović sharing the same stage. “The significance of having these two presidents here in front of us is immense,” Balkans analyst Misha Glenny said from the audience.
Speaking at his last Brussels Forum before standing down in November, U.S. Senator George Voinovich (R-OH), who has Balkan roots, said, “This is a very happy moment for George Voinovich.” While welcoming the progress made in the region, the veteran Senator warned against enlargement fatigue, stating, “I know people are tired but we must finish the work that needs to be done there.” EU Enlargement Commissioner Štefan Füle added, “I hope very much that we will be able to delete ‘enlargement fatigue’ from our vocabulary.”
In a panel on Iran that closed the day, Brig. Gen. (ret.) Yossi Kuperwasser, Deputy Director General of Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, who said a military option against Iran is viable if the international community is “ready to pay the price,” nonetheless said a peaceful nuclear Iran remains a possibility.
“The international community has to make it very very clear that enrichment is not acceptable unless you can really verify – that I fully accept,” Kuperwasser said. “If you can really verify that this is a strictly peaceful program – no problem!”
U.S. Senator Robert Casey (D-PA) said that he is convinced of how to deal with Tehran. “I don’t think there’s any question that if you line up – as a prosecutor might – a bill of particulars, a set of charges, I don’t think there’s any question that that summary of what the Iranian regime has been up to in the last couple of years leads to one conclusion, which is to impose sanctions,” he said.
In an earlier panel on the future of the manufacturing industry in Europe and America, Wilfried Porth, member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG, said manufacturing was essential to sustainable economies and stable societies. However, Porth questioned whether more laws and more subsidies would keep industry healthy.
“Europeans tend to over-regulate things,” said Porth. “We prefer talking about risks before we see opportunities. We should be more open to new technologies. If we don’t do that, we’ll lose out.” Querying the U.S. government’s bailout of General Motors -- overseen by fellow panellist and Obama manufacturing advisor Ron Bloom -- Porth warned legislators not to fall into the same trap they did protecting loss-making national airlines. “We should let the market do what the market has to do,” he said.
*** Brussels Forum is an annual high-level meeting of the most influential North American and European political, corporate, and intellectual leaders to address pressing challenges facing both sides of the Atlantic. Participants include heads of state, senior officials from the European Union institutions and the member states, U.S. and Canadian officials, Congressional representatives, Parliamentarians, academics, and media.
Brussels Forum is organized by the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), the Federal Authorities of Belgium, the Egmont Institute, and Daimler. Additional sponsors include the European Union Delegation to the United States, Eli Lilly and Company, BNP Paribas Fortis, the Ministry of Defence Republic of Latvia, and the Japan Foundation Center for Global Partnership.
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