“We had a full and enriching afternoon of discussions. Above all we were impressed by the wide range of topics and contributions at today’s working session. We succeeded in getting agreement among the foreign ministers on the text of the Vienna Declaration, which will be adopted tomorrow by the Heads of State and Government. That is a positive signal, and a welcome sign of a fresh wind in our sails”, Foreign Minister Plassnik, President of the Council of the EU, said today after the working meeting of foreign ministers at the EU-Latin America/Caribbean Summit. The reform of the United Nations, the fight against drugs, sustainable development and trade issues were the main themes discussed
“Multilateralism is a theme which unites us”, she continued. “Together we contributed to making the fundamental steps of United Nations reform possible. The Commission for Peace Consolidation and the new Human Rights Council are milestones of the multilateral system. This was also acknowledged here today.” In this context, she also referred to the importance of achieving the millennium goals. “The European Union is the biggest donor in the area of development cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean. With agreement having been reached on the Financial Perspective, we have also secured the necessary funding for this purpose for the coming years.”
Other important themes according to the minister are social cohesion and the vulnerability of small economies and societies, and the need to increase security and predictability in this respect. “It goes without saying that the subject of human rights was also on the agenda. The role of women in peace building and in promoting peace in a post-conflict society was particularly emphasised in the discussions”, she reported.
“Another topic we discussed was the very serious and complex issue of drugs. A mechanism for cooperation between the EU and Latin America already exists. We will work to further strengthen this cooperation in our common interest”, Plassnik stressed.
She concluded by remarking that the discussions had been characterised by a “mood of close partnership and attentiveness. This spirit of partnership and interest in one another is very important given the wide range of themes, and also some differences, which are not always easy to resolve. It is an expression of how seriously we take our future working relationship.” She thanked the government of Peru, which will host the next EU-LAC Summit in 2008.
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