Last update - 00:00 21/11/2006
Time to pressure Iran
By Adi Schwartz
It is hard to ignore Portuguese Foreign Minister Luis Amado's pessimism. He arrived in Israel as Qassam rockets were falling on Sderot and the Israel Defense Forces was deliberating returning to the Gaza Strip. UNIFIL Forces deployed in Lebanon include about 150 Portuguese soldiers, it is hard to navigate between the demands of Israel and Hezbollah, and the Lebanese government is on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, the Iranian problem hovers above all others, its urgency heightened by the statements of Israeli leaders. In an interview Sunday night in Jerusalem, Amado nearly begged to talk about soccer rather than politics.
He is quiet and level-headed; his answers are cautious. In his native country, Amado, age 52, is considered a principled, charismatic man with abundant experience in foreign relations and security matters. He served as defense minister in the Portuguese Socialist government until last June, when he was nominated to replace the resigning foreign minister. He arrived here Sunday following visits to Algeria and Tunisia, and is slated to visit the Palestinian Authority and Lebanon today.
While Portugal is one of the European Union's smaller members, it is slated to preside over the Council of the European Union during the second half of 2007. Germany is slated to hold that position for the first half of 2007, but amendments to EU regulations call for Portugal to join Germany in leading the EU as early as January.
"We are very close to a very dramatic, very dangerous situation in terms of regional and international stability," Amado notes, looking visibly troubled.
When asked his opinion of Israeli predictions that fighting with Hezbollah may renew next spring or summer, he says only that "the situation is dangerous and complex."
But Amado's position on all matters pertaining to Iran is clearer and more determined. "There is time for negotiation and time for pressure. Iran did not respond to the international community's proposal, which was very generous. Certainly, that was time for pressure. Now, we should implement another phase of the [UN Security Council] resolution."
Amado refuses to address specifically the matter of sanctioning Iran. "We need to go on with the process of lending credibility to the Security Council," he says, referring to the most recent Security Council decision, which threatens sanctions against Iran if it does not suspend its uranium enrichment program.
Amado also refuses to discuss sanctions under consideration, but in response to questions on the possibility of an Israeli military strike, he indicates this would not make him fall out of his chair.
Amado refuses to comment on whether, in their meetings, Israel's foreign, defense or prime ministers asked him to deliver a message to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas. He says the EU must play a significant leadership role in negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, but that both sides must conduct those negotiations themselves.
Israelis sometimes sense the EU is pro-Arab. Does the growing Muslim population on the Continent influence this?
"Yes. We don't want to see a radicalization of Islam in the moderate states surrounding Europe or in the communities inside our societies. Some European states are evaluating how the Israeli-Palestinian conflict impacts the way Muslim communities regard their integration in European society. It is a political issue."
Doesn't that create EU bias against Israel?
"No, not at all. The world is not the same after September 11. We need to adapt strategically to this new situation. We should not confuse radical Islam with situations that need to be resolved. The Israel-Palestinian conflict is not a conflict between Islam and the Western world. It is a problem created by the international community, and it has to be solved by it. We see the spread of radical Islam, which takes advantage of the problem and makes it a centerpoint of its ideological fight against the West. They are connected, but that is the problem."
Amado will be charged with strengthening internal European cooperation and creating a unified, coherent foreign and security policy for the EU's 25 member states. (That number will increase to 27 in January, when Romania and Bulgaria join the EU.) Despite his socialist political identity, Amado is considered an advocate of close cooperation with the United States. He was one of the only members of his party to support the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003. Members of the center-right government of Jose Manuel Barroso, the former prime minister and current European Commission president, also supported the incursion.
The war in Lebanon gave the EU a golden opportunity to prove its diplomatic power. The U.S. lost its ability to influence Iran and Syria, while Europe maintained permanent relations with those nations. Yet, the American secretary of state set the diplomatic process in motion.
"Europe is suffering from a constitutional crisis now that France and the Netherlands held referenda rejecting the constitution. We cannot put off implementing change in this arena. The attempt to form a consensus between dozens of nations with different interests is difficult. We must constantly compromise.
"It took some time, but there was finally a great deal of willingness on the part of Europe to participate in UNIFIL. It is not a European force - it is a UN force. But a large portion of the force comes from European nations. We ultimately had a constructive role."
Would UNIFIL fight Hezbollah to prevent a war with Israel?
"UNIFIL is not there for war but to maintain peace. So your question makes no sense at all. If you ask me whether it has the capacity to respond to an incident, yes, that is part of its mandate. We should not enter a mission of peace while thinking of war."
What is your position regarding an Israeli strike on Iran?
"Israel's right to existence is absolutely inalienable. I was defense minister; I know what that means. I know what defense issues mean, and I know a responsible government must take care of its citizens. I can understand what the government of Israel might feel and think when it has so many problems. I also think we need to act rationally at a political level and to make responsible decisions."