The Secretary General of the European PP called for progress to be made in pacifying the Middle East

Antonio López-Isturiz: "The enthusiasm for the Abraham Agreements, which are fundamental for everyone, is not seen in Europe

photo_camera PHOTO/PARLAMNETO EUROPEO - Antonio López-Istúriz White, MEP for the Partido Popular and Secretary General of the European People's PartyPHOTO/PARLAMNETO EUROPEO

The Secretary General of the European People's Party reviewed European current affairs in an interview during the latest programme of Atalayar on Capital Radio and welcomed the progress made towards achieving peace in the Middle East thanks to the agreements between Israel and the Arab countries.

What do you think of this operation, which will have few precedents in history, the vaccination of hundreds of millions of Europeans in a coordinated manner, with the European Union and the drug agency as the sufficient authorities to coordinate everything that the arrival of the vaccine will mean?

Well, despite the fact that our Prime Minister has been quick to take credit for it, this is a great deal of coordination and foresight on the part of the European Union. It has been discovered, through the pandemic, that there was a lack of coordination because the real owners, the real heads of the European Union are still the Member States. I do not deny this, I consider myself a great Europeanist, but as we say: united in diversity, with maximum respect for all the traditions of each member country. It is also important that in the face of the growing crises presented by globalisation, by today's world, this coordination and unity of the 27 European Member States is necessary to meet these challenges. Together we can move forward, if you will forgive the expression, which I sometimes simplify a little, but alone at this time in today's world: Spain would last five minutes, Italy seven, Germany twenty..., that is the most we would last at this time to the, for example, complicated economic battles with the United States, China, India... That is to say, together we can do things, this European Union is a guarantee to the outside world and also to the inside, where the European Union has been able to react, it has done so with the distribution of funds and that provision of vaccines. The other day I was at a meeting of health ministers from the European People's Party family, which I, as Secretary General, coordinate, and it was a pleasure to listen to the German health minister, Jens Spahn, a good friend, talking about how in Germany a month ago they were already planning how to distribute the vaccine, all this while we were discussing whether they were greyhounds or hounds.
 

Antonio Lopez

In Spain, almost everything has been done late...

That is precisely why the European Union comes to our aid where it is necessary, for example, in the case of certain errors that our government may have made, some of which are very much mentioned, such as the recent episode of the General Council of the Judiciary. In short, the European Union is that corrective mechanism which is increasingly becoming a guarantee of freedom.

Hungary and Poland, which have since been joined by Slovenia, have maintained their veto on the reconstruction fund, and did so at the virtual European Council at the end of last week. How can the European Union convince these states that are reluctant to distribute the funds that were approved in the summer?

The Commission or other Member States such as Germany, which currently holds the Presidency of the European Union, have many mechanisms. For those who are not familiar with the ins and outs of European discussions, I would like to warn you that always at these European Councils, solutions are preceded by big declarations and train crashes, which are then resolved at the last minute at six o'clock in the morning on the last day of the European Council in December, when it is preceded by this Council where no solution was reached. Because the next Council will be held in person, that is another story, and there everyone will see each other's faces and there will be in-depth discussions, it will be a very tough council. But normally the history of European construction tells us that it would be normal and desirable for an agreement to be reached at this Council. Having said that, if this does not happen, I am certainly with the rule of law, as is the European People's Party, and of course the responsibilities will go to Hungary, Poland and Slovenia. Three EU member states, which have decided this within the freedom that member states have. We cannot and cannot block the EU budget for the next 7 years and, above all, that long-awaited recovery fund, those 140 billion for Spain, 27 billion of which will already be available for next year, a fundamental issue for our economic recovery. I am confident and I know that there are very reasonable people in the European institutions at this time who are negotiating against the clock, with other negotiations that we also have on top of us, such as Brexit.

Precisely on the Brexit, one can think that really, if the British could, they would turn back because they are seeing the danger and the pit they are getting into. But at the moment there are no politicians high enough to recognise such a mistake.

It's true, we don't have much Churchill these days. The British could indeed give the impression, but the prime minister and the little group around him, which came through Brexit to take over the Conservative party and the UK government, are the ones in power right now, they are the ones who are negotiating. I share a thought that I heard recently, which said that it would be terrible for them if in the end there were an agreement with the European Union because then the next question would be: what are these saddlebags for this trip? I believe that Boris Johnson, in his own mind, had a guarantee in Trump that the great problem that the United Kingdom had after having severely ended its relationship with the European Union, was that they were looking for that fully delivered treaty between the United Kingdom and the United States, something that Trump could have provided. However, that has changed, that picture has changed. We will see if I am finally wrong about this perception of Boris Johnson and he is ready to conclude a final negotiation with the EU, which must also happen in December because the party is over after 31.
 

Antonio López

I wanted to ask you about another matter because you are also chairman of the European Parliament's delegation for relations with Israel. I want to ask you about this rapprochement that is taking place between Israel and some Arab countries

It catches me off guard and I am very happy because it seems to me to be a fundamental issue. Few people ask about an issue that is crucial and even has consequences for Spain and its environment. Look at what is happening at the moment with the Polisario Front and Morocco, with the tent we have set up in the social-communist government with Mr Pablo Iglesias, to give it a name. Because it seems that Morocco could join these agreements between Israel and the Arab countries, which has led to the opening of an Emirates consulate in the Sahara. A problem that the Polisario Front has clearly seen coming and hence its reaction. These are difficult times that are being experienced in the Saharan area. Look at how far the repercussions of this issue go. 

But where is the positive side of all this? A part that you will not see in the European press, which is why I am glad that they are emphasising it in this medium. You do not see enthusiasm in Europe for agreements that are fundamental, i.e. traditional enemies are sitting around the table, such as the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan, and countries that could join in the near future, there is talk of Morocco, there is talk of Saudi Arabia... The huge step that can be taken to achieve, I am not saying the peace that is evidently what we all wish for in that area, but simply that stability begins to flow. I am aware that, among these countries, as we speak, Israeli and emirate businessmen are already flying from one place to another, creating an economic fabric that could perfectly well help resolve many issues in the Middle East area. This has tremendous repercussions, but here we are a little bit with our Cainite attitude. Who was the advocate of these agreements? Mr Donald Trump, who I may like better or worse, but at least he should be congratulated, because the truth is that what Obama's "saint" had not achieved, Donald Trump has.

Trump has had lights and shadows and this has definitely been a light.

Let's acknowledge it and be gentlemen. We Europeans, instead of being hidden here, should be running to take positions on an event that can also have very positive repercussions for Europe in many fields: security, economy, trade, the applications are multiple. But, well, I hope and expect that, as we know and as I know after speaking over these months with Mr Biden's campaign team, in his next presidency he will support this process. I hope that we Europeans will then allow ourselves to be imbued with that illusion.
 

Antonio López

The fact is that Iran plays a very important role in the region, in conflict with Saudi Arabia, but what is at stake is the $120 billion that Iran had frozen in international banks and which, thanks to the agreements for the nuclear programme, was going to be unblocked. I believe that many European governments are more interested in the economic and commercial aspects of possible agreements with Iran than in other, perhaps more relevant, issues

This is a very sensitive issue, because in addition to the agreements we have discussed, we are obviously going to see in the coming weeks and months people who will logically try to act against them because it suits them diplomatically. The case of Iran has been very clear, with public statements, as has Hezbollah, the terrorist organisation financed by the Iranian regime. I always make a distinction between the Iranian regime and Iranians, because there is a great distance between one and the other. Then there is the question of the very shady role of Turkey in its relation with the Muslim Brothers and the activities carried out in Syria, in Libya; not to forget Qatar. Finally, countries that logically have not shown their support, on the contrary, have criticised it. I must also say that there have been positive consequences. The Palestinians have gone from initially rejecting these agreements to sitting down again at the negotiating table with the Israelis. On the other hand, Lebanon, a country traditionally in permanent conflict with Israel, has also sat down at the negotiating table to discuss the maritime borders between the two countries.

And a step was taken today by the Emirates, which declared the Muslim Brothers to be a terrorist group.

No doubt, and here in Europe we continue to evict daisies where there are states and governments that do not recognise Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation. Others, however, Germany, the United Kingdom and many others have already named Hezbollah as a terrorist organisation in both its military and political versions. However, other countries and in Spain we do not, which I believe we should be cured of these issues because we have had examples in our country. Hezbollah is a terrorist organisation and must be qualified as such.

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