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| July 1, 2005 | Friday | Jumadi-ul-Awwal 23, 1426 |
Democracy, HR key issues in dialogue with Pakistan: envoy
ISLAMABAD, June 30: In a unique ceremony held to mark the transfer of the EU Presidency from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom, the Dutch ambassador cycled from his embassy to the British High Commission to hand over the EU baton to the latter here on Thursday. On his 40-minute cycling journey to the British High Commission on a sweltering Thursday afternoon, the Netherlands ambassador, Marcel Kurpershoek, was accompanied by some dozen European diplomats.
In the Netherlands, cycling is one of the national sports and a popular way of commuting to work.
On arrival at the British High Commission, the Dutch ambassador and his cycling mates were welcomed by British High Commission Mark Lyall Grant and a number of other European envoys present on the occasion. After the initial exchange of pleasantries, ambassador Kurpershoek presented to the British high commissioner an official red cushion of the president and gavel symbolizing the handing over of the local chairmanship of the European Union.
The UK Presidency will last from July 1, 2005 to December 31, 2005 as the 25-member state EU has a rotating Presidency with a six-month musical chairs system.
Ambassador Kurpershoek thanked the EU members for their cooperation in making the Netherlands tenure of the EU Presidency a success and wished the British high commissioner a prolific occupancy of the EU Presidency. The high commissioner in turn congratulated the Dutch ambassador on a “well-run” Presidency. He maintained that in the EU, key priorities would be increasingly stability and security, not just for Europeans but for the wider world.
“I look forward to working together with our friends in Pakistan on these and many other areas of common interest and mutual benefit during the UK Presidency,” Mr Grant said.
Later, talking to journalists, he said the global priorities for the EU as a whole that the UK shared included looking at how to resolve some of the problems thrown up by the referendum in France and the Netherlands.
When asked about the EU priorities in the context of Pakistan, he said: “Here in Pakistan we shall be focusing as a group of EU ambassadors on developing the relationship between the EU and Pakistan, and taking forward all the different elements of that dialogue that include trade relations as well as the political dialogue.” All these elements had different priorities, he pointed out.
The British high commissioner specifically mentioned democracy and human rights as key issues included in the political dialogue with Pakistan and added: “We should be taking forward that dialogue here locally in Islamabad.”
He disclosed that political director troika talks would take place in Pakistan, probably this September. “These talks will look at the whole balance of the relationship including the political, economic and trade relationship,” he said.
When questioned about the EU-Iran talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme in the backdrop of change in the presidency of both, Mr Grant at first declined to comment, saying he was not directly involved in those talks. However, he then went on to say: “There is a process of dialogue going on between the three of the European countries and the Iranian government and we hope that will continue despite the change of president in Iran.”
Declaring that the European Union was going strong, the Netherlands ambassador said in an upbeat tone: “It was symbolized by our bicycle tour from our embassy to here and it has demonstrated that the European Union is in good shape, it has a lot of stamina and it is capable of facing and winning uphill battles successfully.”
He concluded with the note: “We have quite a lot on our way and finally it has demonstrated also the unity in our plurality. So I feel very optimistic about the European Union and the future and the referenda do not change that perception.”
BRITISH ‘HOSPITALITY’: At the end of the ceremony, the British diplomats gave a unique demonstration of selective hospitality. In a rude reminder of the colonial mindset, they showed the door to Pakistani media corps but invited the European guests inside for refreshments. Not even a glass of water was offered to the “Pakistani friends” who stood under the scorching sun to cover the event.
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