EU changes gears, Asia gets priority

PARIS, JULY 4: If seaside summits in swank resorts are going to be the mainstage of the French Presidency of the European Union, a lot mor...

PARIS, JULY 4: If seaside summits in swank resorts are going to be the mainstage of the French Presidency of the European Union, a lot more seems to be on the cards as far as Asia is concerned. Unveiled exclusively for some select visiting journalists amid a historic European Cup victory that French papers here described as making France the king of Europe, clearly the top billing in the Euro-Asian policy goes to the sending of a second troika to the military junta-led Myanmar to try and sort out its ties with this key troubled nation.

Of course, dates haven8217;t been finalized, but this troika will take over from where the last one left off on July 1999. Although there is no official change from the EU policy towards Myanmar the stated and oft-repeated position is that sanctions will continue and that the military rule there is not acceptable.There is hope that this visit which has been planned for sometime later this year will yield some flexibility and movement in the so-far sterile efforts at improving things. And that is because among all the EU members, France is considered to be the most flexible.

Next comes the ASEAN summit in October, adoption of a declaration that updates the co-operation formula with member states, a major thrust in the area of education with several more student exchanges planned, a meeting with high-ranking civil servants from Indonesia, and lastly, a crucial summit with China.

Somewhere in the end comes India. Ties with us are on an even keel, bolstered no doubt after the recent EU-India summit that was Portugal8217;s final engagement as it signed off from its reign as the preceding rotating President of the EU last week. quot;Already we have good relations with India and that process will be followed up. Ever since Kargil and the N-tests, our interests in India have been renewed.quot;

As far as Europe is concerned, France takes over at a time when domestic passions have been stirred up by the recent daring utterances of Germany8217;s Green Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer advocating a European Federation complete with its own constitution, government and perhaps directly elected president. Fischer8217;s proposal asks France to go too far too soon. So, President Jacques Chirac, Gaullist and defender of French sovereignty that he is, brushed aside Fischer8217;s personal opinion as a dream for the distant future. Until popular will exists for such a project there is surelyquot; no point in wanting to define Europe in the abstractquot;, he declared.

So all hopes of a no-nonsense presidency for France have been well and truly dashed. But Europe8217;s long summer holidays have only just begun and therefore serious work will only begin in September.quot;We will probably have the busiest presidency in the last ten years or so,quot; said Pierre Moscovici, France8217;s Minister for European Affairs.