Javier Solana
From AICbackground
Javier Solana
Secretary General of the Council of European Union
Quotes
"We are going to be involved, whether you want us or not" -In a statement to Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom
"There have been too many conflicts in the past. There are too many at present. I am saddened by re-emerging patterns of religious intolerance in many parts of the world. We have to remain committed to fight against any ostracism of a group, because of its race, or of its religion."
"We should remain ready and determined to fight terrorist activities which are based on exploitation, a distortion, a reversal of values. We are equally determined to reject the association of Islam with terrorism. We said so clearly after the 11th September tragedy. We will continue to adhere to this position"
You were born in Madrid, Spain, in 1942 and are married with two children. After being born into an illustrious Spanish family, you earned a doctorate in physics and were a Fulbright scholar at several American universities. You taught solid-state physics at Madrid Complutense University before entering politics.
In 1964, you joined the Spanish Socialist Party, and you were known as a radical in your youth under the regime of Gen. Francisco Franco. In 1977, you were elected a member of parliament in, and from 1982 you held a number of cabinet posts including minister of culture, government spokesman and minister of education and science. In July 1992, you became minister of foreign affairs for a staunchly pro-NATO government in Madrid, a post you held until becoming NATO secretary general in December 1995. Your tenure as head of this organization spanned a period of NATO involvement in the Balkans. Within days of taking up your new job, the NATO-led, multinational Implementation Force (IFOR) was deployed in Bosnia to enforce the military aspects of the Dayton peace agreements. During the Kosovo crisis, NATO directed air strikes against Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999.
Alexander Vershbow, the American ambassador to NATO, talked about you at that time, "He is an extraordinary consensus-builder who works behind the scenes with leaders on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure that NATO is united when it counts." However, in October of 1999, you left NATO to become secretary-general of the Council of the European Union and its first "high representative" for the common foreign and security policy. Your difficult task has been to put forth ideas and analyze policy options in an effort to help EU leaders agree on foreign and security policy issues, thereby affording the Union more political weight in international affairs.
As EU foreign policy chief you have been a proactive proponent of peace between Israel and the Palestinian people. Making several trips to Israel and the territories every year, you have a great deal of knowledge of the complexities of the conflict. Moreover, you believe in a two-state solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side with safe and secure borders. You are intolerant of the rampant violence that has engulfed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict since 2000 that continues to this day. You have been critical of the actions of both sides in the conflict. You repeatedly criticize Israel’s harsh military actions in the territories and point to a policy of collective punishment towards all the Palestinian people. You believe that the separation fence being built by Israel to deter suicide bombers is illegal because it de-facto annexes large swaths of land Israel took over in the Six-Day War in 1967. You are a critic of the settlements and believe them to be illegal. Meanwhile, you continuously state that you believe that Israel has a right to defend itself and that any settlement will recognize Israel as a democracy and as a Jewish State.
You also place blame on the Palestinian side for the spiraling violence of the current Intifada that began in 2000. You wholeheartedly condemn suicide bombings and explain that you believe that they are unhelpful to the self-determination of the Palestinian people. You are also vocally critical of the corruption and lack of coordination in the Palestinian Authority. You know that the EU is the largest donor of aid to the Palestinian people and you do not want the money funneled towards buying arms to fuel the violent Intifada. Though you refused to boycott Arafat until he died in late 2004, you were highly dubious as to his intensions.
In your statements, you often state your support for a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital. You see an Israeli withdrawal to the 1967 borders and a complete cessation of violence as the key to solving the conflict. Furthermore, you want the EU and international arena to play a greater supportive role in achieving peace. You encourage EU involvement, along with US and UN involvement. In your opinion, this unending conflict is of the highest priority and must be solved.
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