InnleggDrahjelp fra Washington
Av Olav Anders Øvrebø - 10.1.2013 15:07I det europeiske samarbeidets tidlige fase var USA en sterk pådriver for politisk integrasjon i Europa. I nyere tid er vi kanskje mer vant til å høre om frustrasjonen over det manglende ene telefonnummeret til “Europa” og USAs opp- og nedturer i forholdet til enkeltland, “old” og “new Europe”. Men i går intervenerte viseutenriksminister Philip H. Gordon i et av de viktigste EU-spørsmålene nå, forholdet til Storbritannia, med en uforbeholden støtte til britisk medlemskap og lederrolle i EU. Ikke bare det, han trakk også fram hvordan Europa står sterkere når det tales med én EU-stemme. De kunne ikke ønsket det bedre i Brussel.
Originalkilden er alltid best. Her er ordrett sitat.
Question: There is serious discussion [inaudible] about leaving the European Union or scaling down very considerably the political [inaudible]. Can you tell us what your perspective is on that and what message you are delivering to British officials on that subject?
Assistant Secretary Gordon: Sure. We’ve obviously been following this very closely and have for a long time. Obviously this is a question for the British people and the British Government to define their relationship with the European Union. All we can say from an American perspective is what we’ve said before which is that we value a strong European Union. As I indicated in my opening remarks, Europe in general and the EU in particular is such a critical partner for the United States on all of these global issues, and therefore, we also value a strong U.K. voice in that European Union. Britain is such a special partner of the United States that shares our values, shares our interests, has significant resources to bring to the table, more than most others. Its voice within the European Union is essential and critical for the United States, so there are a lot of, inevitably, technical and detailed issues that have to be sorted out for every member of the European Union as it moves forward, but as a broad and general thing we value a strong U.K. voice in a strong European Union.
Question: Some of the Euro skeptics say we could have [inaudible] closer relationship with the United States as a separate entity. What would be your answer to that?