Dokument: Vi bringer her uddrag af udenrigsminister Per Stig Møllers (K) åbningstale ved seminar om internationale sikkerhedstrusler den 14. november i København. Talen gengives i sin originaludgave på engelsk
Allow me very briefly to sketch out the framework of today’s seminar.
The international situation has radically changed since the end of the cold war. New international threats have emerged. We share a common global interest in tackling these new threats in a responsible and concerted manner.
This is not just about the current transatlantic relations. In fact, when discussing the transatlantic bond, one should remember the diversity and the depth of the Euro-American relationship. The common security policy is only one part of the transatlantic relationship.
The new European Security Strategy – to be adopted by the European Council in December – is the first attempt to present a coherent European answer to the new situation. The European Security Strategy identifies three categories of new threats: terrorism, weapons of mass destruction and failed states/organised crime.
We must deal with these before they materialize as imminent threats on a global scale. Therefore, the European Security Strategy stresses “pre-emptive” or “preventive” engagements. We must take care of the problems before they grow out of hand. Pre-emptive/preventive engagements can avoid more serious problems in the future.
Central in the preventive engagement is an adaptable and flexible foreign policy. Different means should be applied in different situations. We have to make all our foreign policy instruments work together. Not only classic diplomacy and military force, but also trade relations, aid programmes, peacekeeping operations, monitoring and policing.
Military force must always be the last resort. Before reaching that decisive point, we have a wide variety of foreign policy instruments at our hand, suitable for preventive engagements. In Denmark, we have paid special attention to the potential role of development assistance as a means in countering terrorism.
It is crucial that the international system is able to handle the new international threats. Kofi Annan, the Secretary General of the United Nations, has very recently appointed a group of sixteen prominent figures. Their task is to examine the global threats to peace and security and other global challenges.
This question is of particular importance for Denmark: Respect for international legal order is the foundation for global peace, stability and prosperity.
Questions have been raised on the authorisation of pre-emptive military engagements through the Security Council.
In considering general criteria for use of force, one should never forget that they have no value except in their application. All general criteria are worth nothing without implementation. And implementation presupposes a concrete interpretation.
The goal must be to ensure both the legitimacy and the concrete functioning of the international legal order in the future.
Kilde: www.um.dk
