DIFFERENT VOICES

Date: 19/09/1996

“Nothing will be decided until the last weeks, and perhaps the very last days.”

Danish negotiator Niels Ersbøll dismissing talk of a crisis or stalemate at the Intergovernmental Conference talks.

“Far from constantly burrowing into British sovereignty, the Court spends much of its time keeping Europe's hands, and indeed its own hands, off British affairs.”

Trade Commissioner Sir Leon Brittan defending the European Court of Justice and warning that Eurosceptic attacks on the Court risked undermining the chances of agreeing on sensible reforms at the IGC.

“If you try to do something unilaterally, you are immediately accused of damaging the European spirit. But if you try to respect the European spirit, the policy becomes so watered down that nothing happens.”

Dominique Moisi, deputy director of the French Institute for International Relations, underlining the weaknesses of the EU's common foreign and security policy.

“The free trade system has as its primary objective further liberalisation, which means we recognise we are not yet, perhaps we are still far from, a perfect free trade world.”

World Trade Organisation head Renato Ruggiero speaking during a visit to Brasilia to discuss the agenda for the WTO's first ministerial meeting in December.

“More responsibility (within NATO) for Europe means more burden-sharing with the North American allies. One must not see that as a naïve desire to replace the US in its key role in NATO.”

NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana speaking at the alliance's defence college in Rome.

“Enlargement must have a genuine political and social dimension, bringing together the peoples of nearly 30 European states in a Union capable of meeting the needs of their peoples for economic progress, personal development and genuine security ... the enlarged Union must become a focus for peace, not only on our continent and with our neighbours, notably Russia, but around the world.”

Irish Foreign Minister Dick Spring speaking during a visit to Finland where he stressed that the EU had a real opportunity to give meaning to the Maastricht Treaty objective of 'creating an ever closer union among the

people of Europe'.