Une blogueuse nue défie les conservateurs égyptiens

LE FIGARO: Aliaa Elmahdy pose nue sur son blog. De quoi choquer les islamistes, mais peut-être aussi les renforcer, en décrédibilisant les libéraux.

Défi courageux lancé aux conservateurs? «Suicide social»? Ou provocation gratuite qui va renforcer les islamistes en choquant la majorité très conservatrice et pieuse des Égyptiens?

Le débat fait rage en Égypte, particulièrement sur Twitter, depuis que la nouvelle s'est répandue qu'Aliaa Magda Elmahdy a créé fin octobre un blog sur lequel elle et un de ses amis posent entièrement nus. La jeune femme, qui se définit comme «individualiste et athée» était jusqu'alors une inconnue en Égypte, mais elle se présente sur son compte Facebook comme la petite amie de Karim Amer, un blogueur alexandrin condamné en 2007 à quatre ans en prison pour avoir «insulté l'Islam» sur son blog. Il y avait notamment dénoncé la dérive fondamentaliste, selon lui, de la mosquée-université d'Al-Azhar, vitrine de l'islam officiel égyptien. » | Par Tangi Salaün | lundi 14 novembre 2011

Anders Behring Breivik: 'I Am the Commander of Norway's Resistance Movement'

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik, the self-confessed killer who massacred 77 people in bomb and gun attacks in Norway earlier this year, has claimed to be the commander of a Norwegian "resistance movement".

Breivik's first public hearing before a packed Oslo court was the first time victims and family and friends of the dead had seen the 32-year old since he killed eight in the Norwegian capital with a bomb before shooting 69 people dead at a youth camp on the island of Utoya back in July.

Anne Leer, a journalist in court, said Breivik looked his victims straight in the eye when he entered the court.

"I am a military commander in the Norwegian resistance movement and Knights Templar Norway," Breivik said in a low and controlled voice. "Regarding the competence (of the court), I object to it because you received your mandate from organisations that support hate ideology (and) because it supports multiculturalism."

The public presence of the anti-Muslim extremist produced a maelstrom of emotions for those who survived the massacre or those who lost loved ones. Some left the court sobbing while others remained, curious to see the man responsible for so much death and suffering. » | Matthew Day | Monday, November 14, 2011

Related »

LE FIGARO: Le tueur d'Oslo reste en prison trois mois de plus : Anders Behring Breivik, l'auteur du massacre du 22 juillet en Norvège, comparaissait pour la première fois en public lundi devant le tribunal d'Oslo. » | Par lefigaro.fr | lundi 14 novembre 2011

THE ATLANTIC WIRE: Anders Breivik Demands Psychiatrists and Cigarettes » | Connor Simpson | Saturday, August 02, 2011

BBC: Norway attacks: Breivik makes ‘unrealistic’ demands » | Saturday, August 02, 2011

Arab Press Predicts Regional War Over Syria

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Syria's growing isolation from its neighbours has raised the prospect of a regional war, according to Arab analysts and newspapers.

Abdel Bari Atwan, editor of the London-based pan-Arab nationalist newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi, raised the prospect of a conflagration in which a Turkish attack on Syria would coincide with an Israeli attack on Syria's closest ally, Iran.

Other newspapers renewed claims, first raised in the summer, that Turkey was on the brink of ordering its troops to create a "buffer zone" on its border with Syria as a safe haven for refugees from the crackdown on protest by President Bashar al-Assad.

That could trigger a confrontation between the two former friends and allies.

Although the Arab League and certainly western powers including the European Union and Nato have denied suggestions of a military intervention, Syrian opposition leaders are less adamant in their rejection of the use of armed force than hitherto. » | Richard Spencer, Middle East Correspondent | Monday, November 14, 2011

Verwandt »

Jordaniens König Abdullah fordert Assad zum Rücktritt auf
HAMBURGER ABENDBLATT: Arabische Liga will Syriens Ausschluss am Mittwoch bei Sondertreffen in Kraft setzen. Syrische Opposition hofft auf Hilfe der Türkei. EU verschärft Sanktionen.

BRÜSSEL/BEIRUT/DAMASKUS/ANKARA/LONDON/RABAT. Der jordanische König Abdullah hat den syrischen Präsidenten Baschar Assad zum Rücktritt aufgefordert. In einem Interview mit dem britischen Rundfunksender BBC sagte Abdullah, Assad sollte vor seinem Abgang einen politischen Dialog einleiten und sicherstellen, dass sein Nachfolger "die Fähigkeit hat, den Status quo zu ändern“. Weiter sagte der König: "Wenn ich an seiner Stelle wäre, würde ich zurücktreten.“ Die Europäische Union hat am Montag neue Sanktionen gegen Syrien verhängt, mit denen Assad dazu bewegt werden soll, das harte Vorgehen gegen die seit acht Monaten andauernde Protestbewegung zu stoppen. Die Arabische Liga hatte am Sonnabend entschieden, die Mitgliedschaft Syriens wegen der blutigen Niederschlagung der Proteste ab Mittwoch vorübergehend auszusetzen. Zuvor hatte das Assad-Regime massiv gegen Bedingungen einer Friedensinitiative der Liga verstoßen. » | abendblatt.de mit Material von dpa, rtr dapd und kna | Montag 14. November 2011

Westerwelle kündigt weitere Sanktionen gegen Syrien

lePARISIEN.fr: Syrie : le roi de Jordanie exhorte al Assad à quitter le pouvoir – Après que Rifaat al-Assad, oncle du président syrien, a fait savoir qu'il souhaitait incarner une nouvelle voix de l'opposition, le roi Abdallah II de Jordanie a été lundi le premier dirigeant arabe à appeler Bachar al-Assad à «quitter le pouvoir». Le secrétaire général de la Ligue arabe Nabil al-Arabi va, de son côté, rencontrer des opposants syriens en prévision d'une réunion des ministres arabes des Affaires étrangères prévue mercredi à Rabat. » | LeParisien.fr | lundi 14 novembre 2011

European Debt Crisis Is Worst Time Since Second World War, Says Angela Merkel
THE GUARDIAN: German leader calls for 'not less Europe, but more' to improve economic situation

The German chancellor, Angela Merkel, has called for a stronger political union in Europe to overcome the ongoing debt crisis, which she called "maybe Europe's most difficult hours since world war two".

A breakthrough in the crisis will be achieved not by "less Europe, but more", she told members of her conservative party gathered for their annual convention in the eastern German city of Leipzig on Monday.

The European Union's treaties must be overhauled to create a tighter political union, including measures to force countries in violation of fiscal discipline rules to face tough and automatic sanctions, even possibly hauling them to the European court of justice, Merkel said.

"We must develop the European Union's structure further. That does not mean less Europe, but more. That means creating an [sic] Europe that ensures that the euro has a future," she said.

She added that the crisis led people across the continent to realise that the problems of any state within the 17-nation eurozone today are also the problems of all other members.

"Our responsibility no longer stops at our countries' borders," she said. » | Associated Press | Monday, November 14, 2011

Exklusiv bei CDU.TV: Angela Merkel im Interview
Im Anschluss an ihre Rede stand Angela Merkel dem CDU-Internetfernsehen für ein exklusives Interview Rede und Antwort. Darin gewährte die CDU-Vorsitzende auch Einblicke in ihre persönliche Motivation angesichts der zahlreichen aktuellen Herausforderungen.

German Government Fears New Far-Right Terrorism after Neo-Nazi Killing Spree

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: The German government Monday admitted gross failures by the security services in dealing with a new brand of far-right "terrorism" after revelations of a decade-long killing spree by neo-Nazis.

Interior Minister Hans-Peter Friedrich said it was still unclear whether a small group of extremists who admitted gunning down nine businessmen of foreign origin and a policewoman had a larger network behind them.

"It is deeply troubling that there was no connection made between the murder series across Germany and the far-right scene in Thuringia," the east German state where the group was based, Friedrich told the daily Bild.

"State interior ministers are calling for better co-ordination between police and domestic intelligence on the state level. I strongly back that."

Federal prosecutors launched the probe last week after the discovery of a pistol used in the murder of the nine people in the home of a 36-year-old woman, Beate Zschaepe, a self-confessed neo-Nazi.

Wanted by police for questioning over an armed robbery in the eastern city of Jena on November 4, she had turned herself in after blowing up a rented flat in the eastern town of Zwickau. » | Monday, November 14, 2011

BERLINER MORGENPOST: Hinweise auf weiteren Neonazi-Anschlag in Köln: Die unter Mordverdacht stehenden Thüringer Neonazis sollen für einen weiteren Anschlag in Köln verantwortlich sein. Dabei sei 2001 eine 19-jährige Deutsch-Iranerin durch eine Sprengfalle im Lebensmittelgeschäft schwer verletzt worden. Anhaltspunkte dazu hat die Polizei offenbar auf einer DVD gefunden worden. » | Montag 14. November 2011

BERLINER MORGENPOST: Video “Haftbefehl gegen Beate Z.” hier abspielen

BERLINER MORGENPOST: Video “Döner-Morde Tat von Neonazis” hier abspielen

Tide Turns against Occupy Wall Street

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Occupy Wall Street protesters in several US cities faced mounting pressure from police to abandon their encampments, as the tide appeared to be turning against the movement.

The Occupy protests are now nearly two months old, having begun in New York's financial district on Sept 17 as a demonstration against income inequality and corporate greed.

This weekend however officials across the country urged an end to gatherings and camps were cleared in Salt Lake City, Utah and Denver, Colorado.

In Portland, Oregon thousands of people gathered in two adjacent city parks in an overnight stand off with police. The city's mayor Sam Adams had ordered a camp there to be shut down by midnight Saturday, citing unhealthy conditions and the camp's attraction of drug users and thieves. There had been four non-fatal drug overdoses in recent weeks.

But early on Sunday 3,000 people converged on the area and protest organisers said that would make it difficult for police to carry out an eviction.

Occupy Portland spokesman Jordan LeDoux said: "We're going to sit-in and force them to arrest us." » | Nick Allen, Los Angeles | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Norway Mass Killer Anders Behring Breivik Makes First Open Court Appearance

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Anders Behring Breivik, the Norwegian right-wing extremist who confessed to a bombing and shooting massacre that killed 77 people tried to give a speech describing himself as a resistance leader at his first public court hearing on Monday but was cut off by the judge.

Wearing a dark suit, Breivik was escorted by guards into an Oslo court room packed with dozens of reporters and members of the public, including survivors of his shooting at a youth camp outside the capital who were seeing him in person for the first time since the bloody rampage.

Breivik began portraying himself as the "commander" of a Norwegian resistance movement before the judge interrupted him and told him to stick to the issue at hand. The hearing was to decide whether to extend Breivik's custody pending his trial on terror charges.

He also attempted to address to victims' families before being quickly interrupted by the judge.

Prosecutors asked for a court order to keep him jailed for 12 more weeks, with restrictions on media access, visitors and mail. » | Monday, November 14, 2011

Republican Hopefuls Would Go to War with Iran

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: Republican presidential hopefuls have promised to go to war to stop Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, painting Barack Obama's handling of Tehran as the most serious of a string of overseas failures.

Mitt Romney, the favourite to clinch the party's candidacy, said that he would direct US forces to pre-emptively strike Iran's nuclear facilities if "crippling sanctions" failed to block their ambitions.

"If all else fails, if after all of the work we've done, there's nothing else we could do besides take military action," Mr Romney said at a debate on foreign policy in South Carolina on Saturday night.

The former Massachusetts governor's pledge was echoed by Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who over the weekend rose to second place in some national opinion polls.

"You have to take whatever steps are necessary to break its capacity to have a nuclear weapon," said Mr Gingrich, who also proposed covert actions such as "taking out their scientists," to applause. Rick Santorum, a former Senator for Pennsylvania, said the US should support an Israeli intervention.

Their remarks came at the end of a week of heightened tensions following the UN nuclear watchdog's confirmation that Iran had acquired the expertise and material required to build its first nuclear weapon. » | Jon Swaine, Washington | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Silvio Berlusconi Hints at Comeback as Italy Tries to Form New Government
THE GUARDIAN: Italy's president begins consultations while Berlusconi tells supporters: 'I hope to resume the path of government'

As Italy's president, Giorgio Napolitano, began hurried consultations on the formation of a new government, Silvio Berlusconi sent a clear message that he intends to return to power.

The first politician summoned by the head of state arrived at the presidential palace at 9am sharp on the morning after Berlusconi was jeered and booed from office there by an exultant crowd of more than 1,000 people.

In a final humiliation, the 75-year-old billionaire, whose government has led Italy to the very brink of financial catastrophe, dodged out of the palace by a side door after submitting his resignation.

But in a message sent to a meeting of a party of neofascist diehards, La Destra, the TV magnate said: "I share your spirit and I hope to resume with you the path of government." » | John Hooper in Rome | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Related here and here

Tel-Aviv: 20’000 Israéliens dénoncent la montée de l’extrémisme de droite
TRIBUNE DE GENÈVE: MANIFESTATION | Quelque 20'000 manifestants ont exprimé leur crainte lors du 16e anniversaire de l’assassinat du premier ministre travailliste israélien Yitzhak Rabin par un ultranationaliste.

Quelque 20’000 Israéliens se sont réunis samedi à Tel Aviv pour dénoncer la montée de l’extrémisme de droite en Israël. Ils ont manifesté leur crainte lors du 16e anniversaire de l’assassinat du Premier ministre travailliste israélien Yitzhak Rabin par un ultranationaliste.

Les manifestants, dont de nombreux jeunes, brandissaient des pancartes avec l’inscription «Oui à la paix, non à la violence» et «le prix à payer ruine la démocratie israélienne» en allusion aux exactions anti-arabes de l’extrême droite. » | ATS / AFP | samedi 10 novembre 2011

Tony Blair Says Eurozone Breakup Would Be 'Catastrophic'

THE GUARDIAN: Former prime minister calls for 'whole weight of Europe' to stand behind single currency and resolve eurozone debt crisis

Tony Blair has warned Europe's leaders of the "catastrophic" consequences of the breakup of the eurozone, saying the current crisis was the most serious the European political project had ever faced.

The day after his former political ally Silvio Berlusconi resigned as Italy's prime minister, Blair told the BBC's Andrew Marr Show there had "never been a tougher time to be a leader" but said Europe's current cohort risked being "behind the curve".

The former prime minister continued to hold out the possibility that in the "very long term", Britain might still join the euro, should the single currency survive and stabilise.

He told Marr: "You've got to be careful of always being in a situation where you are just behind the curve of decision-making.

"What we could have done to stabilise this situation a few months back, you now have to do even more to stabilise it today."

Blair said he had always believed Europe's monetary union would require a fiscal union, and on Sunday he called for a "long-term framework of credibility", which included strong fiscal co-ordination.

"Right now for the single currency it's essential it's preserved, that the whole weight of Europe, of its institutions stand behind it."

He added: "If the single currency broke up, it would be catastrophic." » | Allegra Stratton, politics correspondent | Sunday, November 13, 2011

BBC: Tony Blair: Euro collapse would be catastrophic » | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Play BBC Video: »Tony Blair: Eurozone break-up would be ‘catastrophic’: Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said that the break-up of the eurozone would be "catastrophic" for all of Europe, including the UK. ¶ Speaking to the BBC's Andrew Marr, Mr Blair said the crisis was the biggest faced by the eurozone countries since the creation of the single currency. ¶ He added the choices to be made are "very difficult and very painful". » | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Berlusconi plant bereits sein Comeback

TAGES ANZEIGER: Staatspräsident Napolitano könnte den ehemaligen EU-Kommissar Mario Monti noch heute mit der Regierungsbildung beauftragen. Und auch der zurückgetretene Berlusconi schmiedet offenbar neue Pläne.

Einen Tag nach seinem Rücktritt hat der bisherige italienische Ministerpräsident Silvio Berlusconi seine Absicht kundgetan, erneut an die Regierung zurückkehren zu wollen. Dies nährt Spekulationen, dass Berlusconi in der Politik bleiben und bei den nächsten Parlamentswahlen wieder kandidieren könnte.

In einem Schreiben an die Rechtspartei «La Destra» («Die Rechte») aus Anlass von deren Parteitag in Turin äusserte sich Berlusconi «stolz» über das, was seine Regierung in den zurückliegenden dreieinhalb Jahren inmitten einer «beispiellosen internationalen Krise» geleistet habe.

«Ich teile Ihre Überzeugungen und hoffe, dass wir erneut gemeinsam den Weg zur Regierung beschreiten werden», heisst es in dem Brief an die kleine Rechtspartei. Berlusconi betonte, er hoffe, dass die errungenen Resultate zur Modernisierung Italiens nicht verloren gehen würden. «Jemand sorgte dafür, dass die italienische Politik einen Sprung zurück macht, als der Wille der Wähler von Parteioligarchien ignoriert wurde, die die Macht verwalteten, ohne sich bei den Bürgern verantworten zu müssen», warnte Berlusconi. » | miw/sda/dapd | Sonntag 13. November 2011

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Why the world has not heard the last of Silvio Berlusconi: Departure from office will not end Mr Berlusconi's presence as a "Papi" to his nation - loved or otherwise, says Nick Squires in Rome » | Nick Squires, Rome | Saturday, November 12, 2011

Court Begins Hearing Islamic Bank Dispute
CBC NEWS: The financial dispute between an Islamic bank and about 200 families whose mortgages are in limbo, moved to a Toronto courtroom on Thursday.

The homeowners had interest-free mortgages with United Muslim Financial totalling about $32 million.

Since 2005, UM Financial has offered loans and mortgages to people who want to adhere strictly to Islamic (Shariah) law, under which no interest can be charged on a loan.

The court will now decide what to do with those mortgages.

UM Financial was ordered into receivership on Oct. 7. » | CBC News | Friday, November 11, 2011

HT: Always On Watch »

L'extrême droite dans le nouveau gouvernement grec
leJDD: Le nouveau Premier ministre Lucas Papademos et son gouvernement ont prêté serment ce vendredi. Au sein de cette nouvelle équipe d'union nationale chargée de mettre en oeuvre le plan de soutien européen, figure un ministre d'extrême droite, ce qui n'était pas arrivé depuis la fin de la dictature en 1974. Éclairage.

Nouveau gouvernement en Grèce. Le nouveau Premier ministre Lucas Papademos et les 47 membres de son gouvernement ont prêté serment vendredi après-midi dans la résidence présidentielle en présence du chef de l'Etat Carolos Papoulias, lors d'une cérémonie religieuse orthodoxe présidée par le chef de l'Eglise grecque Mgr Iéronymos (l'Eglise et l'Etat ne sont pas séparés en Grèce), retransmise en direct par la télévision publique grecque. Le ministère grec des Finances reste dans les mains d'Evangélos Vénizélos (54 ans), un poids lourd socialiste, tandis que les Affaires étrangères échoient à un libéral, l'ex-commissaire européen Stavros Dimas (70 ans), dans le nouveau gouvernement de coalition grec formé vendredi.

Mais ce nouveau gouvernement est surtout marqué par l'arrivée de l'extrême droite, avec un ministre, deux secrétaires d'Etat et un ministre adjoint. Une première depuis le retour de la démocratie en Grèce en 1974 après la chute de la dictature des colonels. Meneur de cette tendance, un avocat de 47 ans, Makis Voridis, est nommé aux Transports, où il devra jongler entre taxis et syndicalistes des autobus et du métro. Son parti, le Laos, occupe 5% des sièges au parlement, avec 16 sièges sur 300. En dix ans d'existence, sa formation est devenue un acteur important de la scène politique grecque en mettant progressivement en sourdine son discours xénophobe pour gagner en respectabilité. » | V.V. (avec AFP) - leJDD.fr | vendredi 11 novembre 2011

Tory MP in Row over 'Taped Attack' on David Cameron

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: A Conservative MP is at the centre of a row amid claims he was secretly taped making an extraordinary attack on David Cameron.

Patrick Mercer, a former shadow home affairs minister, was alleged to have branded the Prime Minister “an ----” during a conversation at a party given by a magazine and to have added: “I loathe him.”

Mr Mercer was also claimed in a tape recording, allegedly obtained by The People newspaper, to have said of Mr Cameron: “He’s a most despicable creature without any redeeming features. If I can think of one... he’s very rich.” Asked where the Prime Minister went wrong the MP was said to have replied: “He was born.”

Mr Mercer, MP for Newark, denied making the comments about Mr Cameron when questioned by The Sunday Telegraph last night - although he admitted being present at the party in question, where he had given a speech.

The pair have “history” - Mr Cameron sacked Mr Mercer in 2007 after the former army officer said that being called a “black bastard” was part and parcel of life in the armed forces. Mr Cameron, then the leader of the opposition, said the remarks at the time by the MP were “totally unacceptable”.

Mr Mercer is alleged, during the taped conversation, to have claimed Mr Cameron would be removed from 10 Downing Street in the spring and to have added: “I would take a beggar off the streets and put him in that position rather than have Cameron. Cameron is the worst politician in British history since William Gladstone.”

The 55-year-old MP, who supported David Davis, the former shadow home secretary, in the 2005 Conservative leadership contest won by Mr Cameron, was said by the newspaper to have criticised the Prime Minister’s “faux support” for Theresa May, the Home Secretary, who has been embroiled in an immigration row.

On the tape he is alleged to have said: “If the Prime Minister expresses his utmost confidence in you that means pack your bags. It always has done, especially with Cameron. What a creature.” » | Patrick Hennessy, and Ben Leach | Sunday, November 13, 2011

THE PEOPLE: ...And Patrick Mercer’s defence yesterday? ‘I’d had a drink but not so much I couldn’t drive’ » | Nigel Nelson | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Remembrance Sunday: Britain Falls Silent to Honour War Dead

THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH: The Queen led tributes to members of Britain's Armed Forces as thousands fell silent at Remembrance Sunday services to honour those who have lost their lives fighting for their country.

The Queen laid the first wreath at the Cenotaph at Whitehall, central London, to commemorate members of the Armed Forces who have died in all conflicts since the First World War.

She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, the Duchess of Cornwall, the Duke of York, the Countess of Wessex and other senior royals.

At 11am there was a two-minute silence as thousands paid their respects to those killed in conflicts past and present.

The Queen stood motionless with her head bowed, at the head of her family who stood in a line behind her.

The Duchess of Cambridge, dressed in black and wearing two red poppies and a bowler style hat, watched the sombre events from a balcony at the Foreign and Commonwealth building with other royal women.

This is the first time she has attended a Remembrance Sunday service as a member of the monarchy.

Also paying their respects were David Cameron, the Prime Minister, Nick Clegg, the Deputy Prime Minister, Labour leader Ed Miliband, High Commissioners from Commonwealth countries and defence chiefs.

The ceremony was attended by thousands of ex-servicemen and women who staged a veterans' march past the Cenotaph. » | Sarah Rainey | Sunday, November 13, 2011

In Memory of the Fallen: Remembrance Sunday 2011

Remembering those who perished for our liberty; in gratitude for their sacrifice.

José Manuel Barroso: 'The Speed of the European Union Can No Longer Be the Speed of the Most Reluctant Member'

THE OBSERVER: Britain and Europe face a choice: to come closer, share a common destiny and count in the world, or face disunity and decline, writes the president of the European commission

Today, on Remembrance Sunday, the United Kingdom commemorates the end of the first world war, which brought four years of intolerable carnage to an end. The second week in November is also the week of the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, when freedom prevailed over totalitarian rule.

Both events symbolise the fact that our actions have implications. That political decisions have consequences. That history is shaped not by fatality, but by what we do.

The second week of November 2011 has seen turbulence of a different kind. The political and economic turmoil in Greece and Italy have affected us all. Today, markets trigger within seconds chain reactions to events that spill all around the globe. Economics is changing fundamentally but so too is politics. The bipolar system of the world before 1989 has been replaced by a multipolar, more unstable and more unpredictable world.

The first conclusion I draw is that as we witness fundamental changes to the economic and geopolitical order, Europe needs to advance together or risk fragmentation. The dynamic of globalisation in financial and economic terms, but also in geopolitical terms, confronts Europeans with a stark choice: live together, share a common destiny and count in the world; or face the prospect of disunity and decline. In this defining moment, we either unite or face irrelevance. Our goal must not be to maintain the status quo, but to move on to something new and better. » | José Manuel Barroso | Sunday, November 13, 2011

Related »

Barroso Tells Europe: We Must Advance Together or Face Decline

THE OBSERVER: President of European commission issues strongly worded plea to UK to embrace European integration

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European commission, today issues a sharp rebuke to Eurosceptics, including those in the British government, who want to use the current crisis to disengage from the European Union.

Writing in the Observer, Barroso makes a rare intervention in the UK political debate by warning that all members of the EU need to unite and "advance together".


Citing Remembrance Sunday, he warns that "actions have consequences" and claims that peace and prosperity will best be furthered by Europeans supporting and trusting EU institutions, rather than allowing the continent to fragment politically and economically. He writes: "In this defining moment, we either unite or face irrelevance. Our goal must not be to maintain the status quo, but to move on to something new and better," adding: "I hope when historians look back on these unprecedented times, they will understand that we stepped back from the brink of fragmentation. I hope they will see how the UK fully engaged with fellow member states and institutional partners to ensure the stability of the EU."

After a tumultuous week in Europe that saw Italy pushed to the brink of meltdown, Barroso's strongly worded intervention underlines the depth of anxiety in Brussels about the future of the single currency and the EU.

Reports emerged, after a brutal sell-off in bond markets sent Italy's borrowing costs soaring, that France and Germany had discussed the idea of a smaller eurozone, with weaker states such as Greece encouraged to leave, and the inevitable creation of a two-tier EU.

There have also been renewed calls from the Eurosceptic wing of the Conservative party for the UK to partly or totally withdraw from the EU, culminating last month in 81 Conservative MPs defying a three-line whip to vote against the government and in favour of a referendum on membership.

But Barroso, in comments likely to generate a furious backlash from some on the right of British politics, firmly dismisses any idea that this is a time for Europe to fragment. Rather than regarding the crisis as an opportunity for states to redraw their relationships with the EU, he says that the progress of European integration must no longer be limited by "the speed of the slowest or most reluctant member". » | Daniel Boffey and Heather Stewart | Sunday, November 13, 2011