The European Union's incoming foreign affairs chief said Tuesday the EU must "learn the lessons" from trans-Atlantic divisions over the Iraq war and move on to repair Europe's relationship with the United States. However, Western Europe must stay focused on "multilateralism ... with the United Nations at its center," Benita Ferrero-Waldner told a confirmation hearing before the European Parliament's foreign affairs committee. "Only effective multilateralism can adequately address the complex challenges we face today," she added. It was the role of the United Nations in Iraq that split the trans-Atlantic community and the European Union into pro and anti-war camps in 2003. "The war in Iraq has caused tensions," said Ferrero-Waldner. But "we have to learn the lessons and we must move on" and repair relations with the United States, she added. "We have been through difficult times with the Iraq war, but we also have common goals and should work together." One such goal was ending the Arab-Israeli conflict, she said. "Europe must stand shoulder-to-shoulder with the United Nations, the United States and Russia to bring peace to the region ... Europe cannot do that alone." Israel must be told that its disengagement from the Gaza strip is "only valid as a first step to the implementation of the road map to peace" drafted by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, said Ferrero-Waldner. Ferrero-Waldner, 56, has been Austria's foreign minister since 2000 and will succeed Britain's Chris Patten as the EU's external relations commissioner on Nov. 1. She pledged to work hard to "make the European Union a dynamic protagonist in the world," where nations look to Europe for leadership in human rights and economic development.
