mr president i want to congratulate vice-president ashton on a speech with vision and substance
the problem that some people have with you vice-president ashton is that you are not a macho general or indeed a narrow nationalist
i welcome in particular your emphasis on the rule of law between countries and urge you actively to insist that this is the case in the middle east
also your commitment to the important principle of collective gains as against minimal member state losses
the middle east is perhaps the most volatile region capable at the moment of stumbling into a widespread conflagration
you must work closely with the united states and press for the council statement of eight december to be central as a framework for progress there
finally i want to recommend strongly that you support the idea of a policy that the middle east be a nuclear-free zone
