Statement by Catherine ASHTON (UK), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / EC Vice-President designate, during his hearing at EP in Brussels.

Committee on Foreign Affairs

Brussels

hearing of Commissioners

ASHTON, Catherine (UK, EC)

appointment of a member of the European Commission (T)

2010 Commissioners' hearings (T)

hearing of Catherine ASHTON 2010 (T)

Hearing of Catherine ASHTON (UK), High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy / EC Vice-President designate: extracts

Exterior of the European Parliament, Brussels

Cutaways Catherine ASHTON in the Committee room (3 shots)

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, I will be accountable to this House where ever the Treaty has provided for it.

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, Members of this House I see this as a unique moment in Europe's journey. Above all, a moment of opportunity. We need to be ambitious and results oriented.

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, I do accept that this is important that in the course of their work, those Senior diplomats, as they will be, are able to come to the Parliament. So we need a further conversation about that, I am not convinced about the idea of hearings

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, how we develop our relations with NATO are very important.....In terms of a single command structure, I remain to be convinced on that.

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, in terms of Afghanistan, I was present when General Mc Crystal presented his ideas at the meeting with NATO and you would know what the President of the US has already said in that context; the critical area for us is to bring on the ground what we do more effectively and see how best we can support the population centred approach"

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, I think it is highly regrettable that IRAN has not accepted the agreement that was proposed by the atomic energy agency"

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, There are international rules that we have and if the country wants to be treated, as I believe, its history, its geography, its people deserve to be treated, then it has to work with us"

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, Across the world on human rights issues there are different approaches that can be more effective in particular countries and I what I was trying to do is to say that I want to differentiate different approaches to different countries"

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, it is absolutely vital that we get progress on the Middle East to end up with the two States that exist, and the State of Israel has the right to exist securely and safely in the Middle East as does the Palestinian.

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, Russia, we have to have strong relations with, secondly we have to have a clear energy strategy that will also allow us to diversify energy needs in order to be aware that we currently I think rely on Russia for 50% of needs , but if you project forward that will rise potentially to 70%.

SOUNDBITE (English),  Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, (question asked by MEP MAURO on the seat for the EU on the UN Security Council) " Mr MAURO the answer to that question is that I don't know, and the reason is that this is not in the 5 weeks to Christmas that I have dealt &pound;with this issues, this is not even crossed over into my thinking so I am afraid that you caught me out, well done, on an issue that I don't know about.

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, In terms of issues like the IRAK war, well we are where we are, I was a British Minister a the time that IRAK war began, I believed that this was the right thing to do based on what I knew at that time,...there we are."

SOUNDBITE (English), Catherine ASHTON, High Representative for CFSP and European Commission Vice President designate, I am not ashamed of who I am and what I have been, when I was a young person I marched because I believe that we should abolished nuclear weapons, you could argue against how I did it, you can't argue against what I was seeking to achieve, and part of what we did is to make sure that we made connections with all the freedom movements across the East? I have never visited Eastern Europe , I thought passionately that we wanted to see a Europe that was free and here we have it, and one of the reasons I want to do this job is to take the values I have held all my life and use them to support all the principles that this House is founded upon"