Jan Eliasson, Sweden's Ambassador to the United States, said Tuesday
(Oct. 26) evening that Europe and the United States have a lot in common
and have worked together in the past.
That cooperation doesn't extend currently to the situation in Iraq but
Eliasson holds out hope that the nations of Europe and the United States
can find some common ground.
"We have more things in common than you realize," Eliasson
said during the third annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science
at Iowa State."9/11 was an important event to bring up the solidarity
between the U.S. and Europe. All over Sweden we had three minutes of silence.
This was true solidarity with the U.S. And as nations we worked together
in Afghanistan."
Eliasson, who spoke in front of a capacity crowd in the Sun Room of the
Memorial Union, said Sweden and other major European countries felt the
United States didn't give the weapons disputation process enough time
in Iraq. Eliasson served as the United Nation's secretary general's personal
representative on Iran and Iraq in the late '80s and early '90s.
He said that he had personally met with Saddam Hussein and agreed that
the Iraqi leader should have been disposed. He and others in Europe however
disagree on the way the U.S. went about that.
"When America went into Iraq without the UN's blessing that's where
we parted as countries," he said. "I met with Saddam and saw
how he used chemical weapons against Iran in the 1980s, but felt the community
of nations didn't succeed on the diplomatic front. We didn't maintain
the pressure necessary on a tyrant like Saddam Hussein."
Eliasson says Europe and the United States must look to the future, not
only on Iraq, but other issues such as AIDs epidemic in Africa, the environment,
nonproliferation of nuclear weapons and terrorism. But Iraq dominates
the world scene.
He spoke of a middle Atlantic journey where Europe and the United States
can meet. He says both sides of the Atlantic need to understand each other
more.
"Europeans need to understand the United States better," he
said, "and understand the depth of how much 9-11 has hit this country
in a way that has affected your soul and personally. 9-11 has changed
America, but I hope it doesn't change what is beautiful about your country."
Sweden's Ambassador to the United States also says Europeans must understand
that as the world's only superpower, the United States has choices - it
can forge an international role, form a coalition or act unilaterally.
"Sweden can't act unilaterally," he said. "No, we have
to see the world differently than the United States."
But he said that Europe and the United States must continue to create
international networks where nations can create a new way for peace and
security.
Eliasson was named U.S. ambassador in 2000. He previously served six
years as the Swedish deputy secretary of state, setting and implementing
Swedish foreign policy.
From 1988 to 1992, he was Sweden's ambassador to the United Nations in
New York City. In 1991, he was named chairman of the General Assembly's
working group on emergency relief. In 1992, he was appointed the first
U.N.'s under secretary general for humanitarian affairs, overseeing operations
in Somalia, Sudan, Mozambique and the Balkans.
As a diplomat, Eliasson has served in Paris, Bonn, Washington and Zimbabwe.
In Zimbabwe, he opened the first Swedish Embassy in 1980.
Thomas and Elizabeth Phelps, and Charles and Kathleen Manatt established
the annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science. The lectures focus
on significant developments in international political economy during
the previous year, and how the issues affect and are affected by Iowa.
For more information, visit
http://www.las.iastate.edu/newnews/manattphelps/home.shtml.
