The position of Fidesz - Hungarian Civic Party on the recent military intervention in Iraq

Dátum: 2003-04-03 09:25:00, eredeti URL: http://archiv.fidesz.hu/index.php?Cikk=8935
KCMDB-be feltöltve: 2024-05-04 18:10:47.548002, Feltöltő: fidesz_hu_scraper_v2

The time of straight talk has come, there is no use in pursuing double communication. A war has broken out, and Hungary - not in military, but in political terms - is in a state of war. Hungary is on the list of thirty countries, issued by the U.S. State Department on 18 March, openly supporting the American military interventon in Iraq. Hungary is also in the coalition referred to by President Bush in the morning of 20 March who "have chosen to bear the duty" and who provide "crucial support" to the operation.

The key question, deciding on the legitimacy of this particular military intervention, is whether the operation has international authorisation, or not. Fidesz is of the opinion that the operation does not possess the necessary international legitimacy. It is regrettable that the United States has launched this war unilaterally and has not made full use of the peaceful means of settling this crisis. It is even more regrettable that the Hungarian government does not consider the question of international legitimacy the key one.

This intervention may evoke an increase of terrorist activity all over the world, and Hungary may be included among the future targets as a result of its open commitment to the war. In spite of the fact that 92 percent of the Hungarian population opposes the military intervention, Hungary has gained the image of a war-monger.

The series of steps taken by the Hungarian government in support of the American-British unilateral military intervention in Iraq, most notably co-authoring the letter which torpedoed a common EU-stand on the Iraqi crisis late January, will certainly affect Hungary's EU-accession process and the country's position therein following accession.

Opposing this intervention does not at all mean siding with the Iraqi dictator, contrary to the statements made by Foreign Minister László Kovács on 20 March, referring to the Hungarian parliamentary opposition. Fidesz continues to be of the opinion that Saddam Hussein must be disarmed and removed from power as soon as possible.

We ask the government to stop slandering the opposition and concentrate upon the task ahead: providing for the security of Hungarian citizens in this period of heightened national security threats.

Budapest, 20 March 2003