Burkhard Bischof praises Erkki Tuomioja, Finland's foreign minister and currently EU President, for his "clear, courageous, and unembellished statements" at the EU Foreign Ministers' Conference. "He warned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that his current policy of violence would only increase the numbers of Hizbullah fighters and other extremist groups. He also told his EU colleagues that adopting a common European position on the Lebanon conflict could entail distancing themselves for the US position. But the fact that the Finnish minister is daring to speak the truth is not going down at all well with some of his colleagues, for example Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy, who is the embodiment of empty diplomatic phrases. And certainly not with British Foreign Secretary Margaret Beckett, who sees herself as an appendix of the US and wants the EU to do the same. Please, Mr. Tuomioja, don't let them get you down. Keep up the good work!" (02/08/2006)

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In an interview with Maroun Labaki, Louis Michel, the European commissioner for development and humanitarian aid, argues that the EU is acting realistically in the Lebanese crisis. "Europe is multilateral. It must always find a way to agree among 25 on the largest common denominator. Sometimes, this largest common denominator is very small, but this is the reality of Europe, we cannot prevent it. ... Is it preferable to have the smallest common denominator possible, or 25 different bilateral policies and utter chaos? There are still too many member countries that live with the nostalgia of bygone power. ... We must not blame the Americans if there is just one superpower. This is the fault of certain EU member states. It is as clear as that. When will the EU have its own foreign affairs minister? When will it speak with a single voice?" (02/08/2006)

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"Over the last few days, the European Union has been going to great lengths to prove it is active in foreign policy," Detlef Fechtner writes. "The diplomats in Brussels are right to object to sweeping criticism of their work. After all, European states have managed to find joint solutions to problems such as organising humanitarian aid and mass evacuations very quickly. But they, too, know that ultimately the European Union will be judged according to its ability to reach agreement on a joint stance on key political issues: ceasefires, the deployment of international troops, and reconstruction. It's still far from clear whether it will achieve this goal – especially considering how fiercely foreign ministers fought over every phrase at yesterday's meeting." (02/08/2006)

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Editorialist Andrea Bonanni believes European diplomacy is scoring points in the Middle East. "European ministers managed to overcome their various sensitivities and adopt a common position, in line with the proposal that France presented to the UN Security Council. Despite the unfounded rumours of division, the 25 demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities to be followed by a sustainable ceasefire. ... The other important development to emerge from yesterday's meeting is that, for the first time, the Europeans are prepared to mobilise their troops to guarantee security in the region, the respect of international law and the integrity of the state of Israel. We are talking about a crucial development that would allow Europe to reclaim a role on the Middle Eastern stage, long monopolised by American diplomacy, and which would see France and Italy assume a leadership role." (02/08/2006)

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The Algerian writer Mohamed Kacimi argues that "razing Lebanon" amounts to wreaking havoc in the most tolerant of Arab regimes. "At the moment when Bush's America dreams of inculcating or inoculating democracy across the Middle East, it would be worthwhile to keep in mind that Lebanon is today the only country in the Arab world to boast a free press and television and free elections. A country where one can pray in Arab, Syriac or Greek in Orthodox or Catholic churches, without being lynched as in Alexandria, or beheaded as in Algiers. A country where women are free, like nowhere else, to appear in public during Ramadan with their glass of wine or their cigarette without being subjected to vitriol. ... It is not Hizbullah that is being smashed, it is the one and only Arab space of freedom, creativity and subversion that is being destroyed." (02/08/2006)

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The Israeli writer David Grossman writes in an opinion piece that "the current crisis [with Lebanon] makes it even more urgent to sign an agreement with the Palestinians. We must put an end to Occupation, not because this would be 'positive for the Palestinians', but because it is the only way for Israel to quickly return to the military and diplomatic course suitable for such a fragile country. But let us not be mistaken: this will not make us any friends in the Middle East. Israel will remain, in the eyes of most Arab countries, a foreign transplant in the region. Nevertheless, an acceptable agreement with the Palestinians would ease hostilities in most of our conflict zones, allow Israel to heal its national wounds and remind Israelis what is really worth fighting for." (02/08/2006)

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"Regardless of its gas and oil deals, Hungary's foreign policy should make it clear that the country does not stand between East and West, but is actively on the West's side. An objective, but nonetheless generally loyal stance towards Washington (not George Bush!) and the maintenance of diverse and, from an economic point of view, extremely important relations with Germany should be the cornerstone of Hungary's foreign policy," writes Hungarian-Austrian journalist Paul Lendvai. "The maintenance of good relations between Hungary and EU member state Slovakia, EU candidate Romania, and Serbia, whose dreams of EU membership are likely to remain unfulfilled in the medium term, depends to a large extent on national interests, or more precisely the situation of Hungarian minorities living in neighbouring countries (2.4 million people). Hungary's foreign policy should constantly observe the interaction between the special triangle consisting of the Hungarian mother country, Hungarian minority and foreign 'mother country'." (01/08/2006)

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The financial daily says Fidel Castro's stomach operation has "usefully focused attention on the Cuban leader's mortality and the inevitability of a transition to a post-Castro Cuba, even if this is not imminent. The US and European Union must think carefully about how they respond to the Cuban government's own emerging plans to handle these changes and take care not to inflame tensions, especially among exile groups who - judging by the scenes of wild celebration on Monday night in Miami - harbour hopes of radical and immediate change. Cuba's political system is undemocratic and centralised at the moment around one man. But its Communist party nevertheless enjoys a degree of legitimacy that, for example, its counterparts in the eastern Europe of the 1980s never did." The US and EU "should prepare now to start engaging the Cuban authorities once Mr. Castro leaves the scene." (02/08/2006)

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The Spanish daily's editor, Francisco Suarez Alamo, looks ahead to the end of the Castro regime in Cuba and asks the island to draw inspiration from Spain's experience in the wake of the Franco dictatorship. "We must hope that Cuba remembers the Motherland at the moment when it passes from a savage dictatorship to an exciting democracy. For starters, it is necessary to put resentments to one side - that of all parties: the pro-Castrists and the furious anti-Communists living in Florida who harbour dreams of returning home to recover what was plundered from them. Above all, the one thing that a nation emerging from a dying tyranny should avoid is proving right the tyranny's assertion that it was a guarantor of order and tranqillity." (02/08/2006)

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After an intense debate a week ago, the EU states have agreed to promote strictly regulated stem-cell research programmes. Laszlo Szöcs says Europe's liberalised policy will give it a competitive advantage over the US. He points out that European research institutes will now be able to attract top American experts in the field, but that the subject remains controversial within the EU. "The Vatican condemns stem-cell research because the stem cells are usually extracted from embryos left over from artificial insemination… EU states are divided on the issue: Belgium, Great Britain and Sweden have adopted the most liberal stance, and would be willing to allow cloning for therapeutic purposes – as South Korea, China and Israel, keen to protect their global competitiveness, already do. The most conservative EU states – Austria, Malta, Lithuania and Poland – want all stem-cell research to be banned. Germany and Italy have cut the Gordian knot by opting to allow importing of stem cells." (01/08/2006)

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Slovakia's new prime minister, Robert Fico, presented his government programme to parliament in Bratislava yesterday. Commentator Dag Danis approves of the agenda for the most part: "The restriction of privatisation, pressure on energy monopolies to modify their pricing policies, a gradual withdrawal of Slovak troops from Iraq – these are all legitimate and by no means purely socialist goals, aimed at protecting national interests. The previous government under Mikulas Dzurinda went a bit too far in its efforts to weaken state influence and strengthen the market. It's perfectly understandable that Fico doesn't want to continue on this path. Privatisation has achieved its goal. Former state-owned enterprises are now managed by private investors, and the government has restricted itself to a monitoring function." (02/08/2006)

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The collapse of the Doha round of trade talks suggests a "form of paralysis" within the WTO, according to the daily. "Multilateral, free trade is clearly the loser, protectionism a Pyrrhic winner. In the absence of any agreement, a partiality for bilateral trade agreements between countries outside the framework of the WTO will increase. ... Perhaps it is expecting too much from 148 countries, with their own agenda to fight and their self-interests to protect, to agree on cutting trade barriers in a unanimous manner. The interesting thing about the collapse was that the fatal disagreement over agriculture was reached during a marathon session between the US, the EU, Brazil, India, Australia and Japan. These are indeed big trading powers, each with its own self interest to look after, each with its wealth to promote. And how better to promote that than through free trade?" (02/08/2006)

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The newspaper asserts that Denmark is experiencing a paradoxical situation: in times of almost unprecedented prosperity, fears that a major slump like that of 1986 could be just around the corner are spreading through the country. "The current situation on the job market is, quite rightly, the main cause of concern. The number of unemployed is so low that you could almost say we have full employment. An increasing number of sectors are having problems finding employees. This hasn't led to large-scale wage increases yet, but the rules of economy dictate that the risk of inflation is growing." (02/08/2006)

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Athens' summer theatre festival has witnessed the reinvention of old factories as cultural venues. Entrance prices have gone down from 100 euros to 15 euros, and are attracting younger audiences. Rainer Hermann is thrilled by this revival of the Athens & Epidaurus Festival. "This revival of the festival has a name: Yorgos Loukos. Athens-born Loukos has lived in France for 37 years and is currently artistic director of the ballet troupe at the Lyon opera house. The 51st year of the festival has brought him back to his birthplace – as its director… The Athens cultural summer festival proves that Greece is breaking away from its marginalised status – at least from a cultural point of view. The 2004 Olympic Games gave the impetus for this phenomenon. Loukos has repeatedly been offered the direction of the festival, but he always refused. Then suddenly he started to see Athens from a different perspective, and now he believes in its potential. His takes his greatest pleasure from watching young people sitting in a bar and asking each other whether they have been to see Sasha Waltz… 'They don't have much money, but those 15 euros change their lives.'" (02/08/2006)

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As part of the Locarno Film Festival opening this Wednesday, August 2, the Swiss filmmaker Marcel Schüpbach is presenting 'La Liste de Carla' ['Carla's List'], which focuses on the work of the International Criminal Tribunal (ICT). In an interview with Claude Ansermoz, Schüpbach explains that his film tells two parallel stories. "That of Carla del Ponte [the ICT's chief prosecutor], who runs around the planet in search of justice. And that of the mothers of Srebrenica who have been waiting 10 years for justice to be done and ask themselves: is justice possible? What is the use of arresting Mladic and Karadzic today? This cannot bring back the dead. All of the ICT's work poses questions as simple and basic as these. In the end, one can legitimately ask oneself if there is a purpose to all of it. Personally, I think there is, but for a future conflict, in order to demonstrate that the powerful can also be judged. If we give up now, we will abandon the planet to savagery without bounds." (02/08/2006)

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Wagner's "Twilight of the Gods," the final premiere of the "Ring" cycle directed by Tankred Dorst, was staged Monday in Bayreuth. Peter Vujica says all the boos were undeserved. "The most moving image of this new Bayreuth production of the 'Ring' was an unintentional one: Tankred Dorst in the hotel lift, eyes closed and with a grim expression on his face. A defeated Wotan, disappointed by the audience's angry rejection of his work. Perhaps he was also disappointed with conductor Christian Thielemann, who refused to take a bow with him and the rest of the production team (stage designer Frank Philipp Schlössmann and costume designer Bernd Skodzig) even once…" In Vujica's view, "despite all its trivialities and inconsistencies, this new 'Ring' is anything but a crime. Visually, it's a great improvement on the cramped modernist version that Jürgen Flimm presented in Bayreuth." (02/08/2006)

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