Dear friends,

Mary Robinson, the former president of the republic of Ireland, has been mentioned among those who could have a chance to become EU President.
Many Europeans surely like the thought. That President Obama of the USA also holds Mrs Robinson in high esteem became clear recently, when he awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Mary Robinson. Of course, there are also those who would rather see a Tony Blair, a Claude Juncker or a Paavo Lipponen as the first President of the European Council.

One who probably would NOT be happy if Mary Robinson were nominated, is John Bolton, the senior US diplomate. Commenting on Pres. Obama's Freedom Medalist, Mr Bolton writes:

"In fact, Ms. Robinson wanted U.N. control over NATO's actions: "It surely must be right for the Security Council . . . to have a say in whether a prolonged bombing campaign in which the bombers choose their target at will is consistent with the principle of legality under the Charter of the United Nations." One wonders if this is also Mr. Obama's view, given the enormous consequences for U.S. national security."

Mr Bolton also reproaches Mrs Robinson in the following way:

"This February [2009] asked whether former President George W. Bush should be prosecuted for war crimes, Ms. Robinson answered that it was "premature," until a "process" such as an "independent inquiry" was established: "[T]hen the decision can be taken as to whether anybody will be held accountable." In particular, she objected to the Bush administration's "war paradigm" for dealing with terrorism, saying we actually "need to reinforce the criminal justice system." Asked about Mr. Obama's statements on "moving forward," Ms. Robinson responded that "one of the ways of looking forward is to have the courage to say we must inquire."

How come that to my ears, this almost sounds like an argument in favor of Mrs Robinson! If you also think and feel like myself on this issue, then you may, for instance, want to sign the petition Mary Robinson for the EU Presidency

and / or

to join the Facebook group "Mary Robinson for President of the European Council"

Cheers,

Mikael