EU HIGH representative for foreign affairs Catherine Ashton has defended her decision not to go to Haiti in the immediate aftermath of last week’s earthquake.
Baroness Ashton told MEPs she would have “nothing to contribute on the ground other than to take up valuable space” and her presence would be a distraction from the relief effort. Her decision not to go to Haiti with US secretary of state Hillary Clinton last weekend was described as “regrettable” by Joseph Daul, president of the European People’s Party.
Fine Gael MEP Gay Mitchell said Ms Ashton needed to be “more visible on issues of this kind”, and it was not clear from the relief effort that the EU was the biggest aid donor in the world.
Ms Ashton said she consulted UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon before deciding that her role would be best suited to co-ordinating the international response. “The EU has responded quickly, not seeking headlines,” she said. “We resisted the urge to travel to Haiti immediately. That would only have diverted attention and resources away from the relief effort.”
Ms Ashton expressed hope that a co-ordinated response from the EU would demonstrate how the new institutions set up under the Lisbon Treaty will work.
European development and humanitarian aid commissioner Karel De Gucht will travel to Haiti this week to co-ordinate the response of EU aid agencies.
Meanwhile, Fine Gael’s Billy Timmins and Jimmy Deenihan called for the mobilisation of an EU battlegroup to Haiti.
However, Labour’s Michael D Higgins disagreed, arguing that the crisis in Haiti highlighted the need for a UN-controlled rapid reaction force.