By Martin Banks - 6th November 2009
It involves forgiveness and a readiness to accept each other´s past
Jerzy Buzek
European parliament president Jerzy Buzek has made an impassioned plea for "reconciliation" across the whole of Europe.
His appeal comes on the eve of commemorations to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall 20 years ago.
Addressing a European Policy Centre debate on Thursday in Brussels, Buzek said the 20th anniversary should help remind Europe's politicians of what still needs to be done to reconcile the continent.
Buzek, who said he hopes to address the German parliament, the Bundestag, on Sunday as part of the 20th commemorations, said that for the whole continent to be at peace "all parts of Europe need to reconcile their shared past with their immediate neighbours."
"This is just as important as the French-German reconciliation 50 years ago," said the Polish centre right deputy.
"It involves forgiveness and a readiness to accept each others' past. It also means finding ways of working together in the future."
He said that reconciliation, not the single market, was "at the core" of Europe, adding, "This should be an integral part of the European project."
His appeal will be seen by some as an indirect reference to those parts of Europe, such as Cyprus, which still remain divided. "We need to think deeply about these issues," he went on.
In his keynote address he also appealed to Russia to "be our good neighbour in order to address the challenges we all face."
In a reference to the 100,000 demonstrators who marched for peace in the former East German city of Leipzig in 1989, Buzek said, "Walls cannot stand for long when people no longer want them."
It was the protests in Leipzig that led to the fall of the Berlin wall a few weeks later.
The former Polish prime minister said the challenge was to find ways of dismantling the "walls" that still exist, especially in Eastern Europe.
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