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Cameron''s speech casts darker clouds over EU

By Nawab Khan BRUSSELS, Jan 27 (KUNA) -- British Prime Minister David Cameron's speech on January 23 on the future of relations between his country and the European Union provoked mixed reactions, ranging from spontaneous fury and rejection to conciliatory understanding by European politicians, the press and think tanks.
Europe is already rocked by a severe debt and financial crisis, and his calls for a new deal with the EU and the possibility of a British exit from the European bloc, is bound to further heighten political tensions in the EU and damage the process of political integration.
Reactions by European leaders were more of wishful optimism.
German Angela Merkel said thst "Germany, and I personally, want Britain to be an important part and an active member of the European Union." Mario Monti, Italian prime minister, said he is confident that if "there is to be a referendum, the UK citizens will decide to stay in the EU and contribute to shape its future." European Commission spokeswoman Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen welcomed that Cameron wants Britain to remain in the EU. "It is very much in the EU's interest and UK's interest that it remains an active member," she said.
However, the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz and political groups in the parliament denounced the speech as a blackmail.
"This was an inward looking speech that does not reflect European reality and will not impress many of the UK 's European partners," said Schulz.
"The British prime minister is also mistaken if he thinks he can blackmail European institutions and leaders into granting the UK endless individual exemption, "he added. The leader of the conservative European People's Party in the EP, Joseph Daul, said "I find it surprising that after forty years of partnership and common decisions, one of our Member States discovers that it is unhappy and wants to renegotiate the terms for a joint future." "Today, I worry that this has been done for electoral purposes more than for the benefit of the British citizens. Europe cannot be taken hostage until 2017," he added..
Cameron said he will call for referendum if his party wins the elections in 2015 and that the referendum itself will take place around 2017.
Leader of the Liberals Group in the EP, Guy Verhofstadt, said "By holding out the prospect of renegotiating the terms of Britain's membership of the European Union and subjecting it to a referendum, David Cameron is playing with fire." Analysts opine that even if the referendum in the UK is never held, the question of the United Kingdom's membership has been clearly raised. Moreover the UK is neither in the eurozone nor a member of the visa-free travel Schengen zone so why should it seek further exemptions, question analysts.
The British leader's speech was widely reported and commented by European newspapers. French daily Les Echos described Cameron's speech as a "dangerous gamble".
German daily Die Welt said that "Cameron has put his finger on EU's sore spot." "Cameron is casting a shadow over the EU," commented the Dutch paper De Volkskrant.
"But a UK exit is not in the interest of the EU - and especially not in the interests of the Netherlands," it noted.
Belgian paper La Libre Belgique warned that the United Kingdom, on the path to withdrawal from the EU, could find itself increasingly isolated internationally.
"Europeans are not the only ones to worry about the British will renegotiate the relationship between the UK and the European Union. The United States expressed concern about the risk of marginalization of London on the European stage," it added.
The Brussels-based think tank European Policy Centre in a commentary said "the reaction in the rest of Europe was far from supportive." "While it is entirely true that virtually no-one wants to see the UK leave, the threat that the UK will block further eurozone integration if its demands in other areas are not met comes close to blackmail." German weekly Der Spiegl wrote that "fear drove David Cameron to promise Britain a referendum on EU membership." "Fear of his party, fear of voters, and fear of the EU itself, which he neither fully understands nor has ever really been interested," it stated. (end) nk.asa KUNA 270943 Jan 13NNNN