In a three-hour session at the European Parliament on Monday, Ashton faced questions from European lawmakers about her suitability as the EU's new foreign policy representative. Ashton made it clear that strengthening the international voice of the 27-nation bloc would be at the top of her agenda.

"I am convinced there is a clear call – inside the EU and around the world – for greater European engagement, to promote peace, protect the vulnerable, fight poverty and address the many problems of our time," Ashton said. "We have to answer this call. Combining leadership and partnership. Defending our values and promoting our interests. Listening to what our partners say And making sure that when we speak, our voice is heard."

Ashton says she has already planned trips to Washington, Beijing and New Delhi as well as Eastern Europe and the Middle East. "We need effective partnerships with all relevant players: the US, China and Russia, but also Turkey, Japan, Canada, India, Brazil and South Africa," she said.

Middle East policies

With regard to Iran, Ashton said she feels Tehran has made mistakes by rejecting a plan sponsored by the International Atomic Energy Agency, as well as in its violent crackdown on opposition protestors.

"If the country wants to be treated as I believe its history, geography and people deserve, it has to work with us," said Ashton.

As for the EU's involvement in Afghanistan, Ashton said the bloc is already playing a decisive role in the conflict, but could contribute more in simple ways, such as by providing telephones for local Afghan government offices.

Ashton also touched on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, commenting that a two-state solution is "vital."

Distancing from anti-nuclear past

One element of Ashton's past that has raised questions is her involvement as an activist for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), for which she came under attack from British Conservative deputies.

"The relevance of the 1970s is not the relevance of 2010," she responded. "I'm not a member of CND and have not been a member of CND for 28 or 29 years."

Ashton was picked for the position of EU High Representative after the approval of the Lisbon Treaty at the beginning of December last year. She was previously a junior minister in Britain's Labour government and the head of its House of Lords before she was given the job of EU trade commissioner in October 2008.

Her appointment as EU High Representative has faced criticism, as her only foreign policy experience was 13 months as trade commissioner.

mk/dpa/AFP
Editor: Michael Lawton