Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/1999-07-21-Speech-3-099"
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"en.19990721.6.3-099"2
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"(NL) Mr President, I should very much like to congratulate the President of the Finnish Council Presidency on the statement she has just made, particularly with regard to the comments she made on Kosovo and the Balkans.
As the Parliament of a union of democratic constitutional States how can we do otherwise than to advocate a just peace and reconciliation in that region, and particularly in Kosovo. That is the heart of the matter and we have gained that insight particularly during the debates on and inquiry into the enlargement of the European Union, a democratic constitutional state, that is the heart of our movement, of our Union. I also think that we are justified in saying that everything depends on this, both the safety of the citizens and the development of the economy in the regions concerned. Nothing can be achieved when there is no constitutional state.
I believe that we must also endeavour in earnest to see that particularly the other aspects associated with law and government in Kosovo are also given the attention they deserve. It is about the safety of the citizens, and particularly those who are returning. I should like in particular to draw your attention to the fact that there are perhaps 2000 or maybe more Kosovan prisoners who have been taken to Serbia by the withdrawing Serbian troops. I feel that there should be no question of us leaving them to their fate, but that we in this Parliament, the Council and the Commission should give our full attention to the situation.
Equally, if we are to see justice done then we will have to ensure that full co-operation is given to the International Tribunal in The Hague in order to pursue the criminals that have wrought havoc in Kosovo, and not just in Kosovo but now at last in Bosnia too. Why have Karadzic and Mladic still not been arrested? If that doesn"t happen, Mr President, then we can more or less forget being able to achieve reconstruction in the region in any real sense. If we talk about a Stability Pact then it isn"t about gagging those who are screaming for justice, but about a just peace, and that demands action and not keeping serious crimes under wraps.
I think that we should also urge parties and groups in Kosovo towards political participation in government. That is why the resolution also states how important it is for Mr Rugova to be present in Kosovo. On the subject of which, it will not do for the most important figures not to be present at all times when they too have a role to play in the process of political reconstruction, also perhaps in co-operation with other parties that have emerged from the KLA. We are going to have to get everyone there wishing to take political responsibility used to the fact that they are responsible in an administrative sense, so that later on, when elections take place, the population will also be able to see whom it can trust.
I think that the Stability Pact is of great importance for the wider region. For far too long now, we as the European Union have taken measures, for example against Serbia, measures which were necessary but which were taken at no cost whatsoever to ourselves. It was Macedonia, Bulgaria, Albania, Romania, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the surrounding regions, which paid the price. It is imperative that we offer financial compensation here, but by no means that alone. We will also have to create economic opportunities so that the European Union, by taking a more generous stance, is able to recompense the economic damage done in this area.
I believe that the whole process of development, also in terms of society, is of great importance. The same applies to the insights we have gained from the enlargement process. Democracy can only grow if the population truly experiences it. I should like to close by quoting the Bishop of Kosovo: ‘Nothing will ever become of Serbia unless it is transformed into a democratic constitutional state’. The Parliament has never given up hoping for this."@en1
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"Oostlander (PPE)"1
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