Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-17-Speech-4-182"
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"en.20000217.8.4-182"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I endorse the many comments which have been made by the previous speakers, but I would like to emphasise a few things. The Dineh people belong to the North-American Navajo Indians. They are facing expulsion and have been fighting a battle of survival for dozens of years.
They have been living in harrowing living conditions for years. The deprived conditions in which they are living at the moment is forcing them to compromise against their better judgement under the financial and economic pressure exercised by the coal industries. The Relocation Act, which was introduced in 1974 and aims to re-distribute the land of the Navajo reservation, authorised the relocation of the peoples.
This relocation is, of course, unacceptable because human rights are being violated in economic, social and cultural terms. The Dineh Indians are being moved like pawns and, in that way, lose not only their past and the land which is so extremely important to them – the land of their forefathers – but also any prospect of work and sources of income.
The Relocation Act was pushed through in Congress by a group representing the coal mining industry. Congress never questioned where the people living in the area would have to move to or how relocation would impact on their lives. The population was not allowed any input. This resembles a kind of trade in human beings.
The relocation scheme was implemented and the Dineh people were moved to an area contaminated by uranium. After the collapse of the dam in New Mexico in 1979, which resulted in the spill of 370 000 cubic metres of radioactive water and eleven hundred tonnes of pure uranium, this place is one of the world’s most contaminated areas.
The United States administration, the coal industry and all of us need to acquit ourselves of our responsibility and provide a sound alternative: either the soil is cleaned or the Dineh Indians are allocated a proper place where provision is made for all kinds of support, be it in the psychological, social, cultural or budgetary field.
It is high time we respected the rights of the Indians. This is why we ask you to vote for this resolution: we in Europe should not be intimidated by American interests which are being pushed by financial, religious and industrial groups. So let us contact the United States now!"@en1
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