Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-02-17-Speech-4-194"
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"en.20000217.8.4-194"2
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"Mr President, we had an extremely useful debate on human rights yesterday. I am pleased that we have had this further opportunity to consider a number of areas in the world – Kosovo, Angola, Chechnya and Cambodia – where the protection of human rights has been a particularly severe challenge.
The Commission will continue to raise issues regarding the rule of law, democratic principles and human rights with Cambodian authorities through the EC-Cambodia Cooperation Agreement which entered into force on 1 November last year.
It has been useful to debate human rights twice in a couple of days. I hope we have other opportunities, but I hope we will have fewer examples of their abuse in the years ahead.
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First of all, on Kosovo, the Commission fully shares the concerns expressed in these draft resolutions as regards general policy towards Kosovo, as regards the continuing ethnic violence and as regards the prisoners in Serb jails. Our efforts in Kosovo, as elsewhere in the wider region, are directed at short and medium-term recovery and long-term stabilisation. In particular we support the development of a free, democratic and multi-ethnic society. Our assistance programmes in the fields of democratisation and human rights should continue to build confidence in general and, in particular, to try to build confidence between the various communities. We have always condemned ethnic violence, no matter which ethnic group is the perpetrator or the victim. We consider it is unacceptable against Serb and Roma minorities as it was against the Kosovar Albanians in the past. We support the efforts of UNMIK, KFOR and the OSCE to establish a functioning civil administration and to ensure law and order. In this regard we strongly support the High Representative’s recent appeal to Member States to provide more police officers for the UN civil police mission in Kosovo. It was a point raised by several speakers in the debate.
I hope it will underline the importance, when we address the development of a Common Foreign and Security Policy, of looking at the non-military aspects of that policy as well as the military aspects. It is just as important to have headline goals for our policing and institution building as for a military capacity. We continue to be very concerned about the many civilians who are presently held in Serb prisons. I totally agree with the points put so passionately by the Mrs Pack, either before trial or following judgement. The plight of Kosovar Albanians who have been missing since the end of the war is particularly distressing. We call on everyone, within and outside Kosovo, to support these common aims, to support UNMIK and KFOR in their efforts to achieve them.
Turning briefly to Angola, we had again a number of knowledgeable speeches, especially from Mr Soares, with his unrivalled knowledge of the subject. The Commission believes strongly that press freedom and free speech will be crucial for progress with peace and reconciliation in Angola. It is a vital precondition for strengthening democratic institutions and civil society. An area of special concern is the harassment of journalists, including temporary detention of members of the so-called independent press. The European Union made a specific
on press freedom to the Angolan Ministry of Justice in November last year. We fully support the work of the UN through UNUA, given its specific responsibility to monitor the human rights situation in Angola. We are also committed to the Security Council’s sanctions against UNITA, including arms controls.
While maintaining emphasis on humanitarian needs, the Commission is preparing for a post-conflict phase in our financial support for Angola. An essential element will be support for democracy and human rights, including specific initiatives to strengthen democratic institutions and civil society. The European Union has condemned the use of anti-personnel landmines and we are supporting de-mining operations through an international NGO. The resolution I would love to have a debate on in Parliament one day is on demining, and particularly the importance of destroying the stocks of existing mines: stocks in the Ukraine, stocks in Moldova and stocks elsewhere. This is a subject which is not given sufficient attention.
On the question of the indigenous peoples in the US, I am sure that the resolution which was primarily addressed to the US authorities will have been noted by them. Our general policy however, is to recognise the inherent dignity and the unique contribution of indigenous people to the development and plurality of society, something we are looking at particularly keenly in the context of the northern dimension which we are trying to develop and which we are discussing with North America.
The Commission shares the growing concern about the missing Russian journalist, Mr Babitsky and the conditions for the independent media in Chechnya more generally. This issue comes on top of our deep worries about the plight of the civilian population in Chechnya, and I have heard Mr Posselt on this subject before. There are alarming reports of human rights violations. Of course, there has been disproportionate use of force in the present conflict.
The Commission delegation in Moscow participated in a European Union Troika
on the eleventh of this month. We underlined our serious concerns about freedom of the press and freedom of speech and we pressed the Russians to clarify the circumstances of Mr Babitsky’s detention in view of their obligations in the field of human rights. We await a proper response from the Russians. In the meantime, the conclusions of the General Affairs Council earlier this week have confirmed the message which I have given today. And we are ready to return to the issue at the EU-Russia Ministerial Troika in Lisbon on 2 March, if we need to do so.
Finally, on Cambodia and the Khmer Rouge: we strongly agree that senior Khmer Rouge leaders should be accountable for their crimes. I totally agree with the arguments that were put forward by Mr Morillon. We vigorously supported the Troika
to Foreign Minister Hor Namhong on 4 February this year. The European Union underlined its full support for the efforts of the United Nations on the need for a tribunal to prosecute former Khmer Rouge leaders. At the same time, we welcome the continued dialogue between the two parties. I am encouraged by the optimism of Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the UN, on the chances of agreement on the proposed tribunal."@en1
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