Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-16-Speech-4-170"
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"en.20000316.5.4-170"2
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"Mr President, I should like on behalf of my Group to voice our serious concern at the current situation in the Western Sahara to the European Parliament and, more importantly, the Commission and the Council. The constant postponement of the referendum on the future of the Western Sahara is unacceptable. A state of emergency reins in the occupied areas. At least 56 people have been arrested, including 27 women, for fighting for the right to self-determination.
We call on the government of Morocco to stop repression, lift the state of emergency and permit freedom of expression. We call on the Council of the EU to vote on joint action which will enable the peace plan to be duly implemented without delay. The previous involvement of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General, Mr James Baker, should be used for further mediation work in a bid to implement UN Security Council Resolution No 1292/2000.
We urge the Commission of the EU to ensure immediately that the people in the refugee camps have a secure supply of food. The supply situation has deteriorated dramatically. All the stocks of basic foodstuffs have been used up. According to information from various NGOs, food has been rationed since December and various countries have withdrawn bilateral aid. The World Food Programme relies on the EU; as a result, ECHO must now provide 80% of the food aid originally intended as supplementary aid.
The Council and the Commission must therefore immediately exert pressure on the UN to improve the food situation. The Commission must set up a financial safety fund for the next three months. Is it right that, due to staff problems at ECHO and the lack of a new global plan, no food aid is being supplied at present? Anything approved today will not be implemented until next August at the earliest, but people cannot be left without aid for such a long period unless they are supposed to starve to death.
We had a similarly dramatic situation a year ago in East Timor. A referendum was held. A state of emergency followed. Only then did international aid react; no preventative action was taken in order to avoid conflict.
That is why we call on the Commission and the Council to act before it is too late."@en1
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