Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-05-17-Speech-3-176"
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"en.20000517.10.3-176"2
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"Mr President, I too would like to start by welcoming the Commission’s strategy for the run-up to the election that has just been set out by the Commissioner and, in particular, the training of the Zimbabwean election monitors.
The black people of Zimbabwe are still suffering under the legacy of colonialism. Cecil Rhodes, one of Britain's most successful colonists, said the purpose of colonialism was: “To find new lands in which we can easily obtain raw materials and at the same time exploit the cheap labour that is available from the natives of the colonies”. The legacy of this barbarically successful strategy can be seen in the chaos that is happening in Zimbabwe today.
Today, just 4 000 white farmers still own over 70% of the arable land while more than seven million black Zimbabweans scratch a living from overcrowded communal areas. We condemn the violence but we also see that black Zimbabweans have a compelling case. This makes President Mugabe’s refusal to proceed with the lawful land redistribution programme even more deplorable.
It is a fearsomely difficult problem when Mugabe will not negotiate. But I call on the UK Government to do all they can to persuade Zimbabwe to set up an independent arbitration board fully representative of the landless people and, once it is set up, perhaps with the assistance of the Commonwealth, to resume financial aid as soon as possible.
The British Government must recognise the moral debt owed for crimes of slavery and colonialism and continue to do all in its power to support a peaceful and progressive settlement to the land issues in Zimbabwe."@en1
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