Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-06-14-Speech-3-191"

Predicate	Value (sorted: default)
rdf:type	lpv_eu:Speech2
dcterms:Date	"2000-06-14"^^xsd:date2
dcterms:Is Part Of	lp_eu:Tunisia – Human rights – EU-Tunisia Agreement2
dcterms:Language	"fr"^^xsd:language2
lpv:document identification number	"en.20000614.8.3-191"2
lpv:hasSubsequent	lp_eu:2000-06-14-Speech-3-1922
lpv:speaker	lp:Olivier Dupuis2
lpv:spokenAs	substitute; Delegation to the EU-Romania Joint Parliamentary Committee (2000-01-17--2002-01-14)3 member; PETI (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 member; Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and the South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) (1999-09-29--2002-01-14)3 member; AFCO (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3 substitute; Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence Policy (1999-07-22--2002-01-14)3 member; Delegations to the parliamentary cooperation committees for relations with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia (1999-09-29--2002-01-14)3 unknown; Lista Emma Bonino (1999-07-20--2004-07-19)3 member; TGI (1999-07-20--2001-10-02)3
lpv:translated text	"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, how can we be anything but saddened? It has taken us four years to hold this debate, four years, because the Socialist Group and the European People’s Group have blocked this debate for four years. That is the reality of this Parliament’s position on the Tunisian question. The Tunisian question is an incredibly depressing one, and it is depressing because of our attitude towards it. The Tunisian question, Madam Napoletano, is not a human rights issue, but an issue of democracy and rule of law, and yet, once again, when it comes to Tunisia, we prefer the guarantee of a strong man. We are prepared to have his son to replace him when he dies, as we are doing in Syria and say nothing about it. We close our eyes to the reality of the situation. We do not wish to see the fact that Tunisia, which is in an infinitely better state than any of its neighbouring countries, such as Morocco and Algeria, has not taken a single step towards developing the rule of law in the last twelve years, since Mr Ben Ali came to power. We do not wish to see the fact that strengthening and even, in some cases, improving the economic and social domain, although the point could be argued, is not the same as developing democracy; it is not the same as developing the rule of law. It guarantees nothing. It only provides guarantees for the despot in power. So what can we do? We have an association agreement that has been presented to us as a model agreement, while other countries, again Morocco and Algeria, are making progress. We concluded this model agreement with the country which seemed to have all the right assets to take the great leap forwards into democracy and the rule of law. Our intransigence – and our right to intervene, Mrs Napoletano – must therefore be tough, even ferocious. We can no longer tolerate the fact that a regime such as Tunisia’s, with all the advantages that it has, locks its citizens up, imprisons and tortures them a stone’s throw from the coast of Sicily, a stone’s throw from the coasts of France and Spain. It is unacceptable. An extraordinary Association Council meeting must be held in order to put an end to this situation and finally to do something to help, to be Tunisians ourselves."@en1

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