Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-10-25-Speech-3-074"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20001025.3.3-074"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to thank Mrs Bonino personally for all her work. The Ottawa Convention represents an important step in the international campaign to ban the use, stockpiling, production and transfer of anti-personnel mines. I therefore very much welcome the fact that this new regulation is to implement that convention with an EU strategy for improving the coordination, coherence, transparency and control of these actions on mines. The European Union also has to live up to its claim to play a leading role in this area.
The Austrian Federal Government has always given this subject the highest priority. As we have already heard today, Parliament has been dealing with this subject for many years. Parliament is the driving force behind all these efforts, and I believe that we should step up these efforts still further. At this point I wish to specifically stress that we need to call upon further States to sign or promptly ratify the Ottawa Convention, so as to assist international coordination and rehabilitation of mine victims. First and foremost, the EU Member States should sign the Convention. I regard this as a duty of solidarity within the European Community.
Mines are of course a great obstacle to reconstruction in these countries and to the return of refugees. As long as this danger exists, it will be very difficult to persuade people who have fled their homes to return. The European Union is often the most important contributor to financing de-mining actions, and international actions are carried out in the relevant countries. The problem of anti-personnel mines is too big for the regions directly affected, and also for the refugees in the areas involved, so that without international cooperation it is not possible to provide effective support here. The international community must adopt a coherent and coordinated approach. Further progress needs to be made with support for de-mining programmes, assistance for mine victims, and research and technological development. It is imperative for a ban to be imposed on producing mines in the EU and on exporting mines from the EU. This objective should be an absolute priority for us all."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples