Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-16-Speech-4-168"
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"en.20001116.9.4-168"2
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"Mr President, I will try to speak about both issues. Firstly, with regard to Myanmar, my colleague Chris Patten has already condemned before this House the constant violations of human rights by the military regime in Burma: executions without trial, the widespread imposition of forced labour, the enforced uprooting of local populations, hundreds of political prisoners in the country’s prisons and the clear hindering of the free functioning of political parties. He also expressed his concern about the detention and harassment of Aung San Suu Kyi and the members of the National League for Democracy.
We in the Commission fully share your concerns about this situation and we agree wholeheartedly with the numerous criticisms expressed here today of the way in which the military regime usually makes a mockery of each and every principle contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The resolution recently adopted by the United Nations demonstrates that it is not only the European Union that harbours these concerns. However, the Commission remains convinced that a lasting solution to the current situation can only be found by means of dialogue between the military regime, the democratically elected opposition and the representatives of the ethnic minorities.
The General Affairs Council has tried to persuade the military regime of the value of this argument in favour of political dialogue and to exert pressure so that there might be changes and it will continue to do so. The Commission supports this initiative. Despite everything, we are convinced that we must not allow the situation prevailing in Myanmar to hijack the dialogue between the European Union and ASEAN.
Three years have passed since we held a ministerial meeting with our ASEAN partners, which is far too long a time in our relations with a region that is important for the European Union from the political and economic points of view. That is why we believe the meeting should not be postponed. However, that does not mean that, either now or in December, we should behave as if the accession of Myanmar to ASEAN had not affected our relations, because it has. Our ASEAN partners know this very well and are concerned to repair this damage; on the other hand, they know that encouraging Burma to make a genuine effort and to put an end to its appalling behaviour in the field of human rights is the best way to revive relations between the Union and ASEAN. Given the importance that both they and we attach to these relations, we hope that our ASEAN partners will continue to communicate our concerns – which we believe the majority of them share – in relation to the military regime.
I believe that the European Union-ASEAN ministerial meeting should be taken as a new opportunity to clearly and firmly express our opinions on the situation prevailing in Burma, both to the regime itself as well as to the members of ASEAN. We will therefore exert pressure on the military regime to put an end to the violations of human rights and begin a dialogue with the democratically elected opposition and the representatives of the ethnic minorities.
With regard to the issue of Vietnam and the human rights situation, I would like to point out the following: we must remember that Vietnam is a country in transition, that its government initiated a process which led to the adoption in 1986 of a reform programme that embraced external relations and political and economic change. Since then, Vietnam has pursued an open-door external policy, and that is why that country occupies the place that it deserves within our international relations. Furthermore, the process has led to the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Commission and Vietnam in 1995. During this time, Vietnam has made advances towards a market economy, which has, in particular, led to its presentation of a request to join the World Trade Organisation. Furthermore – and I think this should be highlighted today – within the framework of the new constitution adopted in 1992, Vietnam has an elected national parliament, which has the duty of adopting legislation and to which the government must answer in relation to its policies. According to our information, the members of parliament rigorously fulfil their function of examining legislative proposals and supervising the initiatives and policies of the government.
I believe it is important to acknowledge these advances and the context in which Vietnam continues to make progress. It is clear, therefore, that things have been achieved, but it is also clear, as you have pointed out, that there is still much more to be done. I fully share the concern about the problems raised by some Members: although it is true that almost 23 000 people have already been freed as a result of general amnesties, we must continue to show concern for those are still in prison for their political or religious beliefs. It is a source of satisfaction that there is no official censorship in the Vietnamese press, but it is also absolutely clear that there is occasional censorship in the foreign press. There is also clear pressure from the Vietnamese authorities for their own press to operate a system of self-censorship. Furthermore, although it is to be welcomed that there has recently been a reduction in crimes punishable by the death penalty, it is clearly the case that, in our view, the death penalty should be abolished completely. The circumstances surrounding the execution at the beginning of this year of a Vietnamese-Canadian citizen undoubtedly support our convictions in this regard.
Along with the Member States, the Commission participates in all the initiatives adopted by the European Union directed at the Vietnamese Government in relation to human rights and I can assure you that, within this process, we will continue to raise specific problems and cases and to promote a steady improvement in the human rights situation in Vietnam."@en1
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