Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-02-Speech-2-134"
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"en.20011002.6.2-134"2
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"Madam President, I am very much in agreement with the majority of what has been said on this matter and I shall, therefore, not repeat what other speakers have said. I do think, however, that all of it should be taken into account, given that the whole world is waiting to see the European Union’s reaction.
It seems to me that, given the condemnation of the situation in Afghanistan that this Parliament has already issued, and given the danger of the reduction in civil liberties, we have to remain united, as Commissioner Patten has said, and present a united front against terrorism.
I am also worried, however, by something else that has already been said: the tragic situation that has arisen since these attacks. On the one hand there is the Afghan population, which is facing a serious crisis, as was very clearly stated by the Joint Committee of the FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) that recently visited Afghanistan, and which has said that, at this moment in time, the country is suffering widespread starvation due to a serious crisis in agricultural production, that could cause the death of a huge number of people. To this we must add the continuing danger to the farming population posed by the antipersonnel mines scattered throughout the country and the situation of the thousands of refugees in bordering countries – not only in Pakistan and Iran, but also in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan I would like to point out – that have to be dealt with.
However, what also worries me – and it is on this that I would like to focus, Madam President – is the situation of the populations in all the other developing countries, particularly the African countries, who will suffer the worst economic consequences of this crisis.
According to information from the World Bank, the terror attacks condemn ten million more people to poverty, as a result of economic slowdown and, particularly, from the loss of income due to decreased exports, a reduction in tourism, falling prices, etc.
It is true, Madam President, that the European Union and this Parliament now have to form a strong coalition against terrorism. But we should also consider – and this would send a signal to the whole world – an international coalition against the poverty, misery and despair of millions of citizens across the world who very often seek protection from the very fanatics who organise these acts of terrorism.
I would, therefore, ask that, alongside this coalition against terrorism, we also send a signal, chiefly to the peoples of Africa and Asia, stating our desire to build a coalition against misery, poverty and despair."@en1
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