Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-10-04-Speech-4-150"
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"en.20011004.6.4-150"2
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"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, normally at this stage in the proceedings, we discuss accidents, disasters, calamities and all manner of things that cause us deep sadness and pain. As Mr Coelho has already said, East Timor used to be one such case. Today, however, is a joyous occasion. What we have seen and heard today is the success of the process in Timor. At this moment, I should also like to tell this House of the gratitude of the Portuguese and, of course, of the Timorese people, for the increasing solidarity that their cause has enjoyed in the European Parliament and which has spread throughout the world. Mr Coelho has already mentioned the various resolutions and the high point, which was the award of the Sakharov prize to Xanana Gusmão, the distinguished leader of the Timorese resistance, who will be, by broad national consensus, the next President of the country.
This should serve as an example to us of how, with tenacity and patience, we can achieve positive results and help good causes. Three years ago, anyone in this House who said that this would really be happening today would definitely have been called crazy. Three years ago, we could not have imagined the referendum of August 1999 and the overwhelming consensus of the Timorese people. It would have been impossible to imagine that the tragic crisis following the referendum would be overcome and that, on 30 August this year, we would have the first elections of a new, free and independent State. We must continue to help East Timor. We made a major contribution to winning the independence for which they were fighting, in defence of their identity. We must keep this sense of responsibility alive and remain vigilant to the potential dangers in a geo-political context that remains highly uncertain."@en1
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