Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-14-Speech-3-190"
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"en.20011114.8.3-190"2
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"Madam President, recent events have demonstrated to the world that the military strategy being pursued by the American government in Afghanistan is working. The removal of the Taliban from power in Afghanistan is a legitimate objective. The Taliban is harbouring Osama bin Laden, an international terrorist who has committed heinous acts of terror, not only this year, but in recent years too. Harbouring terrorists is a crime in itself.
The fall of key strategic cities in Afghanistan this week will certainly help in the process of eroding the power of the Taliban. But much work remains to be done if the Taliban are to be defeated in the near future. They are a military force to be reckoned with and they have extensive military experience. I hope that the Taliban regime can be defeated and replaced by a broader alliance of political groupings in Afghanistan. This is not going to be an easy task, but it must be vigorously pursued as a military option.
Under UN Resolution 1373 it is incumbent on us all to ensure that those involved in perpetrating such vile acts of terrorism in America last September are brought to justice. We too must prevent further terrorist attacks, and this can only be achieved if the international community continues to work closely together.
One issue which clearly needs to be addressed in the context of the war in Afghanistan relates to the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people. The international community, under the auspices of the United Nations and through the European Union, must bring forward a visible and viable strategy to guarantee that humanitarian supplies are delivered to the Afghan people. A visible humanitarian strategy must be an absolute priority if the Afghan people are going to be able to live through a very cold winter. There must be a safe and consistent delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need. This can only be carried out with the involvement of the international community and key non-governmental organisations.
In time the United Nations and the European Union should be given positive roles as new political structures develop in Afghanistan. We must all play our part in guaranteeing that international terrorism is defeated. Clearly, a multi-faceted approach is needed if we are to guarantee that the roots of international terrorism are tackled head-on.
In conclusion, it is very important that we reiterate the message that the war against terrorism is not a battle against Islam. There are millions of Muslims living within the Union who are fully integrated within our societies and who contribute positively to the development of the European Union. The European Union as a political entity is a friend, and will always be a friend, to the Muslim people. We must reaffirm this message at every opportunity."@en1
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