Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-15-Speech-4-193"
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"en.20011115.10.4-193"2
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"Mr President, I am sure that, like me, when you call for a debate on the Democratic Republic of Nigeria, you know we are actually talking about a corrupt military oligarchy in an African country to which we give our support. Nigeria is proof, Mr President, that the wealth and value of a nation are often measured according to the priority that it gives to human rights, and especially to women, children and workers.
Nigeria is the most densely populated country in Africa, which means that it has vast human resources. It also has mineral resources and a high oil production that should protect its population from poverty. Furthermore, its huge diversity could provide real dynamism. And yet, for decades, a climate of violence towards democrats has been allowed to flourish there and Nigeria’s rulers have never truly sought to punish the extra-judicial murders and violence.
By not taking any preventive action, the military powers have allowed a climate of latent ethnic conflict to evolve and one of these conflicts, in the East of the country, pitting the Tivs and the Jukuns against one another, has just led to the deaths of 200 civilians, who were massacred by soldiers. The most shocking aspect, Mr President, Commissioner, is that the State authorities are trying to play down this event by explaining that the soldiers involved in the massacre were reacting to the murder of some of their fellow militiamen.
In my view, we must, as we confirmed at the ACP summit on 1 November, force countries that legitimately claim to be our partners in dialogue, that we choose as partners and that request financial support from us, to comply with commonly accepted rules and with international conventions. With regard to Nigeria, this would involve fighting the implementation of the Islamic sharia – a woman was allowed to be stoned in front of television cameras a few weeks ago and not a single country reacted. At the same time, a climate of Islamophobia is developing, with mosques being burned down, and this too is met with widespread indifference.
Lastly, an independent inquiry must now be opened into the murders that took place in November 1999 and in October 2001. We should be aware that our colleagues in the Nigerian parliament have called these massacres examples of ‘ethnic cleansing’. I wish to end by saying that I have often called in this House for the debts of third world countries to be cancelled, but this debt cancellation must be conditional, Mr President, on these countries truly respecting human rights, workers’ rights and the rights of children and women. We must no longer accept these countries calling themselves democratic and signing conventions, which they then fail to observe."@en1
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