Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-15-Speech-4-206"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20011115.11.4-206"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
"Mr President, Algeria has been a troubled country for many years. Its reputation and image abroad has been damaged by the violence, massacres and abuses of human rights there, but that is nothing compared with the pain and suffering of its people at home. One million people died in the fight for independence and another 100 000 have died in the current power struggles between Islamic militants and the military and among the minority Berber community seeking political and cultural recognition.
Now in this country, four fifths of which – ironically – is Saharan desert, we have the catastrophe of flooding in Algiers with the death toll in flash floods rising towards 1 000 as the grim task of sifting through the mud and the rubble goes on. It is not the first such calamity. In 1994, 30 000 people were made homeless in the Tindouf area, but the difference is that on that occasion seven lives were lost, while this time 693 people have already died and over 300 people are missing, with some 20 000 people thought to be homeless.
The urgency now is for the European Union to play its part in providing humanitarian aid. There is a clear need for shelter, for food, for medical supplies and I certainly welcome the EUR 750 000 which has been given for this purpose under the ECHO fund, and indeed the promised EUR 225 million from the European Investment Bank for drinking water supply lines.
There is also a need for adequate heavy equipment to deal with situations like this and even picks and shovels seem to be in short supply. Certainly no sniffer dogs appear to be available. Given Algeria's position in an earthquake area it would certainly be prudent to have such things available for the future. I would like to hear from the Commission what proposals it has to deal with this. There is also the need to look at the policy of sealing the floodwater drains against terrorist activities, which in this case has clearly exacerbated the situation."@en1
|
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples