Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-28-Speech-3-172"
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"en.20011128.9.3-172"2
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". – As this is a joint debate I propose to deal with both the report and the oral question together and I should like to say, at the outset, that we very much appreciate Egypt's position as a key regional power. Egypt, as a number of speakers have said, plays a significant role in supporting the Middle East peace process and the point that the honourable and gallant gentleman General Morillon made about the sacrifices that some have made in supporting that peace process is entirely correct.
I have also noticed the European Parliament's concern, which I understand, at the state of civil, religious and political rights in Egypt. I can assure Members that I have not hesitated to discuss these matters regularly with my Egyptian counterparts. All aspects of the European Union's relationship with Egypt, including the respect for human rights, are continuously monitored by the Commission which is vigilant on human rights issues irrespective of the agreement.
The provisions of the new agreement provide both sides with important safeguards and a valuable additional forum. When the agreement comes into force we will be able to raise, and hopefully resolve, any major issue at the appropriate association council or committee. I just make the point – very gently to honourable ladies and gentlemen who might not agree with this point and who came in a flurry of enthusiasm earlier to vote against going ahead with the ratification of this agreement – that this agreement gives us a much better forum for discussing with the Egyptians exactly the issues which they raised.
Individual cases including alleged restrictions on the Coptic community are taken up from time to time by the Commission. We collaborate closely with Member States in taking positions on these issues and I hope that Parliament will have noted that we never hesitate to make our views known to the Egyptian authorities. I note that, as far as the inordinately light sentences on those accused of instigating murderous riots against Christians in Upper Egypt were concerned, the Court of Appeal in Egypt has ordered a retrial.
Most recently, the Commission delegation has explained the contractual basis of grants to non-governmental organisations in the context of the Saad Ibrahim appeal which I have discussed in the past with my Egyptian counterparts. We have joined with Member States in expressing our concern to the Egyptian authorities at the outcome of the recent trial of homosexuals and I understand the concerns that have been expressed by honourable Members about their case. But we should also note encouraging developments, the new social legislation on the rights of women, the supervision of elections by the courts and the important rulings by courts on the constitutionality of contentious legislation.
The need for good and fluid European relations with Egypt can seldom have been more important. In the last few weeks everybody has been talking about the vital importance of trying to demonstrate to the Arab and Islamic world that the campaign against terrorism is not the West setting Europe and the United States against the world of Islam. Everybody sensible has made the point that it is, at the least, unwise for us to lecture the Islamic world as though we had a monopoly of virtue. Everybody has talked about the importance of deepening the dialogue with the Islamic world.
We have an agreement which gives us the chance of putting in place a foundation stone for our relations with the countries around the Mediterranean. The idea that you could have a serious policy on the Mediterranean without having an agreement with Egypt is "for the birds", as the Americans say. We obviously have to take up human rights...
I respect the honourable Member but think he will do me the credit of knowing that I do not have to take lectures on human rights from anybody.
We want to pursue our dialogue on human rights with Egypt and other countries in the Barcelona process but it would be bizarre to argue that Europe should have a serious constructive policy in the Mediterranean and that it should have a deep and profound dialogue with Islamic countries and at the same time reject an association agreement with Egypt. So I hope that Parliament will continue to take its cue from the excellent report widely commended by all Members prepared by Mr Martin. I hope that Parliament will continue to be vigilant about civil, political and social rights in Egypt but will also continue to work hard for a stronger relationship between the European Union and the people in government in Egypt.
We are also delighted that Egypt supports a more substantial involvement by the European Union in the Middle East peace process. It is also very active in other regional issues, notably in promoting a resolution of the civil war in the Sudan, in promoting regional free trade through initiatives like the Agadir process which also involves, of course, Morocco, Tunisia, Jordan and COMESA. We are also grateful for what Egypt does in helping to consolidate the support of the Arab world for the campaign against international terrorism.
I can only say I am relieved at the way the vote turned out a few moments ago given that we pressed Egypt so hard to conclude the negotiations on the association agreement. I can remember standing in this Chamber and being asked what I was doing to press the Egyptians to come to an early agreement for the negotiations. So it has been a rather unusual experience for me today to find a deferral being urged.
The association agreement was a long time in negotiation but its signature marked an important new stage in Europe's relations with Egypt. The 1978 Cooperation Agreement served its purpose very well but the European Union and Egypt have changed beyond recognition and a new agreement was necessary to underpin what has become an altogether more mature relationship. The Agreement responds to the enormous interests, both economic and political, both bilateral and regional, that the European Union and Egypt have in common and the result of the negotiations is good for both sides.
It is good for Egypt because it will help the Egyptian economy to face the challenge of globalisation more successfully and more competitively and to carry through reforms within the context of a privileged economic and political relationship with us. It is good for the European Union because it will give a new depth and quality to our relationship with this key political and economic partner and, in addition, the agreement is good for the Barcelona process. With this agreement the infrastructure of association agreements which underpins it is now largely in place and I hope that we will make good progress shortly with Algeria, the Lebanon and Syria.
There is now a critical mass of agreements to allow other Barcelona initiatives to flourish. Let me just refer again to the free trade area which is proposed between the countries which signed that agreement in Agadir.
We must now look beyond the negotiation of the agreement into the need for prompt ratification and adequate implementation and I want to underline the point about ratification. It is more than a shame that the agreement with Jordan, for example, has still not been ratified by all the Member States and we need to encourage people to get on with the ratification of these agreements rather more rapidly.
We obviously welcome the excellent report which has been drafted by the honourable gentleman Mr Martin. It is a very professional piece of work and we are grateful for that and the support for the rapid ratification of the agreement by Parliament. It is in everyone's interest that all the provisions of the agreement enter into force very quickly and I hope that the ratification process in this case proceeds expeditiously. This will be an important procedural step but also a very positive and encouraging signal to the Egyptian and Member State parliaments. Certainly, the procedural delays in the ratification process by some Member States are often incomprehensible to our Mediterranean partners.
I have noted the concern of certain parliamentarians that our agreements with Mediterranean partners give insufficient stress to interparliamentary relations. Existing practice indicates that Parliament will not hesitate to develop increasing close contacts with its Egyptian counterpart but, in addition, let me stress that interparliamentary relations are well covered in the relevant texts."@en1
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"(Interruption by Mr Cashman)"1
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