Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-12-13-Speech-4-153"
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"en.20011213.12.4-153"2
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"Mr President, as a co-author of this resolution I am proud that I spoke out in June of this year in this Chamber against the brutality and medieval obscurantist policies of the Taliban government, when they chose to destroy the beautiful Buddhist statutes in Bamiyan. This was well before they, and their tragic country, became the focus of the world on 11 September, as the Taliban's link with the perpetrators of the attack on the USA became clear to everybody.
Afghanistan is now at an historical crossroad. I, as a British MEP, am proud of the role played by the courageous troops from my country in helping America rid Afghanistan of its oppressive masters and end their harbouring of international terrorists bent on the destruction of western values, including women's rights. I salute particularly those who have been wounded in the campaign and hope, as the UK is about to become a major component of the UN peacekeeping force, that no further casualties will ensue.
Two weeks ago I was invited to meet a representative from the Revolutionary Association of Afghan Women and I, as a Conservative, baulked initially at the title "revolutionary". However, after my meeting I decided that, in Afghanistan, my western views on social and political rights for women would no doubt, in the eyes of the old mujaheddin guard, such as President Rabbani, classify me, too, as a revolutionary. I welcome the participation of two women in the interim government and I am hopeful that the new generation of younger, progressive and modern political leaders will see the way to establish a new order based on equality of the sexes and on full political and social rights enshrined in their international treaty obligations, and cease to regard women and their role as a purely economic one and a procreative one and banish them to invisibility in their burkas. Women were once, in the 1960s and 1970s, welcomed by the government of King Mohammed Zahir Shah as full participating members of society in their professions, in higher education and in politics. I hope that Afghanistan can return to this form of moderate secular government again, and make use of the huge pool of talent residing in more than 50% of its population."@en1
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substitute; Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (1999-07-21--2002-01-14)3
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