Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-09-04-Speech-3-135"
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"en.20020904.5.3-135"2
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"Mr President, Madam President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, my dear Bertel, Commissioner, I will start by saying how glad I am that, as well as people watching the debate, there are in the galleries diplomats from the People's Republic of China and also representatives of the freely-elected parliament of Taiwan. I think it is a great thing that both sides of the straits are following our debate today.
You have already demonstrated political commitment to a dialogue on human rights, and on that you have our full support. I believe that the human rights dialogue with the People's Republic of China, which has just begun, has demonstrated that both sides will from now on be working on the basis of human rights being universal in character. Let there be an end to the appalling argument about whether there are Asian or European human rights – on the contrary, human rights are universal, and it is on that basis that the dialogue should be proceeded with.
Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, Europe should also perhaps play more of a part in the prevention and resolution of conflict in Asia. The security of the region is of crucial importance for the world as a whole. That is why we should also give constructive support to the political dialogue between the People's Republic of China and Taiwan on the basis of democracy, peoples’ right to self-determination, respect for human rights and for the rule of law.
We should also be endeavouring to play some sort of role in reducing the tensions between India and Pakistan. This has to do not only with the protection of cultural minorities, but also with the protection of Christian minorities in the region.
We are very grateful to you, Commissioner Patten, for referring, in your capacity as the Commission's spokesman, to the prompt inauguration of the delegation to Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos and Nepal. That is something that Parliament has long desired. We need to have higher-profile representation in a continent comprising half of the world's population. On that you have our support.
Please permit me to conclude on a note of mild criticism. Today finds us discussing the great importance of Asia and Europe, and the two continents' relationship with one another. I hope I am not off beam in saying that there will soon be, and also in September, a meeting, a summit between the European Union and China, which is scheduled to take one day. I wonder whether the Heads of State and of Government should not perhaps take longer than just one day to embark on a truly in-depth dialogue with the People's Republic of China. I think that would be appropriate in view of that country's significance and that of the continent.
Commissioner, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, I speak on behalf of the PPE Group when I make the observation that we very much welcome your statements on the preparations for the fourth ASEM process. I believe that your statements constitute impressive evidence of the careful and committed way in which both the Council and the Commission have prepared for the ASEM IV meeting.
My group, however, calls for something about which I would ask you to say something in greater detail, namely, in view of the plethora of issues to be discussed, which the President-in-Office of the Council has mentioned, for there to be definite action by the Heads of State and of Government, with firm timetables and defined objectives. It is not enough to do as we did at ASEM III and discuss all the problems we have in the world, taking in the economy, culture, politics and education, leaving the public to wonder after the event what actually came out of it all. Hence our preference, and our demand, for fewer but definite plans for closer cooperation between Asia and Europe.
Please allow me to pick out from the abundance of issues that have been mentioned, just three on which I believe it important to us in Parliament that the Heads of State and of Government in Europe and Asia should bring forth definite results.
The first is that a start be made on a special process of bringing the two cultural horizons together. It is precisely in view of the anniversary of the terrible events of 11 September that Europe and Asia, whatever their many historic, cultural and religious differences, must define, for the sake of our co-existence and peace in the world, what they have in common, what binds them together and draw conclusions from this. We expect this political and cultural dialogue to have a definite starting point.
The second issue is one that Bertel Haarder, being a Dane, will well understand. As regards terrorism, there is one point on which we want something definite, namely the combating of terrorism at sea. Over and over again, our ships, when sailing between Asia und Europe, fall prey to pirates in certain narrow stretches of sea. We cannot explain to the public how it is that we are in a position to combat terrorism throughout the world, but apparently incapable of facing up to terrorists in narrow stretches of sea, terrorists who endanger our ships' crews and kill them!
The third is the problem of migration. In the President-in-Office of the Council, whose remit not only includes European policy but also immigration, we have a good partner, one who will see to it that definite decisions will actually be taken in the course of ASEM IV on how we can cooperate better in combating the illegal movement of people between Asia and Europe.
I will now turn briefly to Mr Maaten's report, which is of course an excellent one. Time compels me to highlight only five aspects of it, so please forgive me for that.
Commissioner Patten, you pointed out that the issue of enlarging ASEM's membership calls for a consensual approach, but you quite rightly understood that we in Parliament want to encourage you to talk with our Asian partners in ASEM IV in preparation for the Hanoi conference. What is at issue is the assertion that 'we will enlarge from 15 states to 20'. As Europeans, we consider it important that Asia should concentrate particularly on including such countries as India and Taiwan in the Asia process. You yourself pointed out the special role that India and Taiwan play. I believe that we should, so to speak, ‘push’ these countries in order to get them accepted."@en1
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