Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-09-Speech-3-110"
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"en.20021009.8.3-110"2
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"Madam President, since the coup d’état on 19 September, the whole of the northern territory of Côte d’Ivoire has been plunged into confused military conflict. Military operations are being carried out even as I speak and fighting is raging in Bouaké, leading us to fear the worst for the civil population caught up in the conflict.
Ladies and gentlemen, we fear for the people of Côte d’Ivoire who have been taken hostage by factions and who are paying for this crisis with their freedom and, in some cases, their lives. We fear for Côte d’Ivoire, which is in danger of becoming further removed from the model for which it is so often admired. Today, Côte d’Ivoire and its society are being torn apart, and we fear for Africa and the African people for the whole region may collapse, and this is a region which has already seen too many wars and human tragedies and where armed gangs are rampant and trafficking of all kinds is rife – these are both distressing everyday realities. This is an outcome which does not, in fact, seem too far removed from the current instability in Côte d’Ivoire. If Côte d’Ivoire becomes destabilised, this will lay the foundations for a crisis similar to that in the Great Lakes region or in the Congo, which have for many years been devastating the heart of the continent. We are concerned by this crisis, and we are saddened by it. We are also surprised by it too, however. It is happening at the very time when the efforts made by Laurent Gbagbo’s regime to deal with two of the country’s greatest challenges were paying off. The first challenge is national reconciliation and, to promote this, a broad forum was organised in 2001 and a government of national union was formed, bringing together the major political forces following the elections in July 2002.
The next challenge is economic and social revival, promoted through fundamental social reforms such as free schooling or health insurance for all citizens. In order to make further progress on these fronts, however, Côte d’Ivoire needs peace. Europe must exert pressure to bring about a negotiated solution and a peaceful resolution to the crisis. It must make every effort to mediate and must welcome the actions carried out under the aegis of the ECOWAS. These attempts have so far failed, but it is indeed difficult to ask a legitimate government to negotiate as equals with armed rebels. The challenge now is to preserve the unity of the whole territory of Côte d’Ivoire whilst respecting constitutional law. We must be particularly careful to ensure that, if an intervention force is sent to Côte d’Ivoire, this does not lead to a
division of the country. The Socialist Group also supports the idea of sending a parliamentary mission – I am addressing my fellow Members here – to give our support to the democratically elected institutions and to go and meet with the various political forces in Côte d’Ivoire.
In order, however, to help democracy take root in Côte d’Ivoire, President Gbagbo must very swiftly take the initiative of launching negotiations with all the political and social forces in his country. Negotiations must, in particular, focus on the constitutional bottlenecks which are acting as a brake, slowing down national reconciliation. The 2000 Constitution does not fulfil this requirement, it does not allow all the different political positions to express themselves and it once again and still prevents Mr Ouatara from standing as presidential candidate. It does not provide for the possibility of dissolving the National Assembly in the event of major crises, and this may leave the way open for an extremely violent political reaction.
Lastly, President Gbagbo must resume dialogue in order to pursue an unqualified and unambiguous effort to achieve national reconciliation, which is essential for a country that has been torn apart for many years by the manipulation of the concept of Ivorian birthright, almost 30% of whose population is made up of foreigners. In this respect, the call for the expulsion of 500 000 inhabitants originating from Burkina Faso, broadcast last Sunday on Côte d’Ivoire national television, is an unacceptable abuse and must be vehemently condemned, in the same way that the attacks on foreigners who live in the country must be vehemently condemned.
Commissioner Barnier, ladies and gentlemen, today, Côte d’Ivoire and the legitimate government of Laurent Gbagbo need the firm support of the European Union that you have outlined and which I shall promote very firmly and in every possible way."@en1
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