Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-20-Speech-3-247"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20021120.6.3-247"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, just over three years ago General Musharraf took power in Pakistan in a military coup. This caused great concern in the democratic world and led to much condemnation. The coup was later approved by the Pakistan Supreme Court provided that Pakistan re-established democracy within three years of the military coup, that is, by 12 October this year.
It is crucial to state that implementation of the cooperation agreement does not rubber-stamp Pakistan’s democracy. As I have mentioned, there are many things that we might wish were different, as can be seen from Mr Cushnahan’s report. The agreement includes an initial paragraph in which the parties to the agreement confirm their respect for human rights. With this agreement in our hands, I believe that we have a better instrument with which to discuss democracy and human rights with Pakistan than has previously been the case. The Council will continue to expand the dialogue with Pakistan with a view to helping strengthen Pakistan’s democracy.
With these words, I would like, moreover, once again to thank Mr Cushnahan for his outstanding work and for the basis he has provided for assessing the democracy in Pakistan.
On 14 August last year, General Musharraf published his so-called ‘Road Map To Democracy’, which described how he proposed to comply with the decision of the Pakistan Supreme Court and restore democracy in Pakistan. This plan was made up of four parts: 1) the establishment of local elected councils (this took place in August 2001), 2) preparation for provincial and federal elections with the establishment of an electoral commission and the preparation of registers of electors, ID cards etc., as well as the implementation of a number of constitutional amendments, 3) the holding of the actual elections, and 4) the transfer of governmental power to elected civil provincial and federal assemblies, as well as election of the presidents of the assemblies, etc. This was to take place in October/November this year.
The election on 10 October this year was monitored by election observers, especially from the EU. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Mr Cushnahan for the great work that he and the other members of the Mission carried out in this connection. For security reasons alone, it was extremely difficult to implement the election monitoring but, despite this, Mr Cushnahan and his team completed the task that they had been given.
As Mr Cushnahan has remarked in his report on the election monitoring, there are a number of things in connection with the election in Pakistan that one might have wished had been different. We have noted in particular the report’s criticism of the circumstances in the run-up to the actual elections, especially the constitutional amendments introduced by President Musharraf this summer. There were unequal opportunities to conduct election campaigns and unequal access to resources and to the media, and there were reports of manipulation in connection with the elections. Taken together, these factors gave cause for concern.
Nonetheless, it is the Council’s assessment that the holding of the elections was an important step along the way towards the restoration of democracy in Pakistan. Throughout the process, the EU has conducted an ongoing dialogue with Pakistan concerning the reintroduction of democracy and, in the course of this, has also had the opportunity to express criticism of factors which have moved in the wrong direction.
The result of the election of 10 October meant that a coalition government is to be formed. Negotiations are not yet complete. The transfer of executive power to the future prime minister is expected to take place in the course of this month.
The EU and Pakistan issued a joint declaration on signing the cooperation agreement between the EU and Pakistan in Islamabad on 24 November last year. In the light of the current situation, the EU and Pakistan confirmed the importance of the international efforts to combat terrorism. In the same declaration, Pakistan also confirmed its commitment to the restoration of democracy in accordance with the said Road Map, something which was welcomed by the EU.
It must be stated that President Musharraf has stood by his promise to implement the promised Road Map. The conditions are thus in place for taking the agreement further. Also on the positive side is the fact that the President has implemented a number of reforms aimed at re-establishing the economy and combating corruption."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples