Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-15-Speech-3-182"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20030115.10.3-182"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Lebanese civil society is following closely the signature of this association agreement. Although Europe is Lebanon’s main trading partner and one of the important backers supporting its economic modernisation programme, it also guarantees respect for fundamental rights on the road to establishing democratic freedoms.
Freedom of expression has once more been seriously attacked, as shown by the enforced closure of the television channel MTV last September for having allowed the opposition to speak at the time of the by-elections. The confirmation of this decision by the courts only serves to increase concerns over this situation. The deregulations of the legal system do not encourage respect for freedom of expression as the courts are increasingly instrumentalised in order to act as means of applying pressure.
More than 17 000 people have disappeared since the beginning of the Lebanese war. Ten years after the end of the conflict, no serious enquiry has been carried out to discover what happened to them. Some were probably executed in Lebanon, but no search has been undertaken for the bodies. It also seems that the victims of kidnapping were handed over to Syria and then transferred to Syrian prisons. The association of families was recently received by the Syrian authorities, who promised them an enquiry but have done nothing as yet. The Lebanese authorities, for their part, remain silent. Public opinion is increasingly calling for the total withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Their presence, in addition to corruption within the Lebanese political class, contributes to maintaining a climate of instability dominated by a catastrophic economic situation.
In order to prevent the democratic clause from being nothing more than a dead letter, it is vital to establish mechanisms for the regular monitoring and assessment of its implementation, from the very entry into force of the agreement, in partnership with the NGOs that are close to daily reality. In this country where fundamental rights and democratic freedoms are often ignored, Lebanon’s people are placing great hope in these agreements as they represent an essential means of pressure for the citizens."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples