Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-16-Speech-4-116"
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"en.20030116.8.4-116"2
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"Madam President, Equatorial Guinea has unfortunately been a negative example of an African country for decades, but sadly it is not an isolated case. We must recognise quite clearly that we have a very substantial responsibility here. Of course, there are abuses of power, corruption, and dictatorial violations of any attempt at the rule of law in that country. That is absolutely correct and we must vigorously condemn them.
Yet on the other hand, we ourselves have a responsibility, because this country – like many other African countries – has become a pawn in the international competition for resources, and unfortunately, this involves European interests as well. The major role played by the oil companies in Equatorial Guinea, but also the diamond trade – and illegal trades such as human trafficking play a part there too – unfortunately destabilise the country as well. Ethnic and political conflicts – although these are generally rooted in ethnic conflicts – are exploited in a cynical policy designed to safeguard resource supplies. For this reason, I think that paragraph 7 of the resolution is extremely important, for we have a responsibility here, and we also have opportunities to exert influence. We genuinely need the proposed report on the oil companies' role.
I do not endorse the call for an outright boycott and the cessation of all financial assistance. As a rule, such measures impact not on the dictators, but – if they have any impact at all – on the people of this already benighted country. I completely agree with my Spanish colleague on this point. I believe that we must vigorously condemn the abuse of power. Nonetheless, we must also seek dialogue with President Obiang in order to achieve a situation in which the opposition can gradually resume its work and the exiled politicians can return home. We must also work to ensure that the planned conference on reforming the judicial system can take place. Unless we start with very basic institution–building in this country – as we sought to do in European countries, as in Kosovo and Bosnia–Herzegovina, where conditions are far more straightforward and stable – we will never achieve any success.
We cannot apply European standards overnight in Equatorial Guinea; this will take decades of development, which have yet to commence. This is why, as I have already said, the next steps are dialogue with President Obiang, supporting the conference on the judicial system, the release of the opposition, legalising opposition parties, and fresh elections with international supervision. These are the next steps we must take, but it would be disastrous if we now tried to run before we could walk. I therefore recommend a measured approach. Simply imposing sanctions is not a solution. Above all, we should not point the finger at others; we should accept our own responsibility first, and that means examining the role played by our oil companies in what is sadly a very dirty game."@en1
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