Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-02-13-Speech-4-158"
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"en.20030213.9.4-158"2
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"Mr President, I might inform you that purely coincidentally the German Parliament is also debating Zimbabwe at this very hour today and I believe that, from a political point of view, it is important for us not only to discuss this issue here in the European Parliament – or perhaps also, for historical reasons, in London – but also in other parliaments in Europe, so as to raise public awareness of the situation.
Regrettably, it is necessary to extend the sanctions imposed on the Mugabe regime. The use of democratic means has, unfortunately, not enabled the people there to rid themselves of a potentate who bears more responsibility than anyone else for the decline of the country in economic, social and political terms and also in respect of human rights. I have to take issue with what Mr Sylla said. The sanctions that we introduced do not actually affect the general public. The only people that are hit by them are those who in any case have the money to travel. But when, for example, the ‘propaganda minister’, Mr Moyo, went to South Africa on a shopping spree over Christmas, it caused a public outcry in that democratic society too that someone so close to the regime should be behaving in this way.
I very much regret the fact that the discussions about extending the sanctions degenerated into political horse-trading, because France would only agree to the extension if Mr Mugabe was allowed to come to Paris for the Franco-African summit. I do not like to criticise a government whose political views are so close to my own, but in this case I would urge the French Government to consider whether it is in the interests of Africans to engage in African politics in this way. Unfortunately, in previous decades for many European countries one single criterion has been decisive in determining whether they have got involved in African politics: whether it served their own economic interests. The result is clear to see in countries such as Côte d'Ivoire and Congo.
On the contrary, it is important for Europe to present a united front. I therefore welcome the fact that Portugal would rather postpone the EU-Africa summit than allow President Mugabe to travel here. Moreover, at the 59th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, the Europeans must carry out early consultations so as to ensure that any draft resolution on Zimbabwe does not fail to go through, as happened last year, but that it is removed from the agenda beforehand."@en1
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