Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-15-Speech-4-129"
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"en.20030515.7.4-129"2
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"Mr President, this debate is prompted by the massacre in the East Congolese town of Bunia on 6 May. Sadly, this massacre is only the most recent in a long series of massacres in the east of the country. Beyond the Congo's borders, too – in Burundi and Rwanda – we have witnessed African genocide on a massive scale. Other major features are marauding militia who recruit child soldiers and devastate entire regions, and the ruthless exploitation of natural resources in the region, above all gold, uranium and, indeed, oil. This exploitation is carried out either by troops invited into the country – including some from Zimbabwe, for example – but also by non-invited troops, for example, from Uganda, who seize the country's wealth.
We must ask ourselves one question. Why are Europe and the world looking away? It cannot be because of the oil or gold or other natural resources. In other regions of the world with plentiful natural resources, as in the Gulf, we have an interest in stability, regardless of how we might choose to achieve it. Yet in Africa, we apparently prefer to leave almost everything in a semi-chaotic state in line with the concept of ‘might is right’. What I want is for all of us, within the European Union, to put our heads together for once and think about how we deal with Africa. Formal summits on Africa staged by individuals really are not enough. It may be appropriate to ask how we facilitate development in Africa through market access within the WTO framework. That is a debate which we should also engage in for once, and we should not only call for a robust mandate for the United Nations; we should also bring ourselves to the process.
The resolution before us is almost a bit too restrained for my liking, for it makes very few demands of the Council or the Commission. It simply says at one point that we welcome ECHO's humanitarian role. It is indeed to be welcomed, but I think this is really not enough under the circumstances. If we call on the United Nations to do something and welcome the signing of an agreement in Pretoria in South Africa on 6 March, we ourselves must also send our own forces there in order to make our own contribution. I call on the Council and the Commission to take this step."@en1
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