Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-15-Speech-3-040"
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"en.20041215.2.3-040"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, you have had a tough Presidency involving many controversial issues, dramatic events in the surrounding world, the procedure surrounding the Commission and, in particular, the internal political unrest caused by the appalling murder of Theo van Gogh. These factors must have affected your ambitions and efforts when it came to security and combating terrorism. Action plans and programmes are fine, but little has happened so far. If the European Council can make progress at the Summit, all well and good. It must not be forgotten that security and the fight against terrorism must never push aside protection of individual privacy.
We have debated most of the issues on the agenda together in this House. You were here on Monday evening and listened to the debate on Turkey. In a few hours’ time, we are to vote on Mr Eurlings’ report. I believe that a solid majority of MEPs will vote in favour of giving Turkey a date. In that connection, I wish to say how deplorable it is that certain people in this House have pushed through a policy that makes the final vote secret. This Parliament is always at the forefront of openness and transparency, and the politician who does not dare to look his or her electorate in the eye on this issue has no place in this House.
Nonetheless, we expect you to have the courage to take this historic decision and, notwithstanding all the difficulties, to give Turkey a starting date with a view to its obtaining full membership. Only in that way can the democratic process continue. This will also give a clear signal to the tens of thousands of Kurds in Diyarbakir who, at the weekend, demonstrated in favour of EU membership for Turkey.
You mentioned the European security policy, together with disarmament. I assume that you will be discussing the agreement concluded by Iran with three of the Member States. It is, of course, extremely positive that Teheran intends to suspend its extraction of uranium. There are still, however, considerable doubts about what really lies behind this decision. We should be very vigilant before making any concessions to the Iranian regime, which must prove that it is serious and that it is not only, as so often, playing a strategic game. The mullahs in Teheran govern with an iron hand a country in which human rights are completely neglected. There is no reason for rewarding such a country until we see practical improvements in this area.
The Social Democratic Government in my country maintains – although it may be mistaken, as it often is – that the issue of the embargo on arms sales to China will come up on Friday. If that is the case, I would remind you of the solid opposition in this House to lifting the embargo. This would send out completely the wrong signals to the Chinese regime."@en1
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