Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-16-Speech-4-145"
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"en.20041216.12.4-145"2
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".
Mr President, Mrs Grybauskaitė, ladies and gentlemen, Zimbabwe is unfortunately one of the topics that figure most regularly, most frequently, in these Thursday debates that we hold on pressing human rights problems. This tells us two things: firstly, that the situation remains serious and, secondly, that the measures that we have adopted have not been working.
What we must first condemn is the destruction of a country by an appalling authoritarian regime. As has been mentioned in this House, the poverty statistics are increasingly shocking; Zimbabwe used to be a country that, if properly managed, could not only have fed its entire population, but could also have helped to solve the problems of hunger and need on the African continent and in other parts of the world.
The Mugabe regime, however, despite warnings from the EU and from further afield, continues to increase political oppression and we view the elections scheduled for March with great concern. Either the country undergoes a rapid transformation and offers even the slightest opportunity for debate or those elections will not be free and fair and one doubts whether it will even be worth observing them. Such is the case of Roy Bennette, of persecution perpetrated against Tsvangirai after his visit to this House, of the negative influence – and I wish to draw your attention to this – that the regime can have in the region, where regimes can choose to follow the path of democracy or to slip back into authoritarianism. I was recently in Mozambique, for example, where elections have been taking place. The count has yet to be completed. We became aware, however, that during the election campaign Mozambican voters voted abroad and that opposition parties – those opposed to FRELIMO – were persecuted in Zimbabwe. The conditions are in place, however. Zimbabwe’s destiny can decisively contribute towards consolidating the democracy that we hope for in the region, following the example of South Africa, thereby consolidating democratic aspirations in Mozambique and Angola. It may, on the other hand, represent a step backwards into forms of authoritarianism.
I wish to point out that we have put increasing pressure on neighbouring countries and that we have developed dialogue with the African Union. This demonstrates the important role that that organisation has to play in exerting its form of pressure on Mugabe’s appalling regime."@en1
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