Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-24-Speech-4-139"
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"en.20050224.12.4-139"2
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"Mr President, I believe that the reaching of a clear conclusion about the events in Togo demands that a differentiated approach be adopted towards them. Togo is similar to many other West African countries in that it is an artificial state, created to serve colonial interests, and indeed one only needs to glance at a map to see this, as Togo, in common with most other West African countries, is shaped like a narrow handkerchief. Togo was governed first by German and then by French colonial masters, but its borders were imposed artificially, and initially there was very little chance of it enduring in this form.
In view of the fact that Togo’s borders were drawn on a drawing board, with entire peoples and families being torn apart in the process, and other ethnic groups that had nothing in common being artificially merged, it must be said that in spite of this the country made every appearance of developing remarkably well for a number of years. It appeared to be an island of stability in West Africa, even though we are all aware that there have barely been any real democracies in our sense of the word in the region.
Yet Eyadéma’s rule, as Mr Meijer has pointed out, has come ever more to resemble an extremely violent dictatorship, and attempts are now being made to put it on a hereditary basis. Without wishing to deny the fact that families and tribes have a different meaning in Africa than in our societies, it must be said that we cannot accept this hereditary dictatorship.
Our demands are therefore quite clear; resignation by the President, who came to power illegally, a reinstatement of the parliament’s legitimate President, free elections to be held without delay, and widespread respect for the rule of law and human rights. Above all, one thing must be clear; this time the African Union itself – and this is something I welcome greatly – as well as the West African Economic Community that is forming along the lines of the EU have made it very clear that they do not accept this illegal rule. I should like to thank both these communities, and see this as an encouraging sign that Africa is – albeit hesitantly – beginning to seize its own destiny in such issues, and deserves our full support in so doing."@en1
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