Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-03-08-Speech-2-176"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20050308.21.2-176"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to speak to you about the situation in Lebanon on behalf of my colleague Mrs Ferrero-Waldner, the Commissioner responsible for External Relations and the European Neighbourhood Policy.
At the same time, we are pursuing our discussions with Parliament and the Council on the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument, which, with effect from 2007, will enable us to match our political ambitions with the necessary financial resources. We hope to have a result before the end of this year, which will allow us to start the planning process for 2007.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the Commission will continue to support the efforts being made towards reform and democracy in Lebanon by means of the association agreement and under the European Neighbourhood Policy. I hope that this House will be our firmest ally in supporting those efforts.
We were shocked and saddened by the appalling terrorist attack perpetrated in Beirut on 14 February, which took the lives of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and of many other victims, while over a hundred people were seriously injured. It was the most devastating attack in Lebanon since the 1975-1990 civil war.
Mr Hariri was one of the main architects of the 1989 Taif Agreement, which marked the end of the civil war in Lebanon. He was responsible for promoting the rebuilding of his country after it had been torn apart by war, and his name became synonymous with peace and reconciliation based on a delicate balance between the 18 religious communities that make up the country. We worked closely with Mr Hariri and his government. Negotiations on an association agreement were concluded during his term of office, and an interim trade agreement came into force in March 2003. Mr Hariri also fully supported the dialogue on the European Neighbourhood Policy, which also covered Lebanon.
Over the last few weeks, following the death of Mr Hariri, thousands of demonstrators have protested against Syria’s military presence in their country, in defiance of a government ban. In the face of the unrelenting pressure following the assassination of Mr Hariri, the Lebanese Prime Minister Omar Karami and his government resigned on 28 February after an extraordinary parliamentary debate on the political situation following Mr Hariri’s death.
The forthcoming weeks will clearly be decisive for the country and it is vital that the parliamentary elections in Lebanon should be held on schedule in May. The Commission hopes that calm will prevail during this period and that channels of communication between the various political groups will be kept open. The elections must be held in accordance with a free and fair electoral process, without any foreign interference or influence, and under the sovereign control of the Lebanese authorities. These elections could mark a turning point in the return of Lebanon to full independence and sovereignty. Along with its other partners, the European Union must remain vigilant as regards the conditions under which these elections are held and we should make our position known to the Lebanese.
The Commission is considering how it can help to ensure that these elections are held in appropriate conditions. We are examining the possibility of sending an election observation team. We also envisage, should it be necessary, other means of providing support to guarantee an open and free electoral process. We have in mind, in particular, the training of local observers. At present, we are making preparations for an exploratory technical mission to Lebanon. We wish to evaluate what we can do to ensure that the elections are held in optimal conditions, and we do not rule out the possibility of sending EU observers if the Lebanese Government invites us to do so.
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, the European Union attaches the greatest importance to the full implementation by all parties concerned of UN Security Council Resolution 1559, whose objectives we firmly support: free and fair elections without foreign interference, the withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, the disbanding and disarmament of all militias and the control of the government over all Lebanese territory. Some of these demands have been conveyed to Lebanon over the years in key European Union messages. The European Union fully supports the work of the UN Secretary-General. We await with interest his report, due at the beginning of April, on the progress made in achieving the objectives of Resolution 1559.
At the same time, the Commission is in the process of forging ever closer links with Lebanon under the European Neighbourhood Policy. On 2 March the Commission presented a report on Lebanon giving a wide-ranging overall view of the political, economic and institutional situation, and also of the state of EU-Lebanon relations. This report will provide a basis for work on the action plan for partnership with the neighbouring countries, which will include important priorities such as a closer political dialogue and greater cooperation in a variety of areas.
In Lebanon and in other partner countries, the progress made under the European Neighbourhood Policy will reflect their own efforts and their own successes, with the active support of the Union, of course. In order to take account of recent political developments in Lebanon, the Commission has recommended that the timetable for the next stage of our work and consultation with the Lebanese authorities on the action plan should be linked to developments in that country’s situation. It goes without saying that we need to know how the situation is evolving before we move forward."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples