Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-09-07-Speech-3-146"
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"en.20050907.18.3-146"2
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"Mr President, ever since I was little, the Middle East has dominated news broadcasts. Unfortunately, the news has mostly been about misery, violence, war, oppression and ultra-conservative rulers. Nowhere in the world is the lack of freedom as concentrated as, specifically, in the Middle East. Half a billion people live under dictatorships there, with the Israeli democracy as the only exception. That is naturally a problem for the people who live there. They are entitled, just as we are, to democracy and human rights. It is also a global problem. If people can see no future, then frustration, fanaticism and fundamentalism thrive.
Certainly, there are signs that the situation is changing. An example of this is today’s presidential election in Egypt. It is a step forward, even if Mubarak will, of course, be the victor. There is, in any case, more than one candidate. The development in Lebanon, whereby the Syrian occupying power was thrown out, is also very positive. The decision to allow women in Kuwait to vote next year is also an important step forward. As has already been mentioned in this Chamber, the evacuation of Gaza which, in spite of everything, went so smoothly, is an incredibly important step for the continued peace process and the establishment of two states. The forthcoming Palestinian election will be an important test of how far the reforms within the Palestinian government have gone and of how the process can progress. Iraq has a government, a draft constitution and powerful forces wanting democracy and stability, but the situation is of course incredibly painful, what with the daily violence that people are forced to live with.
There are, however, an incredibly large number of problems remaining in the Middle East. The Presidency mentioned Iran and the mullahs there who, with their nuclear weapons programme, have now been mocking, and trifling with, the world community for several months. This is an issue that the UN must tackle. We cannot continue to engage in ‘pretend negotiations’ with Iran in this way. Its oppression of its own people continues unabated, which is completely unacceptable.
The oppression of people in the region cannot be tolerated. The EU, together with the United States, international organisations, foundations and the opposition in these and other countries should therefore take a combined initiative and devise an international peace and democracy plan for the whole of the Middle East. It is precisely on democracy that the resources of the Barcelona process should be much more focused. Nothing would be better for peace, stability and the fight against terrorism throughout the world than if democracy were to triumph in the Middle East. We have a big responsibility in this area."@en1
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