Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-26-Speech-3-294"
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"en.20051026.20.3-294"2
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".
Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to begin by congratulating Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner. Firstly, on her positive and active commitment to the cause of democratic consolidation in Afghanistan; secondly, on having rightly sent an election observation mission to that country, which is experiencing very difficult circumstances. This has ensured the presence of the European Union, which is alive, despite the crisis we are experiencing and the debate we have held this evening, with the President-in-Office of the Council, the British Prime Minister, Mr Blair, and clearly demonstrates that we are not entirely wrapped up in our contemplation of our own problems, but that we are showing solidarity with the problems of other countries that are suffering and that have experienced extremely difficult circumstances, as in the case of Afghanistan.
I shall end, Madam President, by thanking Emma Bonino, with whom we have worked in magnificent harmony, for the hospitality and support she offered to the European Parliament’s delegation.
I am glad that the members of the European Parliament’s delegation are here in this debate. I can see Mr Evans, Mrs Scheele, my friend Philippe Morillon, Mrs Nicholson and Mr Schröder. I would like to take advantage of this debate in the plenum of our Parliament, as we did in the press conference that we held with Emma Bonino in Afghanistan, to pay tribute to the candidates who died in this electoral process, to the electoral agents, and, above all, to the European Union citizens who lost their lives in this noble task of contributing to the cause of democratic consolidation in that country.
I am thinking of the French soldier who lost his life at the very time we were carrying out our mission and also the seventeen brave Spanish soldiers who died in a helicopter accident, in honour of whom we expressed our gratitude and recognition during our visit to Herat, the base where they had their general headquarters, and also our visit to the Governor, the President, the authorities of the United Nations, women candidates and the General Head of the NATO forces in that country.
From a general point of view, I would like to say that our mission of Members of the European Parliament fully agreed with the conclusions resulting from the extraordinary work carried out by Emma Bonino, and also, from a political point of view, we expressed our view of the priorities that the European Union should set for the future.
We believe fundamentally in the democratic consolidation of that country, from an institutional point of view and in terms of respect for human rights and, in particular, the rights of women; because democratic development cannot be achieved in a country without the contribution of its men and women and their right to determine their own future.
Madam President, the European Parliament’s delegation expressed its opinion that our Parliament should contribute to the post-Bonn Process, hosting and organising a broad conference with the participation of the Commission, of the Member States participating in the joint actions of NATO and, of course, of the new representatives in the Afghan Parliament, so that in this way they can go on defining and marking out their own future.
We also believe that it was important for the European Parliament to give its full support to the joint statement that the Commission is going to sign with the new authorities and with the Afghan Government, and to provide an institutional framework and a channel for the broad and generous cooperation our Parliament has been demonstrating.
Furthermore, we would call upon the Commission to consider whether in the future we should establish a broad association agreement which could provide and guide an institutional format for cooperation in the future.
Madam President, we feel greatly reassured following the statement by Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner, in which she said that the European Union will continue to contribute to the dividends of peace, understanding, agreement and reconciliation in Afghanistan, which to date has suffered so much agony."@en1
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