Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-03-23-Speech-4-009"
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"en.20060323.4.4-009"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen, I wanted to be present here for this important debate today, because Parliament, in particular, needs to send out a strong signal regarding the depth of the concern the EU feels about the situation and developments in Belarus.
Of course, the Council has been devoting attention to Belarus not just since last Sunday, when the elections were held, but for a long time now. For some time, the Council has viewed with concern the situation in Belarus, in terms of human rights and their suppression, of the opposition, and of civil society. Indeed, that is why the Council took a large number of measures in the run-up to the elections, including, in particular, issuing a very clear reaction to the announcement by the Belarusian Government and President of their intention to take harsh measures against any demonstrators. The word ‘terrorists’ was even used, alongside talk of the death penalty, and the Council spoke out very clearly.
The conduct of the elections themselves unfortunately confirmed the negative expectations we had had as a result of past events, namely the curbing of the opposition and the suppression of freedom of expression, and meant that these were not free elections: this was confirmed, in particular, by the OSCE/ODIHR election observation mission, which said that the elections were not fair or free, nor did they meet OSCE standards. The Presidency immediately took a stance on the events in Belarus, and issued a statement on the subject as early as Monday, 20 March, at the General Affairs Council. The Council discussed the matter and expressed its opinion very clearly along the same lines as the OSCE/ODIHR statement subsequently issued that afternoon.
What is important now, of course, is the consequence of these events – how the EU should react. The Council believed that it was important first and foremost to react quickly and send out a signal. Once again, I am delighted at the speed with which Parliament, too, has set to work on this situation, to send out a political signal. In the days and weeks to come, the Council will carefully consider what specific measures can and should be taken to express our discontent with this situation, and also to influence future developments in the country.
In my opinion, this is why the situation is so difficult and why measures have to be considered carefully, because we do not want any steps we take to affect the people, or civil society. On the contrary, we must now seek to strengthen free society, or free civil society. We must look for ways to cooperate, ways to encourage the courageous people who are assembling, who are holding out there, and we must consider our further course of action. That is why the Council decided on Monday to join with the Commission for detailed deliberations on the form these measures could take.
It is very important that the present and future measures taken by the EU also have the support of the EU’s partners. A total of 40 countries endorsed the statement issued by the Presidency yesterday afternoon: that sends out a strong signal. This statement was endorsed by the candidate countries, and also the countries participating in the stabilisation and association process – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro – the EFTA countries Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway, and also Ukraine and Moldova. It is important to arrive at a broad consensus so that we can send out a clear signal on this.
We shall also have to engage in dialogue with Russia, of course – herein lies another key to the events. We must make it clear that Russia, too, has to endorse the common values of the European Union, that the four areas we are always talking of in connection with the partnership with Russia presuppose that Russia, too, adheres to the rules of democracy. Naturally, we shall also express this in our contact with Russia.
By way of conclusion, I should like to assure you that the Council takes this situation very seriously, that we are concerned about Belarus, which is the last country in Europe where human rights are not respected, and where there is no freedom of assembly or expression. We shall continue our active endeavours to improve this situation. As the Austrian Minister for Foreign Affairs commented after the elections ‘It will not always be winter in Minsk’."@en1
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