Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-04-Speech-1-161"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20060904.21.1-161"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
".
Mr President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, responsibility for Commissioner Michel’s statement lies with him himself and with the Commission; he alone bears responsibility for a statement he made some time ago in an interview. The Committee on Development discussed this with the Commissioner a week ago, and as far as I am concerned that lays the matter to rest.
There is one lesson, though, that we must learn from what has happened, and it is that what is said in this House on the subject of the Congo may well not always be listened to here, but a very great deal of attention will be paid to it there, as we have been obliged – painfully – to learn. Let every one of us, then, be careful in what we say in our contributions to this debate.
This very evening, the results of the parliamentary elections and the outcome of the scrutiny by the Supreme Court are expected. That is the moment at which the first round of the presidential election can be regarded as over. Even though it is fundamentally improper that we should be debating the Congo at this point in time, let us, here in this House, congratulate the Congolese people and its independent electoral commission, whose dedicated work, patience and tenacity have made this first electoral round a success.
Let us hope, for our own sake and for that of the Congolese people, that the first national assembly to be elected for forty years may be able to convene and commence its work. It will help to stabilise the country. It will be for us an important partner in dialogue. Let us play our part in preparing the provincial elections; Europe and its Member States must play an effective supportive role, not only in the electoral process from beginning to end, but also in the subsequent period of reconstruction.
As Mr Morillon will confirm, the EU’s election monitoring commission is staying put, and the UN is making its own considerable contribution. MONUC and EUFOR have found their roles and enjoy respect, and we MEPs will observe the forthcoming round of elections.
It is cause for hope that the Congo has such a considerable potential as a democracy, but the process of democratisation is under threat from agile forces with which we are familiar, and on which we need to exert influence. Let us then persuade them that it is in their interest too that peaceful democratic elections should meet with success, and that the authority of a legitimate state should come into being; that is the only chance for the Congo and its people."@en1
|
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples