Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2006-09-04-Speech-1-164"
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"en.20060904.21.1-164"2
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".
Mr President, Commissioner, the European Union has committed itself financially and politically, with a great deal of determination, to the electoral process in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and we can only be delighted at that. The same goes for the desire expressed by the Congolese people to finally be able to choose their leaders by themselves, and for Europe’s support in this area, provided that this support is perceived as being completely neutral, something that has posed problems recently.
That being said, the situation remains very tense, and while it is clear that these elections seem to be necessary or urgent, after so many years of war, chaos and victims, they will not be enough to put right a country that still has serious problems, starting with extreme poverty and a high level of violence, which regularly undermine the efforts to establish the rule of law.
Controlling the trafficking and trade in weapons, setting up an effective police force and judicial system and bringing the most serious criminals before the International Criminal Court are the requirements for consolidating peace. This situation of impunity has just as serious an effect on health issues. Besides the shortage of health care personnel to which Doctor Mukwege, who practises in the west of Congo, drew our attention in Brussels, in May, there are also the mass rapes and inhumane treatment inflicted on women that must be combated relentlessly. This must be done by also relying on the abilities of the local communities to organise themselves, to restore acceptable daily living conditions, and to denounce and punish acts of violence.
Will the new elected leaders of DRC be able to put a stop to this violence? It is justifiable to be worried, especially given the unrest that followed the announcement of the presidential election results, which do, however, still offer an opportunity to both of the candidates who finished first in the elections. In the event of serious unrest, what exactly would EUFOR’s mandate be?
Finally, the mineral and forestry resources in DRC are now the subject of shameless exploitation, whereby corruption more often than not goes hand in hand with a disastrous social and environmental impact. The answers that will be given, not only by the elected Congolese authorities, but also by the European Union’s political and economic partners, in relation to transparency, to the way in which profits are used, and to social and ecological conditions of exploitation, will be key to determining whether or not DRC is capable of taking action in favour of sustainable development. How do you see things in this area, Commissioner?
If one takes account of the events that took place in DRC, then to put in place a democratic and peaceful transition would constitute a strong sign of hope for the thousands of Africans who are now fleeing their countries in order to make a dash for Europe’s shores with the idea of thus escaping from the chaos and of ensuring their own survival. In any case, everything must be done to give the Democratic Republic of Congo and the millions of Congolese people, who have suffered so much and who have reacted with so much energy and vigour, their chance."@en1
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