Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-06-20-Speech-3-195"
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"en.20070620.21.3-195"2
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"Mr President, last year I spent two weeks in the Democratic Republic of Congo on behalf of this Parliament. Four million people died in their civil war and, of course, an international arms embargo on that country failed to prevent arms from all over the world – including from Germany and France, for which there is clear evidence – getting into that country and contributing to the strife that took place. There cannot be a more graphic example of why the international community needs to do more to enforce its will and its values in this area.
As we say in our resolution, we want to see a comprehensive, rigorous and fully implemented arms trade treaty. The European Union can play a pivotal role in the international community to make sure that the text achieves just that. I am very proud that the European Parliament text put before us today refers to the arms trade causing ‘unacceptable human suffering and exacerbating conflict, instability and terrorism’. I thank Mr Gloser, the German Presidency and the Council for taking a similarly tough line in their resolution and speaking of ‘an undesirable and irresponsible proliferation of conventional arms’. Let us carry those words through so that we really can influence what is happening in the United Nations.
The next stage must be to engage civil society. I think we are in our present position as a result of those NGO campaigns of the mid-1990s that were finally successful in working with us to get the EU Code of Conduct. I am very proud that experts at the Lauterpacht Centre at Cambridge University in my own constituency drew up the first draft of this treaty to be put forward to the international community. I appeal to parliamentarians to sign the declaration in favour of the Treaty on the controlarms.org website. Our work with civil society to engage the people of this world for a strong treaty is essential.
Finally, I am very proud that my own country, the UK, together with Finland, proposed this in the United Nations and that every single EU Member State has submitted its willing support to the UN. We should be proud of Europe too."@en1
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