Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-05-21-Speech-3-371"
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"en.20080521.25.3-371"2
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". −
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, I consider Jana Hybášková’s call for
to be misplaced and altogether cynical. Sloth or negligence, like State secrets, are not acceptable where people’s health is concerned.
The use of uranium weapons has devastating and irreparable consequences. When they explode, uranium projectiles irradiate fine, contaminating dust; they contaminate the air, land and water, penetrate the respiratory system, and increase the likelihood of tumours, leukaemias and malformations. Anyone who uses them is evidently acting in violation of international humanitarian laws. Since the Gulf War of 1991, the association of relatives of military personnel victims has calculated that there have been 50 deaths in Italy alone. Recently the Minister for Defence said there had been 77 deaths and that the number of people suffering illness was between several hundred and about two thousand.
Over 2 000 tonnes of depleted uranium were used between 1991 and 2003. Some 70% of the territory of Iraq is contaminated and even today we are not certain of the extent of the terrible human cost of depleted uranium. In Basra hospital in Iraq I have seen the bodies of deformed children; I have seen the terrible damage wrought on their little bodies. There are thousands of faceless civilians who still live and die in land contaminated by radiation: in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Kosovo, in Bosnia, in Somalia, unaware of their fate.
Since 2001 we, as the European Parliament, have been seeking the introduction of a moratorium. We confirmed this in 2006 with the adoption of a resolution on chemical weapons and inhumane conventional weapons. The resolution adopted by an overwhelming majority at the UN in 2007 urges the Member States of the United Nations to examine the damage to health. Six countries voted against: the US and Israel and, unfortunately, several Member States of the European Union, namely France, the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands. They should instead have followed the example given by Belgium which, in March 2007, was the first country in the world to decide to ban depleted uranium completely because of its toxicity.
Along with other colleagues of, I am glad to say, all political persuasions, I argued strongly for this debate because it is crucial to act against violations of international, humanitarian and environmental law and to act to ensure that military hierarchies, states and the war industry assume their responsibilities in full. Omissions and military secrets, failure to implement rules regarding protection and the precautionary principle could sweep the danger of uranium under the carpet along with the opportunity to prevent a large number of deaths.
On those grounds I reassert the calls made in our resolution, especially to ensure maximum transparency by signposting contaminated areas and above all pursuing the idea of an immediate moratorium to achieve a complete ban soon on depleted uranium weapons and cluster bombs, which are still claiming victims. In Lebanon, for example, the Israeli army launched more than a million cluster bombs on villages and homes in the last few hours before it withdrew.
Take action. Thank you to the Council and the Commission for their replies but also for what they will do, despite the limitations referred to by Commissioner Michel, to achieve freedom from uranium weapons and cluster bombs."@en1
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