Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-11-26-Speech-4-277"
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"en.20091126.24.4-277"2
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"Mr President, I understand the displeasure felt by some Members here that our resolution on China was actually scheduled for a date after the visit by the Chinese delegation and hence might, by chance, give an impression of an unsuccessful journey, although the atmosphere was, in fact, excellent.
It is everyone’s desire that cooperation continues in a positive spirit, without, however, forgetting the facts. Diplomacy cannot ignore human rights, but we need diplomacy and awareness of the situation to promote them.
Only recently, I was on a visit to Pakistan, where I met the President, the Prime Minister and prominent ministers to discuss human rights and the fight against terrorism. I would say that sometimes in our resolutions on human rights, we also need to mention the good news. There is cause for that now. A year ago, Pakistan’s new democratically elected government appointed the first Minister for Minorities, who himself represents the Christian minority. The government’s achievements in this area have been significant: the country has approved a 5% quota of public offices reserved for minorities, religious festivals for minorities have been made official, minorities are to have their own special day of celebration on 11 August, and the Senate is planning the same 5% quota for that institution.
The most important project relates to the reduction in incidences of violence. Minorities together with Muslims are forming local ‘inter-faith harmony’ committees, whose purpose it will be to soothe tensions and improve dialogue between the various groups. There will be one in 112 local areas. Ideally, they will also be able to prevent recruitment by the Taliban very effectively. Pakistan is the most crucial country in terms of global security. If the government succeeds in eliminating terrorism by such peaceful means as these, the example will be worth following. The situation should be interesting to watch."@en1
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