Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-12-16-Speech-3-242"
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"en.20091216.16.3-242"2
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"Mr President, as this debate has shown, there are incredibly good reasons for continuing our commitment to the Democratic Republic of Congo. The EU is already highly committed to achieving long-term stability, security and development in the country. Commissioner De Gucht gave a long account of the EU’s operations.
Taken together, the contributions of the Member States and the Commission make the EU one of the largest contributors of aid to the region, and therefore we can have an influence. If stability is to be maintained in the Democratic Republic of Congo and in the region, however, it is crucial that the standard of living of the Congolese population is improved, that human rights are safeguarded, and that vigorous action is taken against corruption in order to establish a society based on the principles of the rule of law.
The appalling sexual violence that many Members have borne testimony to here and that we unfortunately hear about in far too many reports is naturally entirely unacceptable. The perpetrators must not be allowed to go free. They must be brought to justice. The Congolese Government has a great responsibility to ensure that this happens and that President Kabila’s zero tolerance policy does not just consist of fine words but actually results in action.
As far as the Council is concerned, the mandate of the two ESDP missions was reviewed following the investigation mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo in early 2009 with a view to helping to combat precisely this kind of sexual violence. As a result, EUPOL DR Congo is to send two multidisciplinary teams to the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, with a mandate covering the entire country. These teams will provide various types of specialist expertise in areas such as the investigation of crimes and the control of sexual violence. Recruitment for these missions is currently under way.
Of course, this is only a small contribution. In such a large country, it is modest. Nonetheless, it is important and this new specialist force will be able to support the implementation of correct investigation procedures for sexual violence, particularly where the acts are carried out by those in uniform.
We are about to embark upon question time, but this is my final debate in this House as a representative of the Swedish Presidency. I would like to thank you for the many good debates, the enjoyable times and the very good cooperation that I have enjoyed with the Members of the European Parliament and with you, Mr President."@en1
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