Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-08-Speech-4-410"
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"en.20100708.21.4-410"2
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"Madam President, I am very grateful for the discussion that is taking place in this Chamber today.
The Tel Aviv intercessional meeting of the Kimberley Process on 21-24 June this year was very heavily clouded by the arrest of Mr Farai Maguwu. The Commission shares the concerns of the European Parliament and has insisted that Mr Maguwu is treated in full respect of his legal right of defence. The EU delegation is monitoring his situation very closely. It is in contact with Mr Maguwu’s lawyers, reflecting our local strategy to support human rights defenders and to reinforce their protection.
We have also called on Zimbabwe to reaffirm its commitment to the role of civil society in the Kimberley Process. While the mandate of the Kimberley Process is focused on preventing the trade of conflict diamonds, it is clear that this process cannot operate in a vacuum and ignore human rights concerns. That has been a very strong message conveyed today in this Chamber – all the more so if we recognise that respect for human rights is a principle that underlies the very aim of the Kimberley Process.
Turning to the Tel Aviv meeting itself, the EU supported the continued implementation of the Swakopmund Decision and the joint work plan to bring mining cooperation in Marangwe into compliance with the rules of the Kimberley Process, including application of the so-called supervised export mechanism. We believe that further engagement with Zimbabwe in the framework of the Kimberley Process offers the best chance, not only to ensure technical compliance in the Marangwe mining area with the Kimberley Process, but also to enhance governance in this critical sector of the economy and ultimately to improve the human rights situation in Marangwe.
It is for these reasons that the EU has called on Zimbabwe to maintain a firm commitment to the Kimberley Process and the joint work plan, so that Marangwe diamonds can, at some point, in due course contribute to Zimbabwe’s economic development. It is our goal that the participants of the Kimberley Process and Zimbabwe will intensify their efforts in order to forge consensus on this difficult issue, in the spirit of dialogue and cooperation that has always presided over this process.
Finally, it is important that Parliament is informed that, at a meeting with Zimbabwean Ministers representing the Government of National Unity on 2 July, Baroness Ashton, the High Representative and Vice-President, recalled that the implementation of the global political agreement, which addresses our concern about human rights, the rule of law and democratic principles, is key to achieving normalisation of relations with the EU.
As stated earlier, we attach great importance to Zimbabwe’s compliance with the rule of law and human rights. This is an issue we have raised on various occasions and in different fora. The Commission finances, and will continue to finance, a wide range of activities in Zimbabwe, in collaboration with civil society organisations. We will continue to seek and support ways to create and sustain an open political environment where human rights and freedoms are fully respected.
With regard to the position of the Commission on trade with diamonds from Zimbabwe, we called for an audit of the existing diamond stockpile before advancing any discussion on the limited resumption of exports. The EU is invited to the closed session of major stakeholders called by the Chair of the Kimberley Process at the margins of the meeting of the World Diamond Council on 14 July in St Petersburg, where we will advance further discussions on that issue."@en1
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