Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2011-06-07-Speech-2-280-000"
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"en.20110607.24.2-280-000"2
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"Madam President, you would want to raise the flag and a glass of champagne because, when a populace is able to vote through its own independence, that is only right and proper. The unpleasant thing here is that South Sudan is actually inheriting a legacy from the past and that the raising of the flag or of a glass of champagne is possibly somewhat out of place, given the situation in which the South Sudanese find themselves. Now that Abyei has been incorporated into the North, the South Sudanese should be praised for taking a stance of refusing to be provoked. However, the question, of course, is how long that will last.
The fact that we, the international community, looked on as the issue of Abyei was left unresolved in the referendum is actually highly irresponsible and a recipe for war to start up again in future. The fact that UN troops will have to be sent again to re-establish peace is also something that we can safely assume. What I find particularly difficult is the issue of what do we talk about and what do we not? Let us consider the fact that Sudan is trying to influence the forthcoming referendum in Abyei by insisting that those herdsmen who spend part of their time there and part away from there are included in the count. Is it justified for South Sudan to argue that, no, they should not be counted, as they are not permanent residents? If that is the view you take, are you not then denying the herdsmen’s right to exist? It is a Catch 22 situation for which no answer can just be plucked from the air.
There are two other factors to mention, too. Is South Sudan to be given a fair start? If so, the South Sudanese are surely, in fact, entitled to debt cancellation? The debts in question were run up by the regime in Khartoum, and no one can say that these debts served the people of the South well.
The other factor is how are we to deal with the riches beneath the ground in South Sudan? While we are at it, is South Sudan covered by the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which audits freedom from corruption and examines which oil assets benefit the population? If not, how can we in Europe help? The one thing, after all, that really helps when it comes to European help for South Sudan – and, in fact, for the North – is actually trade and getting fair investments off the ground. We are all watching developments anxiously and I hope that we will once again be able to toast the liberty of South Sudan with the flag and a glass of champagne."@en1
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