Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2012-04-17-Speech-2-142-000"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20120417.17.2-142-000"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, Baroness Ashton, ladies and gentlemen, at the end of February, I had the opportunity to travel with several Members of this House to Burma, or Myanmar, as it now calls itself. To me, it was like a small miracle when President Thein Sein, a former member of the military junta, gave us a relatively credible explanation of his desire for reform. The critical test came at the beginning of this month, when the by-elections took place. It was very impressive to see how the opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who previously had to operate in secret, achieved an overwhelming victory, despite the fact that obstacles were occasionally placed in the way of her election campaign.
However, one thing must be clear to us. Her party, the National League for Democracy, is still a very small party. It currently has only just over 40 seats. Therefore, the way in which it develops over the next few weeks, months and years will be decisive. The crucial landmark will be the 2015 elections. This is when it will become clear whether the citizens of Burma really have the opportunity to elect their members of parliament and their government freely, fairly and without outside influence. Until then, the reform process must continue at a rapid pace. It is essential that those who are currently in power make genuine progress and go on with the work that they have started. They must release the remaining political prisoners, as Mr Belet has already said. They must come to a ceasefire in the feuds that they are having with different ethnic groups and ultimately bring about peace. They must offer their citizens full democratic rights, such as freedom of expression in speech and writing, including on the Internet, in schools and in universities. They must ensure that there is a free and independent press and an independent judicial system. They must begin the systematic process of establishing the structures of a social market economy. We, together with our private sector, can and must help them to achieve this.
As Burma introduces more democracy and freedom for its people, so the West can reduce its sanctions or even lift them altogether. It is in all our interests for Burma to free itself from China’s embrace and to overcome the mass poverty among its citizens."@en1
|
| lpv:videoURI |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples