Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-01-21-Speech-5-047"
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"en.20000121.3.5-047"2
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"Mr President, I speak here today on behalf of the colleagues in whose name the second motion on the order paper is before the House. They apologise for being unable to be present themselves. Although I have less expertise, I am happy for this opportunity to speak on their behalf and on behalf of the Green/European Free Alliance.
As Parliamentarians we are often guilty of complaining about the privations of our life, travelling between two, three or four cities, occupying cramped offices and so forth. So it is a humbling moment to rise in this House to speak on this topic and contemplate the problems and dangers faced by brave people who go out as humanitarian workers in Third World countries. We can only pause and reflect upon the conditions of their lives and sometimes, alas, of their deaths. That said, my Group and I are disappointed that our colleagues in the Socialist Party – although rightly saying that this is a general problem – seem to be losing sight – in our opinion – of the need to concentrate on Columbia.
It is important to recall that President Pastrana visited this place as recently as October and gave assurances about safeguarding human rights and about the prosecution of crime and the dismantling of the paramilitary forces. These assurances have turned out to be almost worthless. Not enough has been done. The motion on behalf of my Group says that the Commission should insist, as a condition of its presence and its work in the country, on the enforcement of laws relating to the protection of displaced workers and on the provision of guarantees from the Colombian Government relating to their physical safety and material wellbeing. It is right that the Commission should insist on these requirements.
In the next clause the motion says that we oppose the continuing of aid to the Colombian Government, but not to the Colombian people because the next clause says that we should continue aid through other channels and direct it to make sure that the paramilitary forces are discountenanced and that civil order returns as fast as reasonably possible to Columbia.
Human rights workers are a critical part of the problem, but not the whole problem. The only way to stop the killing will be by dismantling the paramilitary troops and providing adequate bodyguards for human rights workers. ECHO and the Commission have to put pressure on the governments to do this."@en1
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