Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-15-Speech-3-009"
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, just a few months ago we marked the 50th anniversary of the Geneva Conventions on the protection of victims of armed conflicts. Fifty years ago, 63 countries signed the four conventions and two protocols which still provide a basis for international humanitarian rights today. It is worth remembering that these international legal instruments were established during the period immediately after the Second World War and at that time reflected the major concerns felt at international level following the devastating effects of that conflict. Events since that time have demonstrated that those who considered it essential to strengthen the rights of individuals in war zones, including civilians and military personnel not directly involved in the conflict, were totally justified.
A new code of ethics has accordingly come to be applied to the actions of parties to conflicts, in terms of strengthening the dignity of human life, which has increasingly become enshrined in international law in various other areas.
Unfortunately, in reality, it has become evident that the binding nature of the conventions and the way in which they are enforced by no means meet the requirements of the situations in which they are intended to provide protection. We are still continuing to witness acts of war marked by barbarism and a total denial of the rights of civilians and of military personnel outside combat zones. The behaviour of many states and many parties to armed conflicts fails to reflect any principles whatsoever and is characterised by an “end justifies the means” approach. And it is not unusual for civilians to be the particular target of military action, either in the form of terrorism or as an instrument of political pressure.
On the other hand, the unusual nature of certain conflicts, in particular those fought on a civil war footing, is increasingly being taken as an excuse for more serious crimes which are often carried out under cover of a shortage of information to the outside world and a kind of scorched earth policy intended to secure victory at all costs, and even at the cost of genocide. In cases of this kind, acts affecting more vulnerable social groups take on a particular importance and are even more shocking. Such indefensible acts ultimately expose children and the elderly to all kinds of inhumane actions, so that they are today the main victims of certain types of conflict, and sometimes even seem to be singled out to set an example.
The question of humanitarian organisations comes in here too, as their scope for action is frequently affected by the intolerable behaviour of certain parties to conflicts who are cynically trying to win time to seal their victories or to take retaliatory action affecting populations at risk. It is important to carry on strengthening these organisations’ freedom of action and the protection of humanitarian workers. In this context, I would particularly like to draw attention to the International Committee of the Red Cross, whose reports demonstrate that specific action is needed to improve the way in which the Geneva Conventions are applied. And if it were not for the media and the new role they now play in spreading awareness of conflicts – not to mention these conflicts power to shock and mobilise the international community – the situation that we are witnessing today in certain war zones would be even worse and the level of impunity would be even greater.
Mr President, the European Union, which advocates and practises a set of values which we are proud to say is at the forefront of the international community, has been emphasising the vital importance of observing the Geneva Conventions. In the context of its external relations, the Union promotes these values and seeks to implement them at all times through its political actions. We are therefore alert to any risk of weakening the principles that unite us in this area, and we have always denounced any violations through our common foreign and security policy. In such cases we seek to use the instruments available to us to exert pressure in a timely and effective way. We are aware that in many cases we have not achieved everything we might wish, but we firmly intend to continue in future with the same determination.
Mr President, despite the gravity and the frequency of human rights violations that the Geneva Conventions and their protocols attempt to prevent, I do believe that the new millennium gives us some cause for hope. This hope is primarily founded on gradually establishing an international set of values which means that it is already becoming difficult to take refuge behind spurious criteria such as cultural differences and national traits. Although it is a slow process, there can be no doubt that we are already on the way to establishing this new international set of values and that the process of information globalisation is assisting in this and helping it to take root in our societies’ collective consciousness. Our citizens need to take this process on board in order to establish a mechanism for reacting to actions which show a lack of respect for the fundamental principles which should nowadays be regarded as our common heritage.
In creating international tribunals like those now dealing with the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, we have taken a step forward in making life more difficult for people who encourage acts which infringe the values of the Geneva Conventions. These people must start to realise that the world is no longer a place where impunity is the rule. If we can get this message across, we will certainly be helping to strengthen human rights and to give the principles which the Geneva Conventions and their protocols aim to protect the credibility and effectiveness that they need."@en1
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