Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-16-Speech-4-181"
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"en.20000316.6.4-181"2
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"Mr President, Commissioner, we are all still wondering how this could have happened. The fact is, international mobilisation was slow and initially inadequate with the exception of immediate aid from neighbouring countries, notably South Africa, and only at the beginning of March did significant international support begin to flow in.
The first point to note is that the international organisational structures necessary to deal with such disasters do not exist, because where the technical resources do exist, they exist within each country’s armed forces and security forces, forces prepared for search and rescue operations. We do not yet know the final toll for this disaster. But we do know that some two million people have been affected, we do know that at this moment there is a calamitous lack of drinking water, and we do know there are an estimated one and a half million anti-personnel mines left in the country and many of them have been dragged onto farmland and highways that had already been cleared of mines.
It is now a question of rebuilding the country. Mozambique is a country martyred by a colonial war conducted by a government which, in Portugal, also oppressed the Portuguese people until the liberation of 25 April 1974. It was torn apart until a few years ago by a bloody civil war, but is recognised internationally as being exemplary in the way it has established itself on the path of economic, social and political development.
First of all, we must provide relief and restore hope to the people of Mozambique. The shock must be absorbed and the economy relaunched. We can now welcome the international mobilisation which is under way and the President of Mozambique himself has already expressed gratitude for the extent of the aid. As for the European Union, it must take a leading role. For one thing, the Paris Club has the capacity to contribute effectively in material terms, and in fact it has just taken the decision to suspend debt servicing until a global agreement is reached on total cancellation. In our opinion, the countries of the European Union should act rapidly to achieve this.
In addition, in cooperation with the local authorities and other countries and organisations, particularly the United Nations, the European Union can make a serious effort to organise and support the reconstruction of Mozambique. Let us work towards that, let us strongly support the international conference on the reconstruction of Mozambique due to be organised by Canada. Let us work to ensure that the international community is able to build up the resources needed for rapid reaction to grave humanitarian disaster situations. Let us, in the European Parliament, ensure that the European Union plays its part."@en1
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