Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-16-Speech-4-140"
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"en.20001116.8.4-140"2
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"Mr President, for a long time Côte d'Ivoire stood out as a pillar of stability and relative prosperity in the tormented life of West Africa. That is why we were so disturbed and sad to see the slow political, economic and human ruination of this country, orchestrated by the military junta of General Gueï.
In order to hold on to power, General Gueï hijacked the constitution adopted by the people of Côte d'Ivoire for his sole benefit and used it as a means of excluding his political opponents. In order to hold on to power, he did not hesitate to exploit the bitter debate on Ivoirian nationality, sparking an explosion of xenophobia: hatred of others, of foreigners, whether from Burkina Faso or Mali, even though so many of them have lived and worked in the country for many years. In this way he has brought Côte d'Ivoire to the brink of civil and ethnic war.
But the Ivoirian people did not allow the junta to play their murderous game to the bitter end: they forced the tyrant to flee and, by electing a long-standing opponent, Laurent Gbagbo, to rule the country, they brought Côte d'Ivoire back onto the track of democracy. Now this process needs to be confirmed rapidly by the organisation of free, transparent and pluralist legislative elections in which all the political forces can take part. At least, that is what both the political leaders and the people are calling for today.
The political forces of Côte d’Ivoire have already shown their sense of responsibility by playing the card of appeasement, of constitutional legality and of national reconciliation for some weeks past. We must take note of this return to a democratic process that may indeed be incomplete, but that we must continue to support. I believe that will also contribute to the stability of the entire region, for West Africa is going through a highly vulnerable period from that point of view.
The European Union must therefore accompany Côte d'Ivoire along the road it has itself chosen: the road towards a return to constitutional legality, to civil peace, to economic and social progress, while giving material and financial support to the organisation of the legislative elections scheduled for 10 December this year and, of course, ensuring that they are fair and pluralist. It must also continue to cooperate with Côte d'Ivoire, so as to help it find the most appropriate solutions to the social crisis in urban areas and to tensions related to land in rural areas. That is precisely the point of our resolution."@en1
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