Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-11-16-Speech-4-146"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20001116.8.4-146"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Mr President, obviously it would be better if the European Parliament condemned Robert Gueï’s dictatorial manoeuvres, the transformation of the presidential elections into a farce by eliminating most of the candidates, and the ethnic violence triggered by all this. But, as usual, the European countries in general and France in particular are disclaiming all responsibility for what is happening.
Why did the French authorities never fail to support Konan Bédié through the years, after he launched his xenophobic campaign against the large minority group of Burkinabe origin that makes up one third of the population of Côte d’Ivoire? Why did the French Government support the election rigging by Gueï, which the European Parliament resolution is set to condemn after the event? Why do the French Government, and the resolution itself, conceal the role of Gbagbo, the current president, in fomenting xenophobia?
The non-intervention policy which the French Government put forward to justify its guilty silence is merely a fig leaf to hide its sordid material interests.
For decades France supported the dictatorship of Houphouet-Boigny and his one-party regime in order to protect the enormous interests of French capitalist groups that are established in Côte d’Ivoire and dominate its economy. For the same reason, it is tolerating all the villainies of its protégés who run the Ivoirian State, provided they protect French interests in return. From Bédié to Gbagbo, not forgetting Gueï and Ouattara, all those who are vying for power in Côte d’Ivoire bear some responsibility for the rise in xenophobia and the worsening ethnic conflicts there. But the leaders of the French State also share this responsibility.
We condemn the ethnic violence and in particular the political leaders who fomented it with their demagogic rhetoric. We condemn the army and the police, many of whose members took part in the assassinations. Conversely, we refuse to associate ourselves with the representatives of political parties who were or are involved in France’s Africa policy. We declare our solidarity with the working people of all origins in Côte d’Ivoire who not only are being kept destitute but whom their leaders are trying to set one against the other."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples