Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-07-05-Speech-4-169"
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"en.20010705.8.4-169"2
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"Mr President, the document we are about to adopt contains, in my opinion, points that might seem contradictory. We reiterate our support for the government of South Africa but, at the same time, we ask it to make greater efforts in a number of areas, such as improving the living standards of the black population, reducing inequalities, creating employment, respecting minorities, fighting crime, and preventing and treating AIDS.
By putting pressure on the South African authorities in this way, we are on the one hand covering up the responsibility which many of our countries and the so-called ‘western world’ should be assuming for the colossal injustice that the South Africans had to start from in the democratic reconstruction of their society.
On the other hand, it seems that we are giving the message that those who are in power there are not doing everything they can to put an end to the problems we are pointing out, and that conclusion would be another injustice on our part.
These are the priorities of the Pretoria government, and trying to overcome these problems is what makes that country an acceptable model for the whole of southern Africa. I believe it is vital to emphasise that we understand the effort that South Africa is making, often in a courageous and innovative manner, with significant victories such as the one it has just gained in the matter of AIDS, for instance, against the great pharmaceutical industry.
Furthermore, however, I should like to remind you that I was the rapporteur last year when we debated the trade, development and cooperation agreement with South Africa, and I do not remember from this debate that the European Union was over-generous with our contribution to increasing the South African government’s ability to overcome all these major challenges. Now we are the ones who are demanding that they should be more effective. Of course, we must remain vigilant, but without forgetting the serious difficulties that South Africa is facing, and of course we must turn our concerns into supportive cooperation to give the South Africans a better chance to achieve their objectives, which, moreover, coincide with our own demands."@en1
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