Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2001-11-12-Speech-1-049"
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"en.20011112.4.1-049"2
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"Madam President, as has already been mentioned, this week is certainly not a normal plenary part-session. For two months, this thing we call war has been in progress, a terrible war against terrorism. This very morning, Italy’s military involvement and its support for the United States have taken on a practical form, for indeed, today, Italian troops are leaving to go and help the United States and all the European Union troops which are actively, practically engaged in the war against this barbaric civilisation. Well then, in the light of this development, to which we must certainly not become used or accustomed, the debate on the agenda, a Commission communication scheduled for Wednesday, seems decidedly inadequate.
Madam President, I expected something more! I do not know what is happening to the Members, but when I go home I am surrounded by European citizens, my fellow citizens, all asking me the same thing: “What is your view of these events down at the European Parliament? What can you say to reassure us and allay our concerns?” Well then, I am frankly disappointed by the presence, with all due respect to her, of the Belgian Deputy Prime Minister, Mrs Durant, whose remit is transport, not war, and though she will, I am sure, have a dramatic speech from the Presidency to read out to us. I feel that it is almost an affront to Parliament that the Belgian Prime Minister is not going to be here at this important time. Moreover, I would ask you, Madam President, to see whether it would be possible for Mr Solana to be present here too, for he is our foreign policy representative and it is his duty, or rather his obligation, to provide us with clear, practical, specific information. We cannot be content with just another declaration of good intentions or the assumption of a political position. We are at war, but some people appear not yet to have understood the full implications of that fact or the importance of the present time.
To give practical effect to this speech, then, I call upon Mr Solana to come to Parliament and tell us clearly what is happening in Afghanistan so that we know not just the details of the military operations but also the extent of our combined endeavours in the field of humanitarian aid to help the communities affected."@en1
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