Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-02-06-Speech-3-146"
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"en.20020206.7.3-146"2
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".
Mr President, I have listened very carefully to the honourable Members’ speeches, and, in my opinion, the wide variety of concerns that have been expressed here today clearly shows the complexity of the extraordinary task that is facing us in coordinating the European Union’s action in the Human Rights Commission.
I am the first to recognise that the Human Rights Commission, being an international body in which compromises have to be made, is not exactly a forum in which the European Union can impose its principles and criteria; we have to reach agreement with others in order to pass effective resolutions, because we do not have a large enough majority to get approval for resolutions on all points, particularly on those we want approved. Although I recognise that many of the resolutions made by the Human Rights Commission leave much to be desired, I do not totally agree with Mr Dupuis’ chaotic and pessimistic view; I share, instead, the optimistic, positive, idealistic and utopian vision that Mrs Rosa Díez is encouraging the Council to pursue in the defence of these values, which are our own and which Parliament advocates on a daily basis.
Many issues have been mentioned, all of them extremely problematic: China, Tunisia, Zimbabwe and Turkey. All of these issues are on the agenda. We deal with them every day and significant progress has, of course, been made over the last few years.
Without a doubt, the Human Rights Commission gets results every year, even though these may not be as far-reaching as our own ambitions and aspirations. However, there can be no doubt that the European Union should always be inspired by the desire to keep alive the flame of the fight for its basic principles and the defence of these, which I described in my opening speech.
The Council feels encouraged and supported by Parliament in knowing that this is the true home of the desire to uphold these principles which are inseparable from our project, the European project.
I would just like to make one specific comment to Mr Stockton with regard to Zimbabwe. Naturally, what takes place in the Human Rights Commission is important for Zimbabwe, but I would like to remind you that the General Affairs Council took decisions last Monday, which we are going to implement in Zimbabwe, to declare, through our actions and not through our words or aspirations, our policy, which has Parliament’s full support and which has been decided unanimously by the Council of Ministers of the European Union, as regards not permitting or tolerating the anti-democratic behaviour of Mr Mugabe’s government. And, consequently, all of the measures agreed upon by the Council will be implemented jointly by the Council and the Commission.
I assure you, Mr President, that the Council is fully committed to the defence of the values and principles that are inherent to our culture, civilisation and to the Community
. The European Union and all of its countries that have a place on the Human Rights Commission are the bastion, the vanguard of the defence of these rights. This is our interpretation. I would only ask Parliament to give us the necessary room for manoeuvre and confidence to defend these interests, which are our own, those of our culture and civilisation, and to do so as forcefully as possible, so that this can be made a reality in international society, which is, of course, very complex and which, unfortunately, the European Union cannot manage completely on its own. It goes without saying that our contribution and our determination will never falter."@en1
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