Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-04-11-Speech-4-175"
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"en.20020411.9.4-175"2
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".
Mr President, like all the Members who have just spoken, the Commission welcomes the news of the long overdue ceasefire between the Angolan armed forces and Unita. The declaration by the Angolan Government giving Unita a bone fide role on the political stage and time to reorganise is, in our view, a step in the right direction. We are encouraging the two sides to take measures to involve representatives of the whole of Angolan civil society, including the clergy, who have played an active role here, as Mr Lage has just pointed out, in discussions to bring about national reconciliation and sustainable peace.
As far as humanitarian aid is concerned, to which Mr Miranda referred, we are providing important humanitarian aid to displaced people inside Angola and constantly calling on the government to take additional measures to help get emergency aid to zones which, for the moment, are still accessible. We are also encouraging the government to include the extension of humanitarian aid to the entire country in its negotiations with Unita as a matter of urgency.
We are well aware of the fact that the presence of land- and antipersonnel mines is a huge obstacle to humanitarian aid convoys, to the return of displaced people and to various recovery operations. From this point of view, it is by improving safety on the ground that we shall be able to start using specialist organisations in mine-clearing operations, for which serious financial resources have already been earmarked.
As far as political rights are concerned, we are calling on the Angolan Government to strengthen democracy by improving human rights and freedom of the press as a
to the restoration of lasting peace. Basic political rights, freedom of movement, constitutional reform, electoral reform, a census – all predicated on the ceasefire – will all determine whether or not free and fair elections are held in the future. We are prepared to support the organisation of elections as soon as local conditions allow.
The strategy in the long term is currently being discussed both with the government and civil society and at Commission and Union level. We are endeavouring, with this strategy, to forge very close, very permanent and very coherent links between aid, rehabilitation and development, which are the three problems we have to cope with. We need to release important financial resources to help the return of displaced persons, including under micro projects, and to restore agricultural means of production and livestock structures so that social and economic life can gradually resume in the zones affected by the conflict. We all know from experience that zones which have been prey to conflict and mined as these have are very delicate zones when it comes to development operations.
We will of course continue to provide aid for health and education and to strengthen the capabilities of the provincial administrations because, in the final analysis, they will be the ones in charge of setting up and maintaining structures, systems and the social and local fabric.
Finally, we also welcome news of the Angolan Government’s stated intention to organise an international conference on reconstructing the country. We stand by our conviction that all sections of society must be taken into account in the reconstruction project which is to be presented and which – subject to examination of course – we are prepared to continue to support."@en1
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