Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-10-09-Speech-3-114"
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"en.20021009.8.3-114"2
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"Madam President, ladies and gentlemen representing the Member States, Commissioners, allow me to express my astonishment at the arguments put forward by some of my fellow Members, because, ultimately, the situation in Côte d’Ivoire is so straightforward that we should be in immediate agreement on a number of obvious facts.
The first obvious fact is that Côte d’Ivoire is one of the States that deserves our most vigorous support, as it is showing numerous encouraging signs: its level of growth stands at 3%, it is making relatively rapid progress towards democracy, illustrated by the presidential elections that have been universally welcomed as a step forward, it has a process for forming political groupings in place which, following the forum for national reconciliation, should lead to fully democratic legislative elections, and the current government must be instructed to arrange these as soon as possible. Yes, Côte d’Ivoire and President Gbagbo deserve the support of all the European States that are concerned about links with Africa. I do not understand how we can hesitate, unless we are trying to make things worse before they can get better or we are allowing ourselves to be carried away by a feeling of indifference to which I fear many Europeans are certainly tempted to give in but which is unacceptable to France.
The second obvious fact is that Côte d’Ivoire is in not facing a civil war. It is simply battling with a foreign invasion which, although it exploits the age-old oppositions between ethnic groups, as usual, is primarily a matter for geopolitical analysis. The so-called insurgents are obviously armed, and powerfully so, by one or more foreign powers. An analysis of the situation must not, therefore, be based on ethnographic conclusions, and even less on humanitarian lamentation, but on geopolitical factors.
Turning to the third obvious fact, which is crucial but, for this reason perhaps, is too often eclipsed, since it is true that the ignorance – or lack of perception – of this House in geopolitical matters is evident in so many areas. Today, Africa is, out of all the continents, the one which is the most immune to the influence of the global empire. This is due to historical reasons relating to the links that several European nations have forged with Africa and, consequently, due to the fear, which has often stopped Washington, that any destabilisation of regimes would bolster the Soviet Union. However, since the collapse of the Russian power, the empire has been trying to extend its influence over this continent, which is both the richest, potentially at least, and, sadly, the most vulnerable of all. We tried to do this several times in Equatorial Africa – formerly under Belgian control – and extended these efforts to the neighbouring countries of the Gulf of Guinea, which has such substantial oil reserves. We are now benefiting from the ambitions of a personality of uncertain nationality, who, in any case, spent most of his life in the United States, to destabilise a country whose situation has been growing stronger with each passing year and which, as a result, became a major partner of Europe. It is this connection, it is this link that some want to destroy.
Ladies and gentlemen, we must be firm regarding the true interests of Europe. France has the courage to do this. The support that it is giving to the official, democratic government of Côte d’Ivoire must be shown by all Europeans together, because what France is doing in Africa, it is not doing for itself but for the whole of Europe."@en1
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