Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2002-11-20-Speech-3-231"
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"en.20021120.5.3-231"2
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"Mr President, the outcome of the EU–Russia Summit was especially disappointing as regards human rights. The Prime Minister of Denmark, Mr Rasmussen, had the courage to remind Mr Putin that the conflict in Chechnya did not amount to a terrorism problem and that a political solution was needed. Mr Putin gave a frosty reply and that was as far as it went. When Europe had offered premature and uncalled–for congratulations on the use of banned chemical weapons on the hostages and hostage–takers in Moscow, it was not the moment to issue reprimands. Furthermore, the President of the Council had doubtless had his hands tied by his peers.
No more was said about possible sanctions, which had been on the agenda since the summit of 1999 with Mr Yeltsin. Since that time, the situation in Chechnya has dramatically worsened, and the civilian population of the region is powerless in the face of the actions of the special forces. Torture, rape, extra–judicial executions and disappearances are everyday occurrences. Those responsible for violations of human rights and war crimes act with complete impunity. Mr President-in-Office of the Council, why have you not, together with the High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy and the Commission, at least followed up the specific request of Amnesty International to allow access for the humanitarian organisations to Chechnya, under threat of sanctions? Why have you not insisted on establishing free access for the Red Cross to those people who are rotting in prisons or holding centres, the gulags of today? Now that all our partnership agreements contain a clause on human rights, why has international humanitarian law yet again yielded in spectacular fashion to the strength and reason of State?"@en1
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