Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-01-29-Speech-3-100"
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"en.20030129.4.3-100"2
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".
Mr President, I should like to thank the speakers for their comments and observations. I think they will be most useful to the Council, as will the references made to a number of countries and regions such as China, the Middle East and Zimbabwe, which not only reflect the Council’s position, they also reflect the action being taken by the Council and the Commission on a whole series of issues. We are not sparing any effort to persuade everyone we can of the need to implement human rights. Of course, what is important in the final analysis is for the pressure we exert to bring about results and not just remain political pressure. Of course, I also agree with many of the other comments made but there is too little time to go into them, such as turning our attention to the problems in Africa.
Before discussing our position in various international fora, I should like to take this opportunity to comment on Mr van den Bos’s reference to the European Union’s abstention from last year’s vote. I personally believe that the decision to abstain was not an expression of indifference. That would not be in the nature of the European Union. It was a considered decision which, it was hoped, would help the Commission on Human Rights operate smoothly under the political circumstances which arose last year.
I should also like to point out that of course we are interested in abolishing the death penalty, it is one of Europe’s crowning achievements. This is clear from numerous discussions under way, including with the United States, where a number of agreements, especially as part of the fight against terrorism, cannot proceed unless there is a guarantee that the death penalty will not be applied to people extradited to the United States. We take a keen interest in the question of the death penalty everywhere."@en1
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