Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-05-14-Speech-3-156"
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"en.20030514.8.3-156"2
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"Mr President, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, our relations with Russia give me the impression that the values on which the European Union is founded, and which also apply to relations with Russia, are increasingly being sold down the river. While deals are being done about the shared use of Russia’s enormous energy sources and cooperation in the field of armaments is being negotiated, fundamental democratic rights and respect for human rights no longer have any part to play, even though full respect for human and minority rights are the basis for all forms of partnership, cooperation, and economic relationship – something that the first paragraph of the Agreement makes abundantly clear. What this means is that the restrictions on the freedom of the press, the hounding of journalists, the massive political pressure on the justice system, conditions in prisons and, not least, the human rights violations in the war on the Chechen people must have a central place in the summit talks and must not be allowed to appear only as the dessert course at the final banquet.
Concessions in economic relations and help with military research must be made conditional on significant improvements in the human rights situation in Russia, and on the country’s respect for fundamental rights. That, at any rate, was what was agreed here in this House between the Commission, the Council and Parliament when the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement was approved. My expectation of the Commission and the Council is that they keep their promise, which will mean that the discussion must give priority to peaceful resolution of the conflict in Chechnya, and that there must be real insistence on dialogue at long last. It is clear that we all – my own group included – condemn the crimes that are being committed there by both sides, the bomb attacks as much as the crimes committed by the troops of the Russian Interior Ministry. We condemn the attempt to find solutions by means of violent acts against the civilian population. That is not acceptable. Peaceful dialogue is the only option, but it must be made possible by concessions on the part of the Russian Government and, most of all, by the crimes committed under the aegis of the State against the civilian population being punished.
This leads me to ask you to reverse the priorities at this summit and not give centre stage to economic relations in the way you have done today."@en1
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