Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-09-03-Speech-3-005"
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"en.20030903.1.3-005"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, Mr President-in-Office of the Council, Commissioner, I believe this discussion to be both important and delicate, in that we are considering violations of human rights, a country’s very poor social and economic conditions, and how we should plan a strategy aimed at helping to improve matters.
I would also like to put on record my immense regret that the Cuban authorities have not been prepared to cooperate, and that Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, the winner of the Sakharov Prize, has, alas, not been allowed to leave Cuba and take part in this debate, which I would like to take as an opportunity to express to him and to his friends our solidarity with them, so that it may be made clear that the democratic opposition in Cuba enjoys our support and solidarity. For this reason, I would like the Council and the Commission to tell us how we are now to proceed in order to prevent human rights from being violated, how we may support the seventy human rights activists who have been in jail since 18 March 2003, and what means exist for setting at liberty political dissidents in general.
Cuba is one of the last Communist regimes and its economic system is also the wrong one. Both these factors, taken together, explain the catastrophic situation in which the country finds itself. We can now discuss whether or not a boycott, such as that imposed on Cuba by the United States, is the right strategic approach to adopt, but this boycott is not the cause of the problems. I think this has to be made very clear. The fact is that, in the days when there were still Communist regimes in Europe, the massive aid to the former German Democratic Republic, including such things as loans to the tune of billions, which gave the GDR every opportunity for trade as a
Member State of the European Union, did not bring about the development of a democratic system in the GDR that was capable of meeting the economic and social needs of its people in a proper and civilised manner.
I believe that it is in this context, and with clarity, that we have to see our dealings with Cuba, and that we should therefore consider whether this is in any way the right approach in view of Cuba’s accession to the Cotonou Agreement. If this were conditional on Cuba opening itself up, on greater freedom to travel, on the free movement of persons – including members of the opposition – then, in Cuba too, a start could be made on a proper process of transition. For that to happen, though, we need to see progress in certain areas. I would therefore be very interested to learn, both from the Council and the Commission, how a transformation strategy of this sort might be set in motion, whereby one of the last Communist dictatorships might be brought down, something that would be desirable from the point of view of the people who are its victims in this wretched country. I therefore look forward with eager anticipation to what the Commissioner and the President-in-Office of the Council have to tell us on this subject."@en1
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