Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2003-10-23-Speech-4-193"
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"en.20031023.9.4-193"2
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"Mr President, the ceasefire agreed on 29 January of this year in Nepal between the government and the Maoists lasted only seven months. As long ago as March, both sides were given a code of conduct, whereupon rebel leaders were released from prison. Three rounds of negotiations resulted in the Maoists abandoning their demand for the abolition of the monarchy. The government produced a framework for reform of the state; I have its road map and objectives in my hand as I speak. It provides for round table conferences involving all parties, as well as prompt elections to the national parliament, new structures featuring regional self-government, the introduction of the market economy and education and employment rights for ethnic groups and people with disabilities, all of which adds up to a substantial package.
In August 2003, though, the Maoists ended the ceasefire, since which time three hundred people have been killed, twenty-five of them last weekend alone, and acts of intimidation, extortion, serious fighting and murders have become daily occurrences in Nepal. For the first time, foreigners have been abducted and shots fired at tourists. In this country, so heavily dependent on tourism, the situation is becoming more tragic. The Group of the European People’s Party calls on the Maoists to renew the ceasefire once and for all and to return to the negotiating table. Should the two sides need a mediator from outside, the EU is eminently capable of performing that role, we Europeans enjoying a high degree of acceptance throughout South-East Asia.
We therefore call on the Council to appoint a special ambassador to Nepal, with which, Commissioner Lamy, the Commission must build up the EU’s relations. One first and important step would be for the staff complement in the new office in Katmandu to be increased. Although putting an end to the civil war is the first priority, at no time must respect for human rights be neglected. Democracy must be extended, reforms acceptable to people at the grass roots must be implemented, and minorities must be treated with respect, particularly the Bhutanese refugees in the camps that Parliament’s delegation to SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) visited, the funding of which by the UNHCR is evidently no longer certain.
The minorities also include refugees from Tibet, who have been obliged to leave their homeland in fear of their lives, and who pass through Nepal on their way to India. According to the information I have received, the handing over to the Chinese of eighteen Tibetans was an exceptional occurrence – let us hope that it remains one. The Nepalese government must guarantee that deportations will be prevented, and all refugees from Bhutan and Tibet must be guaranteed protection under international human rights agreements."@en1
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