Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-09-14-Speech-2-203"
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"en.20040914.11.2-203"2
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". Mr President, I would warn against jumping into the terminology of genocide. At the moment there is no authoritative evidence that this is the correct way of characterising the events in question. This is an impossible discussion because, once the word is there, any attempt to clarify and analyse it is only seen as an attempt to cover what it looks or sounds like, an attempt to make it easy to understand. This is very serious: rushing to use certain words, and acting and speaking as if these words are the actual facts, is not the way to clarify to the public that what we see is unacceptable and has to be stopped. Taking that step and using certain terminology at this stage can be, in my opinion, problematic. We need to establish the facts, and I expect this to happen.
There is a risk here that myself and others are seen to be taking this matter too lightly. Even with that risk, I would like to make the point that in relation to the tradition of impunity in these matters, I find it important that the African Union has been encouraged to do something and is not sitting passively waiting for the government to comply. The African Union is totally publicly committed to putting pressure on the government, and at the moment is making an effort to increase its engagement in Darfur, both quantitatively and qualitatively in terms of the mandate. This needs to be supported. It is a new experience for the so-called international community to be able to relate to and support something like this, which we have never encountered before in an African crisis.
We need to do more. The UN's role is absolutely essential. The commitment throughout Africa, via the African Union, to use the newly created Peace and Security Council has created a basis for the UN to act. Without this there would have been little grounds for optimism. Even that word is perhaps out of place in this instance.
What can we do to exert maximum pressure? I still have not signed the country strategy paper for Sudan. More than EUR 400 million is available via unspent funds – which could not be used for normal development cooperation activities during the many years of fighting between north and south – and new money from the ninth EDF. This large amount of money cannot be made available until we see a comprehensive peace agreement. It is a political fact of life, which comes as no surprise anywhere not here and not in Khartoum that the situation in Darfur must be seen as part of any definition of peace in the country. This pressure is a major element in our effort to push things in a better direction.
In the coming year we will face not only the demands relating to humanitarian aid, but we will also have to prepare to secure the livelihoods of the people whom we hope to assist in returning to their homes as soon as possible."@en1
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