Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-11-18-Speech-4-114"
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"en.20041118.11.4-114"2
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"Mr President, the crisis in Côte d’Ivoire has a whole host of varying causes, all of which require thorough analysis. As in the majority of West African countries, of course, there is tension between the Christian and animistic South and the predominantly Muslim North, as well as problems relating to borders, which were drawn by the colonial powers in a highly arbitrary manner and which generally separate ethnic groups, and sometimes even entire nations, living on either side of them. There is of course also economic and social instability, which is another consequence of the mistakes made by colonial powers. Yet there is one thing of which we must be aware; none of these factors can justify the use of violence or human rights violations. We must also remind those in positions of responsibility in these countries and within the Organisation of African Unity, or the African Union, of their duty to become heavily involved in achieving stabilisation in the region.
Item 6 in our joint motion for a resolution – a resolution which is also supported by my group – could be interpreted as criticism of France, but I should like to make it clear that such criticism would be unfounded. It is of course true that everyone makes mistakes, France included, and it is indeed to blame for some of its colonial problems in West Africa. On the other hand, however, it must be said that without the French we would have absolutely no hope of ever putting an end to the murders, robberies and looting in Côte d’Ivoire. It is all well and good for this House to hold speeches and adopt resolutions, but it is the French soldiers, and sometimes French civilians, in Côte d’Ivoire who have to put their heads on the line for a peaceful solution. This is why we must show our solidarity with them.
Item 6 of the resolution is not, as I understand it, a criticism of France, but of the other countries in Europe and the rest of the world which have left France to deal with this matter alone, very conveniently beating a retreat and shirking their responsibilities. I should therefore like to counter Mr Kohlíček’s comments by saying that the former imperial and colonial powers do, of course, have responsibilities, but it must also be said that without the French presence in Africa in the 1970s and 1980s, the Soviet Union would have occupied central positions on the continent, and so France prevented these positions from falling under the control of the Communists and their expansionist ideology.
Moreover, it would perhaps not have been possible to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia, as we did yesterday, had there been no opposition forces in the 1970s and 1980s. Today we are faced with the responsibility of ensuring that a fresh start is made in Africa, by working in partnership with the nations of Africa and not by acting as a colonial tyrant. In order for a fresh start to be made, of course, the acts of violence must first come to an end. When this has happened, it will be important to achieve a new ethnic balance, to promote statehood, to build civil society, to solve problems relating to the different nationalities living within countries, and, above all, to bring about decentralisation.
Experts on issues of church-based development aid, such as my colleague Mr Dess, are doing exemplary work in supporting decentralised projects, by which I mean not flagship projects, but projects which really help people. This is the way of the future; building democracy from grass roots upwards by means of local self-government, decentralised projects, helping people to help themselves and not – and this is another point upon which I agree with the critics – by means of flagship projects, which are more reminiscent of the colonial past.
The responsibility is ours, as Europeans; we are grateful to France for acting on this responsibility, but we must be more proactive in building a genuine peace which is more than just a ceasefire."@en1
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