Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-11-18-Speech-4-117"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20041118.11.4-117"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spoken text |
".
Mr President, still on behalf of Mr Prodi's Commission, I would like to share with you some views of the Commission that simply reflect some of the concerns which you have raised now and which are raised in the resolution about the situation in Côte d'Ivoire and recent violations of human rights.
In August this year the Commission proposed to the Council that consultations be opened under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement. At that time the Member States did not wish to proceed with the proposal. They did not want to jeopardise the Accra III Agreement, which was signed just a few days before.
Recent developments and the non-implementation of the Accra III Agreement demonstrate the importance of opening Article 96 consultations to put pressure on the Côte d'Ivoire authorities to resume talks.
The European Union has consistently expressed its deep concern at the violence by both camps since the start of the crisis in September 2002. While the situation improved slightly last year, it has deteriorated again since the beginning of this year, particularly recently. As Mrs Kinnock said, Côte d'Ivoire was known as an economically successful country, but clearly there is no long-term economic prosperity without political stability and respect for human rights.
In March, the government security forces and parallel militias indiscriminately killed innocent civilians in Abidjan and committed massive human rights violations. We know that at least 120 people were killed. Abidjan has changed and Mrs Kinnock compared it to Kinshasa.
As Mrs Aubert and others have stressed, several mass graves containing more than 100 bodies were discovered in June in the northern part of the country now controlled by the ex-rebels of the new forces.
Freedom of expression and the media have been serially breached. On 1 November the main opposition newspapers were looted and vandalised by the young patriots. Pro-Gbagbo extremists took control of the public radio and television. They have been inciting violence against foreigners. International radio transmissions have been sabotaged.
Another issue of concern is the government's decision to cut off electricity supplies. In the northern part of the country water supplies are also cut off. Under pressure from the international community, including the Commission, electricity supplies were resumed, only to be cut off again. If the government continues to cut electricity this will lead to a humanitarian catastrophe.
The Commission is considering preparing a new humanitarian aid decision to improve the situation, notably in the north of the country.
The international community must react to the situation and to the violation of human rights. The Commission therefore welcomes the UN sanctions, the arms embargo, the travel ban and the freezing of assets, not only for those who block the full implementation of the Marcoussis and Accra III Agreements, but also for anyone else found to be responsible for serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law.
The Commission fully supports the African Union and President Mbeki's mediation efforts. On 15 November President Mbeki met President-designate Barroso in Brussels. The Commission shares the concerns expressed by President Mbeki about Côte d'Ivoire's future."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples