Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-02-24-Speech-4-153"
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"en.20050224.13.4-153"2
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"Mr President, it is with deep regret that we witnessed the recent events in Nepal. It cannot be overlooked that King Gyanendra's actions on 1 February were a sad day for democracy in Nepal. Neither can we ignore the actions of the terrorists. The European Parliament cannot just stand by.
Nepal, as we have heard, is a desperately poor nation with an unfortunate history of conflict and has recently suffered under terrorist attacks from the Maoist rebels. This Himalayan country faces several problems, including the issue of refugees from Bhutan. The dissolution of the Nepalese Parliament does not help the situation of the common Nepalese people. On the contrary, the Nepalese need stability and democracy in order to prosper economically and politically.
The most immediate actions that we demand of the Nepalese authorities are: the lifting of the state of emergency; the release of all political prisoners under house arrest or detention in prison; and the lifting of the media embargo, to allow freedom of the press, national and international.
In the medium and long term, we must also examine the ways that the EU and other international bodies can help. So, I ask the Commission and the Council to support the following three suggestions. First, that the EU look very closely into our conflict resolution programmes and identify other innovative solutions to help reduce poverty. This is conducive to reducing the vulnerability of the Nepalese to the Maoist rebels.
Secondly, I would request that the Member States impose sanctions in their bilateral programmes. That would send a clear message that Member States do not approve of what has happened. However, we must be careful not to penalise the ordinary people, as that would alienate us from helping them.
Thirdly, we must look at the diplomatic efforts we could make. That could include arbitrating between the monarchy and other political parties, so as to encourage them both to the negotiating table, where steps towards multi-party democracy could be made. Furthermore, we need to explore the possibility of sending a neutral third party, such as Javier Solana, the EU High Representative, or the United Nations, to formulate a road map to peace and democracy in Nepal. It might even be helpful to send a delegation from Parliament.
In conclusion, I would like to stress the importance of the restoration of fundamental freedoms in Nepal, and the role we can play to encourage and support a democratic future. However, the EU must act with caution: there are dangers in this unstable time of aggravating a fragile situation. We must remember Nepal's fairly precarious geographical situation between India, Pakistan and China. So, this small country is very significant for regional security."@en1
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