Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-11-17-Speech-4-177"
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"en.20051117.21.4-177"2
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". – Mr President, I wish to begin by saying that, due to the previous debates over-running, my colleague Mrs Gill, who is chairwoman of the Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia and the SAARC and author of this resolution, and my other colleague, Mr Moraes, have had to leave and they send their apologies. I speak on their behalf, as well as that of my own Scottish constituents, who have asked me to raise their concerns about the issue of how people are being treated after the devastating earthquake.
It is of utmost significance that the European Parliament expresses its opinion on the Kashmir earthquake of 8 October. At the October part-session we marked this tragic event and people passed condolences both to the victims and their families. However, six weeks after this event that has destroyed the north-west region of Pakistan and India, the scale of devastation and trauma the earthquake has caused is still being realised. It is estimated that 80 000 people are dead, hundreds of thousands of people are injured and 3 million people are homeless.
Aid workers have many problems to overcome, including landslides, bad weather, aftershocks and generally difficult terrain. People in the most remote areas appear to be the hardest hit, with very many not having received aid at all. These problems are made worse by the onset of winter and, therefore, it is imperative to get the right type of aid to those who need it.
Although this is one of the most complex relief operations undertaken, it is no excuse for us not to do our utmost. The fact that most of the earthquake victims have been evacuated should be welcomed. However, snow levels are already creeping down the mountains day by day and thousands of survivors face a more perilous situation as each day becomes a struggle just to stay alive. The conditions in the temporary camps are far from encouraging and it is my understanding that the hygiene level in the refugee camps is intolerable and conditions are primitive.
Kofi Annan has warned us that a second massive wave of death will hit hard as disease begins to spread amongst the survivors. This is a race against time and I want to see the following action points. Firstly, although welcoming the Commission’s aid package of EUR 93.6 million, we must give more and we can do better. Official estimates state that more than USD 5 billion are needed over a period of 5 to 10 years to restore the infrastructure of the region. We need to recognise that a standard relief package is not adequate for a situation as dire as this and we need to deploy the reconstruction phase immediately.
Secondly, I strongly urge the Commission and the Council to follow the precedent following the tsunami of giving special trade concessions to assist the countries affected by natural disasters of this scale. At the very least they should implement the preferential GSP Plus scheme voted by Parliament this year to ease the situation.
Finally, I applaud the opening of five points along the line of control on the border between Pakistan and Indian-controlled Kashmir. Perhaps some goodwill will come out of this tragedy. I call upon Member States and the Commission to ensure that we do not fail the vulnerable and traumatised. I therefore urge you to all vote in favour of this motion. People’s lives depend upon it."@en1
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