Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-02-15-Speech-4-186"
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"en.20070215.25.4-186"2
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".
Mr President, I do not wish to speak about politics. Mr Casaca has just recalled the political context of the invasion of Iraq and its consequences. He may well be right.
I would prefer to focus on issues that may not be as important for journalists or for politicians like ourselves, but which are probably far more important for those who are currently going through hard times in Iraq, namely the refugees. In my view, the underlying reasons for events in the world of politics are of secondary importance. What is really important is what we can actually do. I am firmly convinced that we are currently being perceived as helpless by the rest of the world. I am also firmly convinced that the European Union is not in a position to provide real help to these people. This is even truer of the United States, and is really tragic.
There seem to be two aspects to the situation in Iraq. There are the victims of attacks, in the form of the hundreds and thousands of people we see on our television screens. They make up the news we are bombarded with. We hear very little, however, about the other aspect of the situation in Iraq, namely the tens of thousands of refugees. The European Union must certainly not appear helpless in this regard, and I agree with the previous speakers who referred to initiatives by the Scandinavian countries and to Egypt’s role. All that is true.
We must make a clear and determined statement to the effect that we are interested not only in that first aspect, namely the victims of the attacks we see on television. We must let it be known that, as Europeans, as European politicians, we are equally concerned about refugees. The refugee problem is probably one of the greatest embarrassments for those who started this war and for those who are pursuing it, even if they are acting with the best of intentions. A reaction is therefore necessary, and that is what the European Parliament is currently engaged in. I am grateful for the wise words contributed by other speakers today."@en1
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