Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-07-11-Speech-3-033"
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"en.20070711.4.3-033"2
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"Mr President, President-in-Office, President of the Commission, this Presidency is embarked upon at an important time for the European Union. I am delighted that my country and your country share the same patron saint, St George, who was well known for fighting dragons and dealing with difficult problems. I hope that this will be the case with this Presidency also. I am delighted that you are giving such emphasis to the issues of Africa. The plight of the continent and the fight against global poverty are matters which the British Conservative Party feels very strongly about.
However, I must also press you, I think, to ensure that the EU-Africa summit later this year takes place without the presence of Robert Mugabe. I and my colleagues, including Geoffrey Van Orden, have been underlining this matter for some time because I think it would be intolerable for our Union to welcome such a tyrant to Europe at a time when the suffering of his people is clear and should be uppermost in our minds.
As to the draft mandate for the IGC, it may be very precise but it is not necessarily right. We believe very strongly that, whatever form this constitution is shown to be in, there ought to be a referendum, certainly in the United Kingdom. And indeed we believe that the promise made by our outgoing – now former – Prime Minister, Mr Blair, to give the British people a referendum on this issue should be followed and taken on board by his successor, Gordon Brown.
We have other serious concerns. There are serious concerns about our continuing commitment to free competition, about the legal position of the so-called British opt-out of the Charter of Fundamental Rights and about the collapse of the third pillar, but I look forward to a positive debate during the IGC on these matters.
Finally, I want to refer to the resolution on the IGC today, which calls for the issue of Parliament’s two seats to be included in the mandate. I believe this is the perfect opportunity to demonstrate that Europe is listening to the people. The continuing vast expense of shuffling between Brussels and Strasbourg undermines the standing of our Parliament and the matter must be resolved soon."@en1
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