Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2008-01-16-Speech-3-302"
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"en.20080116.14.3-302"2
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"Madam President, I would very much like to join my voice to that of my colleagues in thanking both the Council and, indeed, the Commission in particular, for the practical steps that have been outlined in terms of helping to support the electoral administration process and to try and improve the quality and hopefully the outcome as well, of those elections should they take place.
We also welcome the commitment to further financing for development, not least in education, because there are many of us in this House who believe that investment there will prove at least as powerful, if not more powerful than investment in weapons, which seems to have been a priority for some external bodies in their support for Pakistan over the last few years. We hope that the international community in general will support the efforts of the European Union in these lines.
Like others here, we also want to express our sympathy for the family of Benazir Bhutto, but also for the families of all the bereaved in Pakistan killed in outrageous attacks and indeed through military action. We would agree that we do need stability, both for the people of Pakistan and indeed, given that it is a nuclear state, for the international community as well.
But, as others have said, I do not think it is enough to try and develop people’s confidence in the electoral system and its outcome. The judiciary is another key democratic institution. It needs to be functioning and to be independent. People need to feel that they will have a fair trial, that they will see an end to detention without charge, an end to secret prisons and, indeed, a commitment from whatever government comes into being after the elections, to continue the inquiries into the disappearances that have also taken place in that country.
We also agree that freedom of the press is vital, but we would also ask that some of our Member States cease contemplating extraditions to Pakistan at the moment until we can be sure that there is a fair and independent functioning judiciary."@en1
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