Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2010-07-07-Speech-3-464"
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"en.20100707.31.3-464"2
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"Madam President, I would like to thank the Parliament for this – I was going to use the word ‘timely’ – discussion but given that a soccer game is going on at this precise moment, it may not be as fortunate as we would have hoped. Yet I am impressed that there is a very long list of speakers and I am very grateful for everybody who is in the room and is watching on the screens tonight.
As the High Representative reported, the eruption of ethnic violence in the south of Kyrgyzstan has now calmed down and the humanitarian phase is largely over. When I was in Osh, I could see the return of vendors on the street and people venturing out again, although there was still occasional shooting in some of the neighbourhoods.
I would also like to confirm that our humanitarian response was swift, appropriate and well-targeted. On 16 June, we provided EUR 5 million of emergency assistance which was immediately deployed for experts in Osh to coordinate and we used the three organisations present there – the Red Cross, ACTED and Médecins Sans Frontières – to deploy this assistance. I can say that we did help save lives and provide food, water and shelter but, more importantly, we had a physical presence that, in the eyes of the people in Osh, was the main contribution to safety and security.
Through me, people send their gratitude to the European Union. Today, beneath the calm, there are deep tensions and fears that the violence may return again. A mother of a five-year-old girl who was shot in front of her eyes told me: ‘How can I live with myself if there is no justice?’ There are thousands of people like her, and their patience is wearing thin. There is little confidence among the population that the government can control the situation in the south if it explodes again, and humanitarian organisations are stocking supplies to be ready in case violence returns.
In this environment, as the High Representative stressed, there are two priorities for our support: restoring trust among the main Uzbek and Kyrgyz ethnic groups and restoring the livelihoods and housing affected by the conflict. Of those, reconciliation is by far the more difficult and the more important objective. Both the government and the people in Osh firmly believe that the chance of success for reconciliation is much higher with the support of the international community. As the High Representative reported, President Otunbayeva has already asked the EU for help with an international inquiry into the source of the conflict and an international police contingent to train and reinforce local police. I would like to add that this is also the strong wish of the people in Osh who I met: they very explicitly asked for help with the inquiry and help with the police.
Let me finish by assuring you that the Commission will make every effort to help Kyrgyzstan in the tough months ahead. We will support the restoration of livelihoods through cash-for-work and cash-for-food programmes, the rehabilitation of damaged houses and the provision of construction materials to families – Osh is a very cold place in the winter and that has to be done quickly – as well as legal and psychological support to victims. In addition, the instrument for stability will provide EUR 7 million for elections, legislative support and social and physical rehabilitation. An international donors’ conference will take place on 27 July and the Commission will take an active part in it.
I was very touched by the vote of confidence the Kyrgyz authorities and ordinary people have in Europe. Europe is perceived as neutral and caring, supportive of human rights, supportive of democracy, and able to galvanise the international community to help this small island of democracy at the heart of Central Asia which is surrounded by authoritarian regimes. The discussion this evening in the European Parliament proves this confidence and the value of this confidence, and I would very much like to thank you for it."@en1
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