Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-03-14-Speech-2-081"
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"en.20000314.6.2-081"2
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"Mr President, I rise to speak on a point of order concerning the need to uphold the respect due to the European Parliament and its Members. As you will all remember, during the last part-session here in Strasbourg, the European Parliament debated and adopted a resolution in which it condemned and stated its concern at the difficult conditions under which journalists work in Angola. It also condemned the trials they are constantly subjected to and the consequent lack of free speech and absence of a free press.
One of the Members who spoke in this debate was Mário Soares, who also supported the resolution adopted by a majority of this House. Quite unexpectedly, the Angolan government, through one of its ministers and also one of its Members of Parliament, reacted to Mário Soares’ participation in the debate with defamation, slander and insults, accusing Mr Soares, with no evidence whatsoever, of being one of the main beneficiaries of the illegal diamond and ivory trade allegedly being carried out by UNITA, the main opposition to the MPLA in Angola.
These unacceptable statements by the Angolan Government not only affect Mário Soares. They affect all of us who adopted the resolution in question. Given these circumstances, Mr President, I would like to express my complete solidarity with Mr Soares in the face of the slanderous campaign that has been targeted at him. I also invite the President of the European Parliament to express to the Angolan Government, through the appropriate channels, this Parliament’s most vehement and indignant protest at the insult that was also targeted at this House, and which represents, apart from anything else, an intolerable abuse of the principle of independence that Members enjoy in carrying out their duties.
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