Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2004-12-01-Speech-3-006"
| Predicate | Value (sorted: default) |
|---|---|
| rdf:type | |
| dcterms:Date | |
| dcterms:Is Part Of | |
| dcterms:Language | |
| lpv:document identification number |
"en.20041201.2.3-006"2
|
| lpv:hasSubsequent | |
| lpv:speaker | |
| lpv:spokenAs | |
| lpv:translated text |
"Before beginning this afternoon’s sitting, I would like to draw your attention to three important issues affecting us at the moment, two of which appear on our agenda. The first is Ukraine, on which we are going to hold a debate and to which Parliament is going to send a delegation this very evening. I would like to point out that Mr Taraschuk, Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament’s Committee on European Affairs, is with us today.
As you know, we were expecting a visit from the President of the Ukrainian Parliament today, but given the events taking place in his country, he cannot be with us, and Mr Taraschuk is therefore here in his place. I must inform you that at 5 p.m. there will be an extraordinary meeting of Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, at which Mr Taraschuk will appear. As you know, committees do not normally hold meetings at the same time as a plenary session, but I believe it can be justified in this case given the exceptional circumstances. So at five o'clock Mr Taraschuk will appear before an extraordinary sitting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The second issue is an anniversary which does not appear on the agenda; I believe, however, that Parliament should acknowledge the fact that, a year ago, a group of distinguished Israeli and Palestinian figures met in Geneva to sign a peace agreement on the Middle East based on the peaceful coexistence of two viable States, demonstrating that there are indeed solutions to the difficulties – borders, settlements, security, refugees and the Jerusalem problem – which have always left the negotiations in deadlock.
This initiative was not the only one from civil society, and nor was it intended to replace the Roadmap or the work of the Quartet. The protagonists of that event cannot be with us today, neither can Mr Yossi Beilin or Mr Abed Rabbo, but it is an honour and a pleasure for this Parliament to welcome Naomi Chazan and Ali Rashid, who are listening to our debate from the gallery. We welcome them and the people they represent.
Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to point out that there is still a long way to go and there are many obstacles to overcome before the Middle East peace process can be revived. The coming elections in Palestine will offer a good opportunity to contribute to the development of freedom and democracy there, and to this end it will be necessary to guarantee the free movement of the electorate and the opportunity for everybody, including the inhabitants of East Jerusalem, to register on the electoral roll.
I would like to point out, finally, that last week, at the meeting of the Conference of Presidents, the King of Jordan told us that there was a path to peace, but that that path would only remain open for two years. I would ask that we do everything possible to achieve peace for the peoples of the Middle East.
The third issue I would like to mention appears on the agenda, since today is World AIDS Day, and this Parliament is going to hold a debate on it. It is an extremely serious issue: 3 million deaths in 2004; 40 million human beings infected in the world. We shall remember this in our debate and express the European Union and the international community’s enormous concern. The fact that more and more women are suffering from this disease, increasing the vulnerability and inequality they face, means that we are unfortunately talking about the feminisation of the AIDS pandemic.
By dealing with this dramatic issue today through the European Commission’s statement and our debate and resolution, we wish to express our concern at this extremely serious situation, a concern which I have personally expressed in a press
issued before the beginning of the plenary session."@en1
|
| lpv:unclassifiedMetadata |
Named graphs describing this resource:
The resource appears as object in 2 triples