Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2005-10-26-Speech-3-296"
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"en.20051026.20.3-296"2
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"Madam President, Commissioner, ladies and gentlemen, I wish to take this opportunity to thank on behalf of this House the members of my core team, the long-term observers, and the people who spent four months with me in this extraordinary but very difficult country, in conditions sometimes very tense and unusual, and also very emotional and not particularly easy. You will never see them but they do exist, and they were there under a European flag. I believe they did a good job in representing the support for democracy that is the common ground between us all and the fundamental value we wish to uphold.
The Mission, in short, will make public, after consulting the Commission, its final report on the elections; we shall also undertake, again after consultation, to draw up for the first time a report on democratisation and its future steps. Naturally, the whole electoral process had its awkward moments, which, moreover, we had already anticipated in the preliminary statement, but there were also moments of concern, for example the arrest of Mohaqui Nasab – a journalist who edits a weekly publication on women’s rights – which was declared illegal even by the representative of the Media Commission of the Afghan authorities. I believe that to be a cause for concern, and I hope that the European institutions will let it be known to our Afghan friends and the authorities of the country, or will remind them of the need to respect both the law and the rule of law.
Moreover, with regard, as you said, to future follow-up to the Bonn Conference, I would like to emphasise two things. Firstly, we have to be aware that this is at least a medium- to long-term commitment, whichever formula is adopted. Secondly, I would like to emphasise the regional dimension, which is so important to the whole success of Afghanistan. Whether one talks about security, or commerce, or economic development, the regional dimension is definitely an element to take into account.
It is also true, though, that Afghanistan is one of the countries to which international commitment, particularly from Europe, can make a difference. Afghanistan is a country trapped between a possible future and a very outmoded past. In my opinion, though, it possesses the human resources to look to the future. When thousands of young girls can be seen coming out of school in black uniforms and white headscarves, with normal books in their pockets, I believe this is the future, even though it may yet be many years before it is fully realised. It is precisely in areas like this, however, that we can make a difference, though not on our own. Our American friends must also remain in the country at a time when there are still difficulties on the security front, while hopefully behaving more respectfully towards local traditions, which is something that does not always happen.
I remain convinced, though, that a future is possible. It depends on the Afghans, of course, but it also depends on us. I believe that this is the hope and commitment that motivated your visit to us, as well as the visit of the European delegation and our presence there over so many weeks, a presence which, in my opinion, also earned the respect and gratitude of the Afghan people themselves."@en1
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