Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2009-10-07-Speech-3-173"
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"en.20091007.18.3-173"2
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"− Mr President, we move from one item to the next. This is a very serious and important subject which the honourable Members have raised and chosen to put on the agenda.
On Monday, 28 September, more than 100 people were killed in Conakry, Guinea, when members of the Guinean security forces shot into crowds of demonstrators. Guinean citizens had gathered in a stadium in the capital to demonstrate against the presumed intention of the Guinean military interim leader, Captain Moussa Dadis Camara, to run for President. The final death toll is still unknown, as the soldiers also collected the bodies rather than allow them to be counted at public morgues. At this stage, we do not know the real dimension of these tragic events. The number of injured people is said to be at least 1 200, and eye witnesses have reported that soldiers raped women on the streets of Conakry.
During the violent repression, several opposition leaders were wounded and temporarily arrested. The number of protestors still under detention is also unknown; the houses of opposition leaders were ransacked and shops looted by uniformed men. In a TV statement the following day, Captain Camara expressed his condolences with the families of those killed and visited some of the injured. He proclaimed two days of national mourning and pledged to investigate the violence. He distanced himself from the killings by saying that he was not in control of the elements of the military responsible for the atrocities.
The European Union immediately and forcefully condemned these brutal and shocking events. A Presidency declaration, a statement by High Representative Solana and a statement by EU Commissioner De Gucht were issued the following day. We will have to insist on the liberation of the arrested prisoners and a thorough investigation of the events.
The violence in Guinea received worldwide condemnation. The UN Security Council was briefed last Wednesday on the situation in the country. The African Union condemned the events and decided to prepare a report on possible measures to be taken. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) called for a full international inquiry into the matter. Parliament, as you know, condemned the unconstitutional change of power, and in its resolution of 15 January 2009, called for respect for human rights and a rapid return to constitutional order. The EU decided to open consultations under Article 96 of the Cotonou Agreement, and EU development aid – apart from humanitarian aid and support for democratic transition – was frozen.
We have not been alone. Our international partners have acted in line with us. The African Union and ECOWAS decided to suspend Guinea until it established a democratically elected parliament or government. An international contact group on Guinea co-chaired by the African Union and ECOWAS, and with participation by the European Union, was put into place. In March, the military junta agreed with the opposition to have elections before the end of 2009, which gave reasonable hope for a peaceful and democratic transition. Captain Camara gave his assurances that none of the coup leaders would stand for political office. A national transitional council was to guide the transition process and prepare the necessary modification of the constitution in order to help elections.
What can we do, then, to prevent further violence, and how can we help the people of Guinea in their legitimate desire for democracy, the rule of law, peace and development? Well, there are three main areas of action. First of all, we should maintain and reinforce political pressure on the regime in Conakry, notably in the context of the international group. Captain Camara’s decision not to run could allow calm to return. The nomination of the President of Burkina Faso, Mr Blaise Compaoré, as facilitator in the crisis on behalf of ECOWAS and the International Contact Group, is a very positive sign, and the European Union has welcomed this appointment via the Presidency. We hope that his mediation will contribute to a secure, peaceful and lasting solution to the situation in Guinea.
Secondly, the option of targeted sanctions against individuals responsible for violence could be further explored. We will need to coordinate this approach with the African Union and other international and bilateral partners. The upcoming EU-African Ministerial Troika in Addis Ababa and the meeting on Guinea on 12 October in Abuja will be important in this respect.
Thirdly, we should continue to provide humanitarian aid to the civilian population and support the democratic transition process. The latter will nevertheless depend on the credible willingness of the transitional authorities of Guinea to re-engage in a peaceful and constructive dialogue with a clear commitment to refraining from further violence and to respecting the human rights and political freedoms of its citizens. We will spare no efforts to help the people of Guinea in this critical moment and we are determined to support a return to civilian, constitutional and democratic government through free and transparent elections. We encourage all stakeholders in Guinea to refrain from violence and to make a peaceful and democratic transition."@en1
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