Az ülések szó szerinti jegyzőkönyve

2005. július 6., Szerda - Strasbourg

28. Egy taposóaknák nélküli világ

  Předseda. Dalším bodem pořadu jednání je prohlášení Rady a Komise - Svět bez min.

  Douglas Alexander, President-in-Office of the Council. Mr President, I am honoured today to have the opportunity to open this debate on ‘a world without landmines’. Support for international mine action is one of the most important political priorities of the European Union and I am genuinely grateful for the efforts of the European Parliament in helping to ensure that this issue has not dropped down the international agenda.

The European Union took an active role during the First Review Conference of the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-personnel Mines and on their Destruction in November 2004, which was referred to as the 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World. The European Union considers that the First Review Conference of the Convention was an important milestone to take stock of what has been achieved up to now in implementing the Convention and identifying what needs to be done to renew the commitment of States Parties in eradicating the inhumane effects of anti-personnel mines.

There is a risk that we may lose sight of the importance of this issue when debating safely today in the heart of Europe or, for that matter, in New York or Geneva. I would therefore like to set the scene for this afternoon’s debate with a reminder of the extent and the severity of the problem and why it is important that the European Union and the European Parliament continue to play such a leading role.

It is estimated that between 15 000 and 20 000 people are killed or injured by landmines each year. These deaths and injuries take place in more than 80 countries around the world, from Angola to Zimbabwe and even closer to home in the Balkans. Astonishingly, this equates to more than 40 casualties per day, a figure which I am sure everyone here today will agree is simply unacceptable. The vast majority of these casualties occur in countries no longer in the grip of conflict. However, landmines do not recognise the end of hostilities. It is a horrible truth that millions of anti-personnel mines still exist and, in some parts of the world, are still being laid, affecting the poorest people in the poorest countries, the people least able to deal with the threat and the people most in need of our help and support.

Anti-personnel landmines are merciless and indiscriminate. They cannot be accurately targeted; they do not distinguish between soldiers and civilians, adults or children. The injuries inflicted by landmines on those unfortunate enough to come into contact with them are truly horrific. This is no mistake. Anti-personnel landmines have been designed to maim rather than kill their victims. The victims of landmines suffer horribly, being literally blown to pieces. Put simply: landmines cause deprivation, random death and untold suffering in many innocent civilian populations.

So it is right that the international community should take action and that the European Union should be amongst the front-runners. The Ottawa Convention or ‘Mine Ban Treaty’ prohibiting anti-personnel landmines has enjoyed wide international support and there are now 152 signatories. Much progress has been made to combat the scourge of these terrible weapons since the Convention’s entry into force in 1999. The Convention is a success story. Before the Convention, 34 nations were thought to be trading in anti-personnel mines. Now, apart from some illicit activity, virtually no such trading is taking place. 54 nations used to produce anti-personnel landmines; today 15 nations are thought to have the capacity to produce mines, but most of these countries are not actually doing so. Seven years ago mines were used in 19 countries; now it is probably 5. Effectively, the ban on these anti-personnel mines is global because of the huge and appropriate stigma now attached to t! he use of these weapons.

Over 37 million stockpiled anti-personnel mines have now been destroyed. Large areas of the world have been cleared of mines and made productive again. These are achievements that the international community can be proud of and would never have come about were it not for the Mine Ban Treaty. But that does not mean we should relent on our objective for a complete universalisation of the Ottawa Treaty and we must work towards an agreement to ensure that the comprehensive action plan at the Nairobi Review Conference is implemented fully.

Standing here today before you, I am particularly proud and grateful for the role that the European Union has played in the fight against anti-personnel landmines. The European Union has helped maintain political cooperation as well as practical assistance. I fully support the European Union’s goal to ‘drastically reduce the lingering threat and impact of landmines in the context of increased local security and regional confidence’. Some may argue that the European Union’s target of ‘zero victims’ is too optimistic and is, indeed, unachievable. But it must remain our goal and we are committed to work towards reaching this target.

The European Union’s 2005-2007 mine action strategy operates on the basis of three thematic objectives: to reduce the anti-personnel landmine threat, to alleviate mine-victim suffering and aid socio-economic reintegration and to enhance local and regional impacts of effective mine action capacity.

In pursuit of our aims, we have demonstrated both political and financial commitment to making them a reality. We will continue to do so. The European Union has sought to promote all efforts likely to contribute to the goal of the total elimination of anti-personnel landmines, including through joint action and diplomatic démarches, dialogue with third-party countries, as well as activity in international fora.

There is still much to be done. The European Union has and will continue to back policy in this area with resources. Financially it is projected that the total European Union assistance for mine action under our 2005-2007 strategy will amount to at least EUR 140 million, which will be linked to the European Union’s wider development goals. Member States are backing this up with additional bilateral funding to countries in need.

It is clear that where there are landmines, there is little prospect for development. The very presence of mines exacerbates poverty by preventing the productive use of land and infrastructure, while the cost of treating injured survivors of landmine accidents drains the poorest nations of already scarce resources. This is why humanitarian de-mining is particularly important. We will continue to support mine action focused on the poorest countries. Future mine action will depend strongly on incorporating mine action into countries’ development plans. Failure to do so will adversely affect the hopes to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, which will be such a focus of the Millennium Review Summit in September.

Let me conclude by saying that the European Union is determined to achieve the complete elimination of the threats posed by the landmines, by promoting universality, destroying stockpiles, clearing mines and assisting victims. We do so in close cooperation with the international community, be it governments, international organisations or, indeed, non-governmental organisations. Let us continue to take concerted action until the last anti-personnel mine is cleared from the face of the earth and the target of zero landmine victims is finally achieved.

  Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Member of the Commission. Mr President, besides being extremely important to the international community and to the European Union, the topic of landmines is also of great personal interest to me. During the war my father trod on a land-mine and had a leg amputated, so you can imagine that in a way that marked my whole childhood. I therefore, as Foreign Minister, felt very strongly committed to the fight against landmines and I think it is a centrepiece to our work on human security. As we have heard, landmines remain a threat in too many countries.

Five years after the Mine Ban Treaty entered into force and after the successful outcome of the Nairobi Review Conference last year, the international community, with the European Union as a leading force, has achieved significant progress towards a world without landmines. To date 144 countries have ratified the Mine Ban Treaty.

Whilst we have indeed achieved great successes, a lot remains to be done and there can be no long-term security without human security. Support for international mine action therefore continues to be amongst the most important political priorities of the European Union.

Our efforts to combat landmines are an integral part of our foreign humanitarian and development policy. In response to the Nairobi Action Plan, the European Commission adopted the second Mine Action Strategy for 2005 to 2007 at the end of last year. Its overarching objective is a zero-victim target. What we want is a world where no-one will be injured or killed by landmines. This is not a remote political dream. It is an achievable goal. To make it reality, the Commission is further strengthening international assistance in mine action, by strongly encouraging States to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty and also by helping them implement it.

In this regard, it is my pleasure to announce that, following the recent ratification by the Ukrainian Parliament of the Mine Ban Treaty, the Commission and the Ukrainian Government have just agreed the details of a major project for the destruction of land-mine stockpiles. We have explained to our Ukrainian partners that they needed to ratify the Mine Ban Treaty before we could release any funds. This is therefore an encouraging example of concrete cooperation that promotes universal adherence to the Treaty.

Our strategy is supported by a budget of EUR 140 million, 10% more than for the 2002 to 2004 Strategy. This money is well spent, not just on marking, clearing and destroying mines, but on alleviating the suffering of the victims, socio-economic reintegration and the enhancement of local and regional capacity. To give you just one specific figure, in Afghanistan we shall have spent approximately EUR 40 million between 2001 and 2006, in order to make the country safe for the civilian population.

I would like to stress that since the signature of the Mine Ban Treaty overall financial support from the Community and the Member States reached a record figure of over EUR 1 billion, almost half the global budget for land- mines. This proves that here too the European Union is a global actor that can make a difference and it also proves that the European Parliament and the Commission, together with the Council, are a strong team in foreign affairs. I very much welcome and support all your initiatives and thank you for having put them on the table.

Finally, I would like to say that we currently face heavy weather, but that is no reason to become introspective. We must remain firm in pursuing our ultimate external policy goal and that is a secure Europe in a better, more secure world.

(Applause)

  Geoffrey Van Orden, on behalf of the PPE-DE Group. – Mr President, I should like to thank Mrs Ferrero-Waldner for her remarks and commitment. I particularly welcome the British Minister of State for Europe, Mr Douglas Alexander. It is very nice to see him here.

I have been involved in action against the scourge of anti-personnel landmines for some 10 years now. It is a pity that we still have to raise this subject. As the Minister has mentioned, many of the poorest parts of the world are still afflicted by these weapons. It is estimated that there are still about 15 000 mine victims every year and millions of mines are still stockpiled. The fact is the armed forces of afflicted countries are not involved enough in mine clearance. Too much is left to NGOs and the international community and there is a danger that the political campaign that supports mine action will head off in other directions instead of concentrating on what really matters: making safe those areas where the suspected presence of mines is a bar to normal life and economic development and assistance to mine victims.

It is most important that the landmine problem is, to all intents, overcome by 2010, in just five years’ time, and does not become one of those problems that never go away. This requires accelerated commitment of political will and of resources by the international community and the affected countries.

The Commission is to be congratulated for the size, quality and continuity of its contribution, but it needs to attach even higher priority to this problem and we need to ensure the right multiannual commitment of funds and ensure that money is well spent.

It is also important that we remain sharply focused, taking account of the requirements of our own professional and responsible armed forces. Some seem to forget that it is not the western democracies that are the problem. For the most part, they are part of the solution. I refer to our own governments – the British and other European governments, and also that of the United States, which is among the world’s largest contributors to mine action.

The PPE-DE Group is putting forward its own resolution and is not able to support the resolution by the other political groups, which emphasise widening the campaign to include anti-tank mines and other categories of munitions.

This week attention is focused on Africa at the G8 Summit in Gleneagles and here in the European institutions. Let us remember that many African countries are amongst the most afflicted by landmines and their presence is a major barrier to the rapid development that needs to take place across the continent if the people of Africa are to escape from poverty. Let us renew our commitment to overcome the awful impact of anti-personnel landmines.

  Ana Maria Gomes, em nome do Grupo PSE. – Também eu fiquei sensibilizada pela intervenção do Sr. Ministro e da Srª. Comissária Ferrero-Waldner, referindo-se a uma situação que deve ter ocorrido durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial e, no entanto, cada ano que passa, e ainda hoje, 20.000 pessoas são vítimas de minas ou munições abandonadas e, entre elas, 8 a 10 mil são crianças mortas ou mutiladas, a maior parte pela variante das minas ditas anti-pessoais. Estas armas imorais continuam a ter consequências sociais, económicas, ambientais e humanitárias e constituem, assim, uma intolerável ameaça à segurança humana de comunidades inteiras.

A Convenção de Otava representa um avanço tremendo no combate a este flagelo mas, como ouvimos no dia da informação organizada aqui, no Parlamento Europeu, a 16 de Junho, da boca de Jody Williams e do Embaixador Wolfgang Petritsch, muito há ainda por fazer. Para além das obrigações jurídicas a que estão sujeitos os Estados Partes, a comunidade internacional tem o dever de eliminar de uma vez por todas não só as minas ditas antipessoais mas quaisquer minas ou mecanismos que possam matar ou mutilar indiscriminadamente. E países como o meu, que minaram outros países, em guerras coloniais ou outras, têm particulares responsabilidades em ajudar agora a desminá-los e a apoiar a recuperação e a reinserção social das respectivas vítimas.

A Europa, em particular, deve manter o papel de liderança nesta área e estendê-lo a outras áreas de desarmamento. A produção, o comércio e a utilização de minas anti-carro, munições de fragmentação e armas ligeiras colocam desafios que importa confrontar agora, sob pena de perdermos a iniciativa; e, para isso, os membros da União e a Comissão têm de apresentar-se unidos e falar com uma só voz, mais audivelmente e com mais eficácia, promovendo a universalização da Convenção de Otava em todos os fóruns internacionais e nas relações com países terceiros e insistindo na ratificação e assistindo na sua aplicação. Para isso, é importante que os países da União que ainda não assinaram ou ratificaram a Convenção o façam sem demora e se juntem às 144 nações que consideram que esta e outras dimensões do desarmamento global são elementos fundamentais da estabilidade sustentável do nosso planeta e da segurança de todos nós.

Trata-se, assim, como dizem as conclusões da Conferência de Revisão de Nairobi, de trabalhar na direcção de um mundo livre de minas. Devemo-lo a milhares de comunidades cujo desenvolvimento se vê ameaçado por estas e outras armas que matam e mutilam aleatoriamente. Pelos direitos humanos, pela segurança humana, pela paz, por aquilo que são os valores mais essenciais em que se funda a União Europeia. É isto que está reflectido na resolução que propomos.

  Jelko Kacin, v imenu skupine ALDE. – Čeprav je veliko držav že prepovedalo uporabo, skladiščenje, izdelavo in razširjanje protipehotnih min in se zavezalo k njihovemu uničenju z ratifikacijo konvencije, pa protipehotne in druge kopenske mine še vedno obstajajo. Prav včeraj je vozilo slovenske vojske v Afganistanu zapeljalo na mino. Prikrite ležijo v naravnem in bivalnem okolju, grozijo ljudem in živalim, ubijajo in zelo prizadenejo s telesnimi in psihičnimi poškodbami ter socialnimi in drugimi trajnimi posledicami. Svet še vedno ni osvobojen grožnje tega najbolj nehumanega orožja, ki onesnažuje naš planet.

Razumem položaj in zgodovinske okoliščine v treh državah članicah Evropske unije, ki še vedno niso ratificirale konvencije, toda zdaj je čas sprememb. Preprečevanje in odvračanje nevarnosti vojaških spopadov v Evropi bi morali zagotoviti z drugimi sredstvi.

Žrtev min je več kot se nam zdi, oziroma se tega zavedamo. Žrtve niso samo nedolžni civilisti, predvsem kmetje in njihovi otroci, ki so, če preživijo, psihično in fizično poškodovani in zaznamovani za vse življenje. Žrtve so tudi njihovi starši, sorodniki, sosedje, prijatelji in znanci. Prav je, da v naši resoluciji govorimo tudi o denarju za rehabilitacijo in reintegracijo žrtev. Resocializacija je dolgotrajen in zelo zahteven proces, ki omogoča šele dokončno in pravo rehabilitacijo.

Toda vsako razminiranje je veliko cenejše od odstranjevanja posledic eksplozije in rehabilitacije žrtev. Tudi v jugovzhodni Evropi, manj kot tisoč kilometrov od Strasbourga, še vedno beležimo nove žrtve min, zato moramo z razminiranjem vztrajati in nadaljevati do odstranitve zadnje mine v Evropi. Če ne bomo pri tem hitrejši, bomo soočeni z novimi žrtvami, na drugih celinah pa ne bomo dovolj prepričljivi in uspešni, če se ne bomo najprej dokazali doma.

Šele svet brez min dopušča vrnitev beguncev in obnovo kmetijstva, ki je pomembna gospodarska panoga zlasti v državah, kjer so divjale vojne.

  Caroline Lucas, on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group. – Mr President, just a few weeks ago a bus in Nepal drove into an anti-tank mine that had been put on the road by rebels. More than 60 civilians died. That incident – just one among many thousands – highlights the appalling damage that can be caused by modern anti-tank mines.

The ban on anti-personnel landmines set out by the Ottawa Treaty was an important first step. However, for a truly mine-free world, it is vital that we go beyond this and call for a comprehensive ban that covers all types of mines, including anti-tank mines and fragmentation bombs. I am sorry that the PPE-DE Group cannot join us on this. The horrific incident in Nepal illustrates the urgent need to allow specialist NGOs to involve non-state actors as well in cleaning mines from areas under their control.

We must not forget the role played by financial institutions. I warmly welcome the initiative taken by private Belgian banks to stop investing in companies involved in the production of landmines. The EU and Member States should work hard to make this fine example of corporate social responsibility legally binding throughout Europe. I hope we will send a strong message tomorrow by adopting this excellent resolution and take forward the vital campaign to finally eliminate the scourge of mines, which has killed and maimed so many.

  Douglas Alexander, President-in-Office of the Council. Mr President, it is only right that we have had this important debate. I have appreciated the lively and thoughtful discussion we have had in the limited time available to us today. Indeed we have heard the moving personal testimony of the Commissioner and seen her personal commitment both to this issue and to this agenda.

As we have heard, there is almost universal agreement on the need to tackle the terrible problems caused by anti-personnel mines. There is equally a recognition that people of our constituencies all across this continent expect nothing less of us. Let me respond to some of the main points that have been raised in the course of our debate.

I begin by paying tribute to the long-standing work on this issue by Mr Van Orden. He spoke with real knowledge and a sense of urgency, given the scale of the challenge we face. I join him in congratulating the Commission for its work and paying tribute to the work that it has undertaken on this issue and recognise, as he made clear, the particular challenge faced by Africa in relation to the clearance of mines. All of us, with a sincere regard for the condition of that continent, recognise what a significant contribution the removal of mines can make to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals there.

Mrs Gomes spoke in particular of the risks mines pose to children, while recognising the significant step forward represented by the Convention. I agree with the initial point she made, that Europe has a leading role to play in this regard. Indeed the European Union has been at the very forefront of the fight against anti-personnel landmines. I can assure her that we will continue to be so. Under the 2005-2007 strategy, we are aiming for the ambitious goal of a zero-victim target, where no one will be injured or killed by landmines. This strategy represents a common goal that all 25 Member States share.

Mr Kacin spoke of the contemporary threat posed by landmines with reference to the recent incident in Afghanistan. On the issue of universalising the Convention, as part of the action plan agreed by the First Review Conference of the Ottawa Convention last December, the European Union is committed to promoting the universalisation of the Treaty and the international community is making progress: 152 countries have now signed the Convention and 144 have ratified it, so the Ottawa Treaty is now very much the international norm, although that does not mean that we should ease up on our efforts to universalise it.

Mrs Lucas paid rightful tribute, I felt, to the important work of non-state actors in relation to the ongoing work both of universalising the Treaty and of continuing to make the case for further action to be taken. We have had the opportunity and indeed I believe that we now have the responsibility to make a real difference to the lives of millions of people around the world by taking action in relation to mines. This is an opportunity to help free them from the shadow of fear that anti-personnel landmines cast over their daily lives week-in and week-out and we have a responsibility to meet that challenge head on and deliver real results that will help deliver prosperity and security for future generations, not just on this continent but on all the continents of the world.

I am grateful for the contributions that I have heard to the debate this afternoon. I have been heartened by the commitment of the Commission. I can assure you that the UK Presidency will continue to take action on this important subject.

(Applause)

  Předseda. Na závěr této rozpravy jsem obdržel šest návrhů usnesení¹⁽¹⁾ předložených podle čl. 103 odst. 2 jednacího řádu.

Rozprava je nyní uzavřena.

Hlasování proběhne 7. července 2005.

(Zasedání, které bylo přerušeno v 17:50, pokračovalo v 18:00.)

VORSITZ: SYLVIA-YVONNE KAUFMANN
Vizepräsidentin

(1) ¹ Viz zápis.