Az ülések szó szerinti jegyzőkönyve

2006. április 6., Csütörtök - Strasbourg

12.3. Egyiptom: az Ayman Nour ügy (vita)

  Le Président. – L'ordre du jour appelle le débat sur six propositions de résolution concernant l'affaire Ayman Nour en Égypte.

  Nicholson of Winterbourne (ALDE), Author. – Mr President, this powerful resolution calls Parliament’s attention to the fate of a beleaguered parliamentarian, Al-Ghad opposition party leader Ayman Nour, and requests the Egyptian authorities to respect our views.

We in the European Union are rightly proud of our deep and profound relationship with Egypt. Indeed, Egypt co-chairs the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly and, with Egypt, we have defined a European Neighbourhood Policy, which strengthens political dialogue and integrates us with Egypt – primus inter pares as Egypt is within the Arab League – to promote peace and stability. Egypt is instrumental in helping us in that task.

We bitterly regret, therefore, that after the recent presidential election and the parliamentary elections in Egypt in November and December last year, Dr Nour was arrested. It is hard to believe that the charges for which he has been given five years’ imprisonment could be true. Ayman Nour has hundreds, nay, thousands of supporters. It is very difficult to see why he would have bothered or needed to falsify some of the 50 signatures needed to have his candidature be legally effective. We are gravely disturbed at the deterioration of his health; deeply troubled that his appeal will be considered by a judge who could be considered to have a major conflict of interest; and indeed we wish to remind the Government of Egypt, and the courts of Egypt, that human rights are a fundamental basis of the European Union-Egypt Partnership and Association Agreement, which we value so very highly.

Indeed, we want to stress that our view is well in line with the laws of Egypt itself and so we request the Egyptian Government to look at this again and to regulate the framework, so that opposition candidates can stand and perhaps even Dr Nour’s judge might be reconsidered.

  Alyn Smith (Verts/ALE), author. – Mr President, we need to realise that this is the third resolution dealing with human rights in Egypt and Dr Ayman Nour’s situation in particular.

Dr Ayman Nour was sentenced to five years’ imprisonment for the alleged crime of falsifying his political party’s registration documents. He came second in the last presidential elections and he remains in prison today where his health continues to deteriorate. It is positive, after a fashion, that his case will be reviewed by the Court of Cassation on 18 May 2006, but we must keep a watchful eye on this trial. In recital I of the resolution we commit ourselves to an ad hoc delegation at least trying to see him in the event that the trial continues his incarceration. It is clear, however – in the eyes of my group at least – that he should be released forthwith, because the crimes of which he is accused and indeed convicted do not appear to stack up in reality.

The Egyptian Government should be in no doubt that we will watch this case with interest. Dr Ayman Nour is an example of a wider difficulty in Egypt with human rights in general, and it is in this connection that this resolution presents some concrete steps forward. In paragraphs 7 and 8 of the resolution, which I would ask the Commissioner to comment on this afternoon, we call on the Commission to create a specific subcommittee on human rights in the framework of the EU-Egypt Association Agreement. There is a human rights deficit in Egypt that must be addressed. The creation of a specific committee to monitor and enforce the action plan will be a concrete way to give teeth to the warm words that this House too often produces.

Egypt is a valued partner of the EU and this House in the Middle East peace process, an ally in so much and a partner in development, but we must acknowledge that Egypt does not meet our standards. We must pointedly, if necessary, use the Association Agreement to assist in the development and building-up of Egyptian civil society for the betterment of the Egyptian people and a more constructive degree of EU-Egyptian partnership.

  Carlos Carnero González (PSE), Autor. – Señor Presidente, desde mi punto de vista, el punto más importante de esta propuesta de resolución es el penúltimo, cuando se dice que «Pide al Parlamento de la República de Egipto que inicie un proceso de democratización y de respeto del Estado de Derecho y de los derechos humanos, para que pueda desempeñar un papel de primer orden en la región como un modelo de democracia parlamentaria en el futuro».

Egipto es fundamental en Oriente Próximo, es clave en el Mediterráneo y es, y debe seguir siendo, un socio privilegiado de la Unión Europea. Pero para todo ello es preciso que Egipto sea una democracia sin vuelta de hoja. Lamentablemente, comprobamos, con casos como el del señor Nour, que eso no es así todavía.

Conocí al señor Nour en la primera sesión de la Asamblea Parlamentaria Euromediterránea, tras su creación en marzo de 2005, en El Cairo. Nuestra presión consiguió que se le pusiera en libertad. Estuve, junto con el señor McMillan-Scott y la señora Flautre, reunido con él. Es un demócrata y, desde mi punto de vista, lo único que puede decirse es que debe ser puesto en libertad.

Eso es lo que esperamos de ese Tribunal de Casación que se reunirá el próximo mes de mayo, como una señal clara de que Egipto va a permitir la libertad de expresión, de reunión y de conciencia y de que cada uno podrá presentar sus ideas libremente en los futuros procesos electorales.

  Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL), Auteur. – Voorzitter, de stabiliteit in Egypte berust sinds lang op het model van een eenpartijstaat. Die partij vertegenwoordigt na de periode van president Nasser geen gemeenschappelijke ideologie meer, maar alleen het gezamenlijk belang bij het bezit van de regeringsmacht. Buiten dit monopolie op de staatsmacht kunnen tegenwoordig wel individuele buitenstaanders aan verkiezingen deelnemen, maar alleen zolang ze geen bedreiging worden voor die gevestigde machtspositie. Daardoor lopen oppositiekandidaten voortdurend het risico om hinderlijk gevolgd, geïntimideerd of opgesloten te worden. Zij mogen vooral geen kans krijgen om een goed gestructureerde en permanente beweging om zich heen te vormen.

De in 1981 uitgeroepen noodtoestand is nog steeds een belangrijk instrument voor voortzetting van die situatie. Deze keer is oud-parlementslid en voormalig presidentskandidaat Ayman Nour daarvan het slachtoffer geworden. Vanwege de bijdrage van de Egyptische staat aan de stabiliteit in het Midden-Oosten, met name aan de sinds 1978 bestaande vreedzame co-existentie met buurland Israël, bestaat er vanuit Europa opvallend weinig kritiek op deze situatie. Integendeel, de Europese Unie zoekt een goede samenwerking met alle staten langs de kust van de Middellandse Zee. Mijn fractie steunt van harte de eis dat Egypte democratiseert, een eind maakt aan de noodtoestand en opposanten niet verder hindert.

  Ari Vatanen (PPE-DE), auteur. – Monsieur le Président, je voudrais présenter un amendement oral afin d'insérer un nouveau paragraphe 5 bis. Le texte en est le suivant: "demande la libération du docteur Ayman Nour".

Mr President, this morning we had the Belarusian opposition leader, Mr Milinkevich, here. He is free, but Ayman Nour is not free, although the two men are in a similar position in their respective countries. Mr Milinkevich said that when he went to an election debate, he had to take his own drinking water with him. Well, every human being has an in-built aspiration to drink the clean water of democracy; what Mr Milinkevich is doing in Belarus, Ayman Nour is trying to do in Egypt. He tries to give Egyptian people hope. He wants to give hope to those people who believe in a free tomorrow.

Egypt plays a crucial part, in many ways, in the Middle East. If it does not show the way to democratisation for the rest of that region, its future will be condemned in advance. Egypt plays an important part in terms of its relationship with the United States and its constructive approach to Israel, but if its relationship with the EU is to deepen, Egypt must take steps towards democracy. Egyptian people deserve democracy.

Why is Ayman Nour in prison? He is there because of flimsy charges; he is detained for nothing; he is detained because he dared to stand against President Mubarak. If we want democracy to blossom in Egypt, we must ensure that Dr Ayman Nour is freed. If he is freed, that will also free the democratic forces in that part of the world, which is also an issue concerning future stability in that part of the world.

  Markos Kyprianou, Member of the Commission. Mr President, I welcome the interest of the honourable Members of the European Parliament in the human rights issues in our neighbourhood, in particular in Egypt and in the case of Mr Ayman Nour.

The Commission has been following closely the trial of Mr Nour, the leader of Egypt’s opposition Al-Ghad Party, since his first arrest in February 2005. As you will be aware, in reacting to the five-year sentence given to Mr Nour last December, the European Union stressed that the imprisonment sent a negative signal about democratic reform in Egypt.

In our opinion, the case should be seen in the context of the process of democratisation in Egypt, as well as being related to the independence of the judiciary. The Commission expects the Court of Cassation to consider the case in accordance with the Egyptian judicial process and international legal standards. The Commission is ready to engage in a political and human rights dialogue with Egypt, in the framework of the European Neighbourhood Policy. The negotiations for the conclusion of an action plan are well advanced. We are confident about making further progress in the coming weeks and we hope to finalise negotiations in the coming months.

In order to monitor the implementation of the action plan – and this should answer Mr Smith’s question – a structure of subcommittees will be created in the framework of the Association Agreement. The subcommittees will deal with political and human rights reforms in Egypt.

  Le Président. – Le débat est clos.

Le vote aura lieu à la fin des débats, c'est-à-dire à l'instant.