Az ülések szó szerinti jegyzőkönyve

2021. július 6., Kedd - Strasbourg

17. Az etiópiai Tigrében kialakult helyzet (a vita folytatása)

  Presidente. – Retomamos o debate sobre as declarações do Conselho e da Comissão sobre a situação em Tigré, Etiópia (2021/2778(RSP)).

  Idoia Villanueva Ruiz, en nombre del Grupo The Left. – Señor presidente, la terrible situación de Tigray hace que la población civil vuelva a ser víctima de la ausencia de reglas internacionales, con violencia sexual, desplazamientos, hambre, muertes; una situación que también ha provocado la muerte de once personas trabajadoras humanitarias, entre ellas la española de Médicos Sin Fronteras María Hernández, junto a sus dos compañeros etíopes, apenas hace unas semanas. Hoy quiero enviar un fuerte abrazo a la familia y a los amigos desde aquí.

Asesinatos que han sido condenados con firmeza. Pero ¿basta eso? Los asesinatos del personal humanitario no dejan de crecer. Y se suma también la muerte silenciosa de personas cuyo único crimen fue estar en medio de una guerra sin reglas. Un agujero negro para el Derecho internacional. No basta con condenas. Necesitamos acciones. Hace falta un seguimiento para la investigación y juzgar a los asesinos de María Hernández y sus compañeros. Hace falta trabajo en el terreno.

La mejor política para el Cuerno de África es trabajar con las entidades locales y regionales para poder garantizar los derechos humanos en Tigray, en Etiopía y en el resto de países de la zona.

  György Hölvényi (PPE). – Elnök Úr! Alig két évvel azután, hogy Abij miniszterelnököt Nobel-békedíjjal tüntették ki, az etióp kormány fegyveres erők hadműveletébe kezdett Tigrében, amely, itt már említettük, 2500 civil áldozatot hozott eddig. Minden nap újabb beszámolók látnak napvilágot az etiópiai és eritreai katonák kegyetlenkedéséről. A lakosság megpróbáltatásaihoz nagyban hozzájárult, hogy a humanitárius szervezetek hónapokig nem tudtak eljutni Tigrébe. Ki kell mondanunk: az addisz-abebai kormány katonai akciója humanitárius katasztrófát idézett elő.

De a legnagyobb veszély most az élelmiszerhiány. Kétmillióan éheznek, itt már említették, 5 millió ember, a lakosság 90%-a, szorul humanitárius segítségnyújtásra. A fegyveres konfliktus, és a „reneszánsz gáttal” kapcsolatos egyoldali, a Szudánnal és Egyiptommal való megegyezést nélkülöző, etiópiai döntések az egész régió stabilitását fenyegetik. Az etióp kormány által bejelentett tűzszünet igen korlátozott, de nagyon fontos lehetőséget, reagálási lehetőséget ad. A segélyek eljuttatásának minden akadályát fel kell számolni. Európa alapvető érdeke a gyors, hatékony fellépés. A konfliktus további eszkalálódását meg kell akadályozni, ezért minden bilaterális kapcsolatot, mind pedig az ENSZ adta lehetőségeket kihasználva el kell érni, hogy a szembenálló felek tárgyalóasztal mellé üljenek.

Tisztelt Biztos Úr, lát arra konkrét lehetőséget, hogy az európai fellépés, közös fellépés, elősegítse a béketárgyalásokat?

  Tonino Picula (S&D). – Mr President, with great concern and sadness, we follow the ongoing tragic events in Tigray and elsewhere in Ethiopia. The situation in Tigray has seriously escalated, but the crimes against human rights are happening in other regions and towards different ethnicities.

Our first and foremost priority is to help civilians who have no access to medical assistance, are dying of famine and are often victims of sexual violence. Furthermore, the exclusion of Tigray from general elections and communication disruptions makes this horrible situation even worse.

We need to do everything to support a ceasefire that all would respect. That way, they can ensure that the humanitarian aid is delivered on the ground to the ones in need urgently. We also need concrete EU measures, including an arms embargo and targeted sanctions against all perpetrators.

Tigray is without doubt one of the urgent, if not the most pressing, humanitarian situations we should work on to the full extent of our capabilities and powers.

  Jan-Christoph Oetjen (Renew). – Mr President, the situation in Tigray is dramatic, all colleagues said this already and despite the fact that the ceasefire from 28 June is a good step, we need a permanent ceasefire and we need the withdrawal of the foreign troops from the region.

Our solidarity is with the people of Tigray in Ethiopia. We condemn the destruction of infrastructure, this is something very horrible. I mean, people are starving already, people get raped and there are others that destroy infrastructure that is urgently needed in this situation. This has to be stopped immediately. And we urge a cessation of human rights violations in the region and seek secure access for humanitarian aid.

I ask the Commission to step up the pressure on the authorities because this situation can no longer be accepted. We have to help the people in the region. And so I ask you: urge them to move and to change.

  Pierrette Herzberger-Fofana (Verts/ALE). – Monsieur le Président, Monsieur le Commissaire, chers collègues, ce conflit nous interpelle sur la procédure de paix dans cette région. Comment des allégations reprises par notre représentant, indiquant que le gouvernement éthiopien voulait «faire disparaître les Tigréens pendant cent ans», même si c’est une citation, s’accordent-elles avec le désir de promouvoir la paix dans la Corne de l’Afrique? Pourquoi cette affirmation n’a-t-elle pas été discutée avec les autorités compétentes plutôt que d’avoir été publiée? Pourquoi n’avons-nous pas envoyé une mission d’observation électorale tandis que d’autres observateurs internationaux étaient eux présents?

La famine frappe aux portes de cette région. Le viol, les violences sexuelles sont utilisés comme arme de guerre. Saisissons l’opportunité du cessez-le-feu pour renouer la coopération et faciliter l’aide humanitaire. L’Union européenne doit reprendre le flambeau de la paix, soutenir les enquêtes indépendantes sur les allégations de violations des droits humains, respecter le partenariat, et être à l’écoute des populations afin d’accélérer le processus de réconciliation.

  Elżbieta Kruk (ECR). – Panie Przewodniczący! Wybory parlamentarne w Etiopii miały być pierwszymi wolnymi w dziejach kraju i przynieść pokój. Tymczasem w Tigraju, prowincji w północnej Etiopii, nadal trwa wojna i ma miejsce gigantyczna katastrofa humanitarna. Wojna domowa trwa od listopada 2020 roku, kiedy to rząd Etiopii wysłał wojska federalne do walki z Ludowym Frontem Wyzwolenia Tigraju. Pojawiają się doniesienia, że rząd etiopski zablokował pomoc humanitarną dla prowincji. Słyszymy o ostrzeliwaniu i egzekucjach cywilów, o czystkach etnicznych, niszczeniu mienia, dóbr kultury i miejsc kultów religijnych. Jak alarmują instytucje ONZ, rząd rozmyślnie wywołał głód w celu dokonania ludobójstwa Tigrajczyków. Głodem lub niedożywieniem zagrożonych jest już 4 mln ludzi. Trzystu pięćdziesięciu tysiącom, a według niektórych doniesień nawet 900 tysiącom z nich grozi śmierć głodowa.

To tragiczne, że premier Etiopii Abiy Ahmed Ali, laureat Pokojowej Nagrody Nobla, jest winny cierpienia i śmierci własnych obywateli, których powinien chronić. Społeczność międzynarodowa musi działać szybko i zdecydowanie. Nieefektywna polityka zagraniczna Unii przyczynia się do śmierci setek tysięcy ludzi. Wszak wiemy, że Etiopczycy rozpaczliwie potrzebują wsparcia.

  Frances Fitzgerald (PPE). – Mr President, the situation in Ethiopia is dire: conflict leading to fear and terror, people fleeing from their homes and pouring across international borders, famine and hunger, and desperate and brutal sexual violence and rape.

Last week’s ceasefire offered a glimmer of hope. However, any genuine ceasefire must include actions to improve the humanitarian situation. The destruction of important routes for the delivery of humanitarian aid is unacceptable. The brutal murders of three Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) staff underlines the dangers faced by humanitarian workers. In relation to what will be left in the aftermath, we know that cases of rape and sexual violence are widespread and brutal, and perpetrated by armed actors. They are not weapons, but crimes, crimes against women.

I strongly call on the Commission and the External Action Service to make a strong commitment to support women as they try to rebuild their lives after such devastating attacks. Too often, women and vulnerable communities are left on their own when conflicts end. We need to step forward and to be there for the women of Tigray.

  Maria Arena (S&D). – Monsieur le Président, depuis le début du conflit dans le Tigré en Éthiopie, il y a huit mois, plus de 400 000 personnes ont plongé aujourd’hui dans la famine et plus d’un million et demi de personnes sont en risque de famine. C’est une des pires crises humanitaires de la région dans cette dernière décennie.

Vous l’avez dit tous les deux, tant au Conseil qu’à la Commission: la première priorité est bien entendu le respect du cessez-le-feu, l’accès à l’aide humanitaire pour toutes les personnes à risques et la protection des civils. Mais à moyen terme, l’Union européenne, l’Union africaine et toute la communauté internationale devront soutenir tous les efforts pour un dialogue inclusif entre toutes les communautés de ce pays et garantir aussi que les forces militaires extérieures soient sorties de ce pays.

La solution, on le sait, ne peut être militaire, mais les auteurs de graves violations des droits de l’homme doivent être poursuivis si nous voulons qu’il y ait une réconciliation, parce qu’il n’y a pas de réconciliation dans l’impunité.

  Ignazio Corrao (Verts/ALE). – Mr President, I am also very worried about the ongoing situation in Ethiopia. The fresh start we expected with the election has turned into a nightmare. A few days ago, I spoke with the representatives of various Tigrayan communities and I received extremely worrying information concerning human rights. The Ethiopian Government is extensively cracking down on civilians throughout the country. This is the reason why I would not focus only on Tigray, but I would rather highlight the situation regarding the whole of Ethiopia, where several human rights violations have been reported, including arbitrary arrests and detentions, torture, executions and forced displacements.

Ethiopia needs to see an inclusive national dialogue with all communities, political parties and wider civil society. The commitment and the fundamental role of the European Union lies in humanitarian aid and in promoting inter—regional dialogue and the restoration of security. Let’s act right away!

  Željana Zovko (PPE). – Mr President, finally, after eight months of hostilities, the Tigray People’s Liberation Front is willing to accept a ceasefire proposed by the Ethiopian authorities. I encourage this move towards a peaceful future and call on both sides to find an agreement on the conditions of the ceasefire via diplomatic means. The violent actions need to stop as soon as possible for the good of the Ethiopian people.

The atrocities have deteriorated the humanitarian situation in Tigray. More than 400 000 people are estimated to live in famine and another 1.8 million are on the brink of it. That’s a shame. A shame for civilisation. A shame for us today, because we all remember Ethiopia in the eighties and the Great Famine, and history is repeating itself with us helpless and watching it.

Coordinating actions of humanitarian support is of crucial importance at this moment. I welcome the clear commitment of the European Commission to support Ethiopian citizens and to prevent further humanitarian catastrophes. However, aid workers still face difficulties in reaching out to the people in need. The parties in the conflict should facilitate the access of aid to all parts of Tigray and provide assistance according to the principles of international law. And we have instruments: we just voted NDICI. We voted this huge amount of money, that’s the only weapon that we can use nowadays. Stop cooperating with people who don’t want to cooperate with us and save further loss of life.

  Carlos Zorrinho (S&D). – Senhor Presidente, Senhor Comissário, Senhor Ministro, o conflito do Tigré é um momento doloroso e triste da História contemporânea em que a fome está a ser usada como arma de guerra e a pôr em causa a vida de milhares de pessoas. A situação no terreno é muito instável, o acesso a alimentos, energia ou Internet extremamente limitado e o conflito armado tem gerado inúmeros atropelos dos direitos humanos, massacres, violações, milhares de feridos, mortos, deslocados ou refugiados.

A comunidade internacional tem que agir com urgência e deixar de considerar este assunto como uma questão interna do Estado etíope. Trata-se de um grave conflito regional, com a participação de tropas da Eritreia ao lado das tropas governamentais, com duras implicações para a sociedade civil. O processo eleitoral, do passado dia 21 de junho, importante na construção do processo democrático, não assegurou o caminho da pacificação da situação atual, nem abriu caminho à resposta humanitária que urge.

Por isso, é urgente forjar as pontes diplomáticas internacionais capazes de sentar à mesa as duas partes deste conflito e encontrar uma solução pacífica. O Primeiro Ministro Etíope, Nobel da Paz por ter contribuído para a solução do conflito com a Eritreia, tem agora um momento de ouro para voltar a ser considerado, na sua própria casa, o fazedor de paz e não o senhor da guerra.

  Krzysztof Hetman (PPE). – Panie Przewodniczący! Panie Komisarzu! Konflikt w regionie Tigraju brutalnie odbił się na ludności cywilnej. Według doniesień międzynarodowych organizacji praw człowieka doszło tam do masowych morderstw cywilów, łamania praw człowieka, aktów przemocy wobec ludności cywilnej, w tym gwałtów. Ponadto konflikt doprowadził do masowych przesiedleń nawet miliona siedmiuset tysięcy obywateli regionu Tigraju, całkowicie odciętego regionu od komunikacji, internetu i ogromnego kryzysu humanitarnego.

Według ONZ aż 5,5 miliona osób potrzebuje pożywienia i aż 10% dzieci jest skrajnie niedożywionych. Jednocześnie dostarczenie pomocy do regionu jest utrudnione nie tylko przez brak elektryczności, telekomunikacji i dostępu do paliwa, ale także przez zamykanie dróg i uniemożliwianie transportu.

Musimy stanowczo wezwać władze Etiopii do umożliwienia i ułatwienia świadczenia pomocy humanitarnej dla regionu Tigraju i innych potrzebujących wsparcia obszarów. Ponadto bardzo ważne jest też przeprowadzenie dochodzenia w sprawie wszystkich zabójstw i naruszeń praw człowieka, w tym przypadków nadmiernego użycia siły wobec ludności cywilnej.

  Evin Incir (S&D). – Mr President, 2019 – a country going towards the right direction. 2020 and still in 2021 – a country with negative development. It is enough. All the people of Ethiopia deserve democracy and equality now. The spiral of war and conflict must end.

Tigray and other regions are suffering from violence and human rights violations, regional and ethnic tensions. There needs to be an independent investigation into the war crimes taking place in Tigray, and international organisations must access Tigray to provide the people with emergency needs.

The Ethiopian central government needs to facilitate an inclusive national dialogue with minority communities, political parties and wider civil society to try to find a lasting political solution and peace for the country, peace for the people. Genuine and constructive engagement by all actors is the only way to restore peace and stability in Ethiopia. Here the EU can have an important mediating role.

  Tom Vandenkendelaere (PPE). – Voorzitter, als de Europese Unie als global actor iets wil betekenen en geloofwaardig wil zijn met betrekking tot haar eigen beleid, dan moet ze dringend doortastender optreden in Tigray, vóór de lokale bevolking en tegen de verantwoordelijken van oorlogsmisdaden en misdaden tegen de menselijkheid die daar plaatsvonden en nog steeds plaatsvinden. De eenzijdig afgekondigde wapenstilstand heeft volgens mij helaas meer van een militaire, tactische berekening dan van een stap naar duurzame vrede of een oplossing van de humanitaire crisis.

De internationale gemeenschap kan niet langer afstandelijk blijven tegenover wat in Tigray gebeurt. In de eerste plaats kijk ik hier naar de Verenigde Naties en naar de Europese Unie, die vanuit haar geloof in de multilaterale aanpak van regionale conflicten en humanitaire crisissen een voortrekkersrol kan spelen binnen de VN. Ik spoor de Raad daarom aan om meer daadkracht te tonen en écht besluiten te nemen.

De humanitaire crisis moet meteen worden aangepakt, maar er moet vanuit de internationale gemeenschap ook worden geïnvesteerd in het beëindigen van het conflict, in een terugkeer naar stabiliteit en de wederopbouw van de vernietigde samenleving, en in een internationaal onderzoek naar en een correcte berechting van de tegen de bevolking begane misdaden.

  Isabel Santos (S&D). – Senhor Presidente, em março deste ano a Alta Comissária das Nações Unidas para os Direitos Humanos alertava para os relatos profundamente angustiantes de violência sexual e de género, execuções extrajudiciais, destruição generalizada e pilhagem na região de Tigré na Etiópia. Desde então, a comunidade internacional tem permanecido numa angustiante paralisia. Infelizmente, o desrespeito pelos direitos humanos não se confina a Tigré, estende-se a todo o país.

Importa, pois, que se exija às autoridades etíopes o fim das detenções arbitrárias, da perseguição das pessoas das etnias Tigré, Oromo e Ogaden e a libertação imediata de todos os presos políticos. A União Europeia deve apoiar ativamente a criação de condições para um cessar fogo sustentável, a única via para o urgente acesso seguro das equipas de ajuda humanitária internacional ao território, e mobilizar a ajuda necessária às populações em grave sofrimento e severa insegurança alimentar.

  Janez Lenarčič, Member of the Commission. – Mr President, I would like sincerely to thank honourable Members for this debate. I took note with great interest of the comments that were made during the discussion.

As we have heard, the humanitarian situation in Tigray continues to deteriorate at an alarming pace. In spite of the recent unilateral ceasefire by the Ethiopian authorities, access issues and protection risks remain, and they remain widespread throughout the Tigray province. For us, the absolute priority right now is to ensure the protection of civilians and to provide significant humanitarian aid to reach all those who need it. In these famine conditions, the last thing we can afford is the situation of siege that we are witnessing. We are witnessing a situation where humanitarian supplies and humanitarian personnel face parties to the conflict who are blocking roads and destroying bridges, vital bridges.

So we must continue to call on all parties to respect international humanitarian law, to facilitate access for humanitarian aid, and to commit to an immediate, indefinite and negotiated ceasefire arrangement, which will be necessary to end all violence for good and to restore stability in the Tigray region and beyond. And yes, the European Union is ready to contribute even more in both directions, on the humanitarian front as well as to contribute to the efforts to find a political solution. As far as the humanitarian front is concerned, we are ready to activate our European Union Humanitarian Air Bridge service to reach the Tigray region, but for that we will need the agreement of the Ethiopian Government.

On the political front, we have been working all along, since the beginning of this crisis, with like—minded countries such as the United States and the Gulf countries, and in particular with the African Union, and we’re trying to push for political solutions. We have also been working through our EU Special Representative for the Horn of Africa, and the new one is to visit the region in the coming days. Finally, as you know, the High Representative has appointed a special envoy, who has visited Ethiopia and the region several times, and is working incessantly to find a way towards a political solution to this conflict.

Once again, let me thank you for this debate. We have learnt very useful views that will help us chart the way forward.

  Anže Logar, predsedujoči Svetu. – Spoštovani predsedujoči, spoštovane poslanke in poslanci!

Evropska unija si bo na vso moč prizadevala, da bi prispevala h končanju konflikta in človeškega trpljenja ter k oblikovanju trajne rešitve.

Razmere so zelo občutljive, nestabilne in negotove. V tem trenutku je težko vzpostaviti zanesljive komunikacijske kanale z glavnimi akterji na terenu z vidika utrditve premerja, z vidika prevzemanja odgovornosti na področju človekovih pravic in vzpostavitve dialoga med stranmi v konfliktu.

Etiopija je naša strateška partnerica, ker se bori za regionalni mir in za razprave na mednarodnem nivoju kot na primer pri podnebnih spremembah. Nedavno, 10. junija, smo se sestali v okviru političnega dialoga na ravni namestnika zunanjega ministra, kar kaže, da lahko sodelujemo kljub razlikam.

Odločeni smo, da bomo ukrepali v zvezi s številnimi zlorabami in kršitvami človekovih pravic ter ugotovili, kdo je zanje odgovoren. Povzročitelj ne sme ostati nekaznovan.

Kot sem že omenil v uvodni razpravi, smo v zvezi s tem v Svetu za človekove pravice predložili resolucijo. V stiku smo z uradom visokega komisarja za človekove pravice ter se zavzemamo za podporo in neoviran dostop za skupno misijo za ugotavljanje dejstev in odkrivanja storilcev, da bi ti odgovarjali za svoja dejanja.

Kot sem že omenil, bomo z ministri in ministricami za zunanje zadeve in visokim predstavnikom naslednji teden na seji sveta razpravljali o teh razmerah, kamor bom prenesel tudi vsebino današnje razprave.

Ponovno se zahvaljujem za današnjo razpravo.

  Presidente. – O debate está encerrado.

De acordo com a ordem do dia, os debates prosseguirão às 20h30 com as declarações do Conselho e da Comissão sobre o 70.º aniversário da Convenção de Genebra (2021/2779(RSP)).

(A sessão é suspensa às 20h00.)

Puhetta johti HEIDI HAUTALA
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