Madam President, it is slightly difficult to speak on this resolution because as yet it has not been translated and brought up to the office. I have to work on the basis of the French version and I just hope I get it right. It is tragic that once again we find ourselves standing in this Chamber talking about yet another war in sub-Saharan Africa. It is absolutely right that we voice our displeasure at such an action having taken place. It is true to say that the election was disappointing and that we had hoped for better results. It reflected on the problems of Ivoirian birthright – as to whether you should be allowed to stand as a president if you were born in the country or if your parents were Ivoirian. We should always remember, however, that everything concerning our relations with these developing countries is based on the Cotonou Accord. That, of course, gives us a basis for democracy, human rights and good governance. Quite honestly, good governance to me is almost more important than pure democracy because if you can get a stable country that is transparent in its doings then that is a big step. Côte d'Ivoire is a huge country with enormous potential and is one of the lynchpins in West Africa. This was very much an internal power struggle. There are those who blame outside influences or rebel groups from other nations, but this was a pure power struggle within the nation itself. It was an issue of people wanting to take power simply as a domestic issue. The problem is much the same as that experienced by Nigeria in that there is a very strong Muslim presence in the north of the country, and a Christian one in the south. There is always a vying between these two groups. As it happens, the Muslims in the north tend to be the poorer of the two groups. The Commission should focus aid onto this area to benefit the Muslims who have not got the wealth of the south. I was in Ghana two weekends ago when the ECOWAS meeting of the 14 West African states took place. They discussed the situation in the Côte d'Ivoire. There was real doom and gloom amongst the representatives and leaders of those countries. When things go wrong in a country of that size, it not only destabilises Côte d'Ivoire, it very much destabilises that whole region. Therefore I was delighted that at least the ECOWAS leaders had the foresight and sense to intervene in the situation in Côte d'Ivoire and send a delegation there in the hope that it could mediate between the two parties. I sincerely hope that they are successful because there are problems arising in Nigeria where exactly the same situation exists. That country has a strong fundamentalist Muslim north and a Christian group in the south. With the way the Commission is now moving towards regional policies, it is absolutely vital that we get these countries to understand that if they are going to be able to face global prospects as far as trade is concerned, they must pull together as a region. Therefore it is vitally important that they support each other. The one disappointment was that NEPAD, the new African partnership on development, has not reacted more strongly in this situation. Written into that new agreement was a peer review. I had hoped that when a problem like this arose, the Heads of States in African countries in that organisation, which has been set up by Africans to look after Africa, would have immediately stepped in. But unfortunately, as with the Zimbabwean situation, they have not done so. If this organisation has not fallen at the first fence then it has certainly stumbled. I sincerely hope preparatory talks can take place as soon as possible because only around a table can we bring this conflict to an end without the death and destruction that usually happens. All I can do is ask the Commission to press both parties to stop warring and come together for discussions.

Political group: PPE-DE