kfajdsl/voxpopuli huggingface dataset:
i will just try to bring together some of the themes that have been expressed in the house and to take them forward as part of our thinking about how to deal effectively with this extremely important issue of the nuclear aspirations of iran.
we are constantly talking with russia the political director is there currently as well as with other countries like japan and korea with the ambition of ensuring that the gap created by eu sanctions is not filled in ways that mean that there would not be an effect on the regime.
france and germany the six countries which when we do find ourselves in dialogue with iran sit behind me as the e thirty three designated by the security council.
it is a country that should have been able to grow economically.
i take very much the points that have been made about strengthening and broadening the understanding of what the eu is doing the reasons behind our actions and the need for the international community to stand together to seek a satisfactory resolution.
works. i do hope that we will have the support to make sure that these sanctions are seen as being an important contribution to getting the other track moving and through that medium as i do in any other i am asking the iranians to respond to my letter to pick up what i left on the table or to come forward with their own ideas and come back to the talks.
my final point concerns something that mr tannock said about the glorious persian culture. absolutely. we are clear in this house and right across the european union that our quarrel on this issue is not with the people of iran. we wish them well. we wish to see this glorious persian history and culture rise and be part of the region and part of the international community but we have obligations as countries and as the european union.
i keep watch over what we are doing to try to ensure that the effects on the people of iran are minimal but that they also understand what it is that we are doing.
it is important that we move forward and that the people find a future not that we simply keep them there because we do not have a plan.
i have already mentioned a couple of times in our question hour the importance that we attach to trying to find a satisfactory solution for the people of camp ashraf.
those obligations are that when people sign up to treaties and say they will not move toward nuclear proliferation they are taking on obligations that they have to respect and if they do not respect them then we have to do something about
that is where i am afraid he and his party come from politically.
but i wanted to ask him a more serious question relevant to the debate.
i believe the eu should take its responsibility in ensuring at least that no repressive technologies are exported to such repressive regimes and this we can do now without controversy.
i am proud and glad that the eu has always clearly distinguished between seeking to impact individuals with responsibilities for either the nuclear programme or human rights violations but not the iranian population. they after all feel largely unrepresented by their political military or religious leaders. it is therefore even more important that the eu acts independently of the united states especially in an election year.
may i remind some members on the conservative side of this house especially that sanctions are an ultimate means and not a goal in and of themselves.
the us has consistently chosen different sanctions packages to the eu but the us sanctions also impact eu businesses by imposing not only direct but also indirect sanctions.
this also means looking into different ways in which iran might be persuaded and not just at sanctions.
i believe food and medicine should always be able to reach the iranian people. one last point that is of particular importance for the people in iran especially the young generation and that is the role that technologies can play in either enhancing or threatening human rights.
the iranians have said they are willing and i think one of the things the eu has to accept is that the iranians will not suspend all uranium enrichment as a precondition for sanctions. we strongly urge all parties to negotiate seriously and without preconditions.
now it is time for negotiations.
we should not leave any ambiguity about this question and the greens have proposed an amendment to this effect.
they were proposing compromises in this respect and would be good partners to have included.
the eu should support actively this un conference and be helpful in setting a road map for this process. the greens think that the eu should also set a good example and give up nuclear energy as germany has decided.
the example of iran clearly shows there is no way to clearly separate nuclear activities for civilian uses and the use of the same technologies for military aims.
if we manage to continue negotiations this could then open a new historical window to the nuclear weapon free middle east.
the eu has a dual track approach to sanctions and negotiations. sanctions have been enforced.
the question is how can we open up for negotiations?
iran and the west have taken turns in rejecting each other's offers for compromise and several opportunities have been missed because the phases of goodwill between e thirty three and iran were not synchronised. i hope this will not be the case in the future.
the eu should rule out a military solution which can only spell disaster for the region and beyond notably israel. instead in our dual track approach we should consider exploring a broader settlement by all diplomatic means.
we could do this by recognising iran as a regional power and establishing a diplomatic mission in tehran and by shifting the non proliferation focus to an internationally controlled fuel bank which iran could access.
we could create a weapons of mass destruction free middle east by working for regional security and economic arrangements which would include saudi arabia and possibly israel thus guaranteeing inviolability of current borders and economic progress for the region.
the latest set of eu and us sanctions goes beyond targeting the persons and institutions involved in the nuclear programme. hopefully those sanctions will achieve their aim but more important is that the eu member states are perfectly aware of the possible consequences and that the respective governments are prepared to deal with them.
mr president in reply to mr tannock i meant to point out that there are specific members who are keen on imposing sanctions. the european people's party has asked for a split vote in a text that is also before this house tomorrow a text which seeks to have a consistent eu approach to repressive regimes and in which we clearly state that the eu does not impose sanctions in order to target entire populations but rather to address individuals.
i think the text is appropriate and i regret the fact that there are apparently some people on the conservative side of this house relative to where my group stands who seek to talk about sanctions as a whole instead of making that important distinction which i am glad mr tannock will make as well.
mr president the lessons of the arab spring hold true for iran just as much as for any oppressive government anywhere in the world.
khomeini ahmadinejad and their fascist colleagues in tehran are not immune to the winds of change that are sweeping across the middle east. they see the writing on the wall and that is why they are intensifying their efforts to build a nuclear weapon so that they can reassert their authority in the region and hold the free world to ransom.
we have surely by now recognised the abject failure of our policy of appeasement.
our attempts to appease them has simply provided the regime with time to continue its promotion of terrorism worldwide and its construction of nuclear weapons at home against a background of desperate oppression and human rights abuse.
therefore i welcome tougher sanctions against this brutal terrorist regime in iran.
it is worthy of note that they are one of the few remaining countries who still support assad in syria.
there is no place for dialogue with these tyrants.
let us work robustly for regime change.
and let us also not forget about ongoing issues such as the permanent violations of human rights in that country.
we should once again call on the iranian authorities to cooperate fully with the iaea on all issues particularly those raising concerns about the possible military dimensions of the iranian nuclear programme. this includes access without delay to all sites equipment persons and documents requested by the agency.
the european union has been taking a pragmatic and straightforward approach when it comes to sanctions against iran.
madam high representative should sanctions not deliver on their objectives?
could you elaborate on how you intend to collaborate with middle east countries and in particular with turkey in advancing towards a workable solution?
mr president iran's nuclear military ambitions and its government's constant refusal to engage with the iaea and un security council demands constitute a major threat to global security.
they also pose a potential risk to peace in the middle east with an existential threat to the state of israel in particular.
they are also likely to lead to a regional arms race with neighbouring gulf countries such as saudi arabia also wishing to acquire such nuclear weapons if iran is allowed to possess one in breach of its npt international legal obligations.
we must now all hope that measures agreed by the european union even with political support from countries like greece spain and italy which are large importers of iranian oil will put economic pressure on the regime and make it much harder for the leadership to move money around the world and will force tehran to come back to the negotiating table.
it shows that when there is a clear and urgent need for action the eu does not always dither and dodge the issue.
instead it is sadly one of the most brutal theocratic dictatorships in the world having suppressed all opposition to the last flawed presidential elections and a country which carries out shocking public executions of homosexuals those guilty of so called sexual misdemeanours including minors as well as exporting terrorism via its proxies such as hezbollah to neighbouring countries.
all the more reason therefore why it must never become a nuclear power.
contrary to what some have said no future or further options to prevent this should be excluded from the negotiations.
but as regards the middle east that is the affair of the countries of the middle east.
when the iranians look at what happened to libya which did not have effective weapons you really cannot blame them for wanting to defend themselves if that is what they are doing.
secondly iran has the potential to block the strait of hormuz.
this has already been mentioned.
this would affect oil exports from the entire gulf region i want to stress that and it would involve around a fifth of the world's oil consumption.
then with iraq gradually evolving into an iranian satellite tehran's power has increased markedly.
in all it is not hard to see the ultimate objective of iran's strategy control of the gulf the neutralisation of saudi arabia and the exclusion of the united states from the region.
the nuclear question is only a part of these strategic issues.
mr president ms schaake made a specific reference to the conservative side of the house' believing in sanctions for their own sake. first of all could she actually explain whom she means by the conservatives does she mean my group the ecr group?
sanctions have to be imposed with a political objective in mind.
internationally iran has threatened to take military action against our allies and to block the strait of hormuz.
internally we see more and more repression of democratic movements and that really concerns us.
there is no hope that the march elections in the country will bring about any change in those policies.
therefore the european union has no choice but to act and it was right to impose sanctions.
the current threats from iran make it clear that we can no longer support this undemocratic regime by buying their oil.
mr president it is quite right that governments across the world are deeply concerned at iran's nuclear programme and the threat to global security that is posed.
as many colleagues have said this is a brittle regime not concerned with the human rights of its citizens and one which has posed a constant threat to the state of israel and contributes to the tinder box situation in the middle east.
it is therefore quite right that appropriate sanctions are put in place in order to encourage iran to enter into negotiations.
a further escalation of the nuclear programme which is undoubtedly about developing nuclear weapons or attempts at acts such as closing the strait of hormuz would be entirely unacceptable.
i welcome the resolution of the international community in this matter.
the decision by the uk the us and french governments in sending warships and the aircraft carrier through the waters of the strait of hormuz sent the right signal.
it is important that we have one voice and the resolve to stand together to protect the safety of our citizens but these must not only be about dialogue and diplomacy we need to retain the threat that actually we will take action if this continues.
yes it may look positive and it is but only on the surface.
in this context i believe the college of surgeons cannot continue to sit on the fence because they must do something about the totally unacceptable breaches of medical neutrality.
again i mention abdulhadi because he worked with front line human rights organisation in dublin and was arrested when he returned to bahrain.
the bahraini authorities cannot seek to legitimise the entire process simply by changing from military to civilian courts.
they have a duty of care to their former students and also to the medical profession as a whole.
the arrests of the medics and the subsequent and well supported allegations of torture with no access to family members or to legal advisers cannot be legitimised and all charges must be dropped.
furthermore i would like to draw your attention to an extremely serious situation where a number of prisoners including a man called abdulhadi al khawaja are on hunger strike.
we know that if we can work collaboratively with them we can help to engage in that process.
i also agree with what has been said about the need to continue our engagement with civil society in the four countries we have been discussing this evening. that is something that we put and that i put at the forefront of the work of our delegations and of my own work.
i agree that in our new strategy for our neighbourhood the ideas of mutual accountability and more for more' are really significant.
i think there is a very clear message coming out from this parliament tonight concerning the fundamental relationship between the countries in transition and their people and the need to protect human rights. in that context i am pleased to associate myself with all that has been said about the need to ensure that freedom of expression and freedom of religion and belief should be at the heart of
i know that honourable members are concerned about the situation in this region and especially in egypt a country that has all the potential to be a true and great democracy.
they enable us to support those moving forward on reform those in civil society and those local organisations and ordinary people who are willing their leadership on to change and also to support those who are privileged to serve in leadership positions who likewise choose to move forward with reform
we are responsible to the people for delivering what we say we will deliver;
i do believe as i said earlier tonight that there is a very special role for this house to play in that process and i urge all the honourable members to take up that challenge too and be willing to engage with civil society engage with those looking for a new political process engage with those who are looking for what i have described as deep democracy' and offer them your support.
and that mutual accountability should i believe govern the relationship we have with these countries across our neighbourhood into the future.
the ecr calls on the eu to mobilise all available means to the middle east and north african countries including direct aid and loan finance for investment but conditional on respect for human rights and democracy.
we all hope in this house that sirte falls soon to the transitional national council. however the most recent reports coming from egypt of the deaths of dozens of coptic christians who were protesting peacefully and killed as a result of a brutal overreaction by the security forces are shocking and need investigation.
the brutal repression of the syrian uprising by contrast has led tragically to three zero deaths so far with president assad sadly refusing to go and appealing to minorities such as his own set the alawites and the christians to resist the sunni led insurgency.
the eu must now support the freezing of syrian assets in europe ban oil imports and lean more on russia and china in the security council for support with the hope of speeding up the syrian national council's bid to topple the ba'athist regime.
there is concern both in tunisia and in egypt over the rise of hardline salafist influences now and therefore in my view the more moderate islamist elements of the muslim brotherhood in egypt need engaging with and need to be made to understand that they must pledge to respect international obligations made by egypt on human rights if they are elected to power.
street protestors have called for un aid in forcing ali abdullah saleh from power now but the ecr welcomes the fact that the cases of medics jailed in bahrain for instance for treating injured protestors are now due to be reviewed which will give some credibility to the bahraini monarchy's quest for democracy.
our sanctions are not directed against them but against the regime and those who support it and we continue to send a message to the people of syria that we wish to help them achieve their aspirations and will mobilise our assistance and improve our trade and economic links as soon as we see that genuine transition begin.
but they have long ago accepted the principles of the gulf cooperation council's initiative.
our members have also led the way in geneva to try to secure follow up to this independent commission's findings in the human rights council and to allow the high commissioner's office to visit.
let me begin with egypt and start by being absolutely clear that what we saw in egypt on sunday night was totally unacceptable.
the president and his family must stop holding the country's future to ransom.
at the end of this month the international commission investigating the human rights violations will deliver its report.
these clashes run contrary to the whole spirit and goals of the revolution and the aspirations of all egyptians of all backgrounds and beliefs.
surely this time he must match his words with deeds and transfer that power now.
i have been working closely with the gcc and with the united states to keep a strong and united front sequencing and coordinating our messages and actions on the ground and in our capitals.
we plan to do the same in other countries in the region where that collaborative approach can make a significant difference to the economic opportunities in those countries jordan egypt and other countries too.
her first meeting with the international community was hosted by our head of delegation on sunday.
i have to say though that without dialogue without real dialogue and real reforms there can be no long term sustainable solutions to the challenges that are faced in bahrain.
you have noted our sanctions and their gradual expansion to include oil exports even now additional sanctions are under preparation.
women are at the forefront of the fight against repressive regimes and they must remain central to the shaping of the reforms that follow.
private sector companies making sure that together we become a catalyst for quicker and more effective assistance;
the authorities should in my view inject confidence into this process so that those groups with a legitimate grievance can come to the table.
member states worked hard in the security council to try to get a resolution but were unable to achieve that.
we have adopted conclusions in the foreign affairs council several times and we will not do other than continue to put the situation in the forefront of our work and of our statements.
i believe that is the only way to ensure that we are going to have true democracy.
it was only two weeks ago in strasbourg that we discussed the situation in our southern neighbourhood and we felt that sense of impatience and uncertainty that real change does takes time and we know it will be measured in years and not in seasons.
we will continue to work both on the process towards democracy and in the relaunch of the economy.
we should also seek to associate arab countries in all of our efforts.
the investigations should change the political climate and should encourage reconciliation.
special courts should not be used to try civilians and i have urged the bahraini authorities to stick to the commitments they have made and guarantee fair trials.
i urged and i urged the authorities to protect the right to demonstrate peacefully and the right to freedom of religion or belief one of the most fundamental of all human rights.
as we have said before in this house egypt faces its first opportunity to hold free and fair elections and we will work to help the judges and poll workers in the management of the upcoming parliamentary elections later this year.
seven five million people one third of all yemenis did not have enough to eat.
on both fronts i have to say the bahraini authorities have chosen to remain evasive.
they stood side by side asking for legitimate human rights after thirty years of authoritarian rule.
for that reason i take some positive note of last week's decision to retry in civil courts the trials against doctors and nurses accused of tending to the medical needs of those who oppose the regime.
i made a statement calling for calm and restraint and an investigation so that those responsible for the violence can be brought to justice.
not least when we look at the tragedy of the humanitarian situation there is a great lack of fuel power food and water and people face chronic malnutrition.
that request from us was heard but now surely civilian courts should move to drop all charges.
turning to the example of the task force in tunisia last week here we were able to bring together the international community european institutions members of this house member states the european investment bank the bank for reconstruction and development multilateral financial institutions and crucially
there needs to be far more and better dialogue between the authorities and the opposition.
i believe we have to redouble our efforts and i will be raising our concerns with our strategic partners the united states and china over these coming next few days.
like many amongst the honourable members here i have spoken out against the death penalty actually all of my life and the harsh sentences handed down in cases connected to the recent unrest.
i hope too that we will be able to do something for syria in the near future where the situation remains totally unacceptable and where we must continue pressure on the regime bilaterally and internationally.
he transmitted first hand my message that the prize recognises her relentless commitment to human rights and particularly to the rights of women.
fourth and finally to bahrain where we have been following the situation very closely and we have made clear our views in statements and in direct talks with the foreign minister and with the king. this morning the bahraini ambassador was called again to my services.
sunday's events should encourage the government and the ruling military council to investigate to listen to review the emergency law and to step up the dialogue with political representatives ahead of elections.