Activities of Angelika BEER related to 2007/2208(INI)
Plenary speeches (1)
Stabilisation of Afghanistan: challenges for the EU and the international community (debate)
Amendments (14)
Amendment 7 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 1 a (new)
Paragraph 1 a (new)
1. Takes the view that after more than 20 years of civil war Afghanistan has become a ‘failed state’, characterised by missing or weak institutions at all levels and unable to satisfy the most basic needs of its citizens such as education, housing, health, nutrition; is convinced that the country has become a test case for the success or failure of international development assistance and the legitimacy of bi- and multi-lateral development cooperation; stresses the need for the international community to demonstrate its ability to end the vicious circle of violence and poverty and to give the country the prospect of sustainable peace and development; calls on the Council and the Commission to bring forward an initiative for an international Council comprising the main donors, military contributors and UN organisations, possibly led by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and based on the concept of the UN Peacebuilding Commission, in order to harmonise the different reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan;
Amendment 28 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Calls on the United States to put an end to its secret detention programme, to dismantle the facilities used in that connection, and to try, or else release, the remaining detainees in full compliance with international law and standards; considers that the perpetrators of the documented crimes of torture, murder and enforced disappearances in the context of the secret detention programme should be held accountable;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 2 b (new)
Paragraph 2 b (new)
2b. Insists that, as long as the basic conditions for due process are not met, Coalition and ISAF forces should refrain from delivering prisoners to the Afghan law-enforcement bodies;
Amendment 47 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points out that one of the main problems facing the country is restoring security; notes that Afghanistan’s security problems are more complex than just a war on terror and therefore they requirethe ‘war on terror’ can only aggravate the lack of the rule of law and the continuing state of impunity; believes that Afghanistan’s security problems require a political more than a military solution; points out that security is a prerequisite for the rule of lawand the rule of law are interdependent, which in turn creates an atmosphere conducive to human development, and that strengthening the rule of law can serve as an important means to advance the freedom of people to exercise choices and enhance their capacity to live meaningful and healthy lives;
Amendment 52 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4 a (new)
Paragraph 4 a (new)
4a. Calls on the Afghan government to urgently reform the security law of 1987, which is partly responsible for the largely arbitrary criminal justice system in Afghanistan;
Amendment 61 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Draws attention to the fact that the EUPOL mandate foresees the coordination of activities in reforms of the police and justice sectors, and therefore calls on the Council and the Commission to better co- ordinate their respective activities in order to make the EU’s policies more coherent and efficient; considers it equally important for the EU to considerably increase the resources foreseen for EUPOL both in terms of personnel and financing; expresses its support for the EUR 2.5 million programme under the Stability Instrument concerning measures to reform the appointment of judges and prosecutors, and expects that this pilot scheme will serve to develop a substantial long-term justice sector reform programme for 2009;
Amendment 70 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Stresses the need to redefine the role of the provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) as a result of the wider role of the military, which is increasingly overlapping with the mandates of civilian aid agencies, causing significant friction; is convinced that the goals of humanitarian organisations, which operate on the basis of neutrality, independence and impartiality, and those of the military are not compatible; strongly believes that the PRTs should concentrate on specific objectives related to security, training and working with the Afghan police and military, and supporting the reach of the central government into insecure areas; believes that the numbers of Afghans working in PRTs should be boosted and that local ownership should be enhanced as much as possible;
Amendment 94 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Draws attention to the fact that the UNHCR has helped 3.69 million Afghan refugees return to Afghanistan since March 2002, marking the largest assisted return operation in its history but that, despite these returns, approximately 3.5 million registered and unregistered Afghans still remain in Pakistan and Iran and the governments of both those countries have announced their intention to repatriate large numbers of refugees over the coming year; is concerned about the decline in funding for Afghan refugees and underlines that maintaining a successful repatriation program is likely to become more expensive, as the refugees remaining in Pakistan and Iran have less resources and weaker ties to Afghanistan than those who returned earlier; stresses that the safe and voluntary return of Afghan refugees and displaced persons should remain a high priority for Afghanistan and the international community; calls on the Commission and the Member States to increase funding for refugee reintegration;
Amendment 98 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13a (new)
Paragraph 13a (new)
13a. Calls on the US government to abandon its crop eradication policy and notably the use of ‘Roundup’ for aerial sprayings, a substance which is associated with serious environmental and health hazards, inasmuch as targeting poppy farmers will only fuel resentment against the international troop presence;
Amendment 99 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 13 b (new)
Paragraph 13 b (new)
13b. Believes that, given the extent of the dependence of Afghan farmers on opium production, all possible contributions to a viable income solution for the rural population concerned should be considered, including licit opium production for medical treatment; expresses its regret that the EU Council, in its conclusions of 29 April 2008, rejects any such notion, and expects the Council and the Commission to present to Parliament within the next few months a conclusive concept of economic development for Afghanistan;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas Afghanistan’s educational system is showing the first signs of positive developments such as an increasing number of children and particularly girls, students and teachers who have returned to school (although female enrolment has been stagnating at some 30%), the ongoing rehabilitation of primary schools and the training for teachers,
Amendment 124 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas there are no official figures on civilian deaths in Afghanistan but a study by the Afghan government suggests that more than 3,700 people were killed by fighting in Afghanistan in 2006; whereas the majority appear to be insurgents, but it is estimated that some 1,000 civilians were killed by bo, according to UN figures, violence has risen dramatically in 2007, with 8 000 deaths (of which 1 500 are civilian deaths), the highest casualty figure since the overthrow of the Taliban attacks and NATO air strikesin 2001; whereas in June 2007 a network of Afghan and international NGOs had ‘strongly condemned the operations and force protection measures carried out by international military forces in which disproportionate or indiscriminate use of force has resulted in civilian casualties’,
Amendment 125 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas under the US secret detention programme hundreds of Afghan prisoners remain detained in various prison facilities, such as at the Bagram military base and at Guantánamo, in violation of international humanitarian and human rights law; whereas prisoners in Afghan custody continue to be faced with a law enforcement system that lacks the minimum standards of the rule of law and respect for fundamental human rights,
Amendment 147 #
Motion for a resolution
Citation 17 a (new)
Citation 17 a (new)
– having regard to the Council Conclusions of 29 April 2008 on Afghanistan’s National Drug Control Strategy,