Agreements and sentences

(ES)

Political language is rich in nuances, especially when it comes to international relations.

I wonder which relationship is now between the EU and RD of Congo, and to describe it, any better to use the same terms of the resolutions of European Parliament regarding to the DR Congo within a period not exceeding six months.

* Grant approval
* Strongly condemns
* Calls for an immediate end
* Expresses its deep concern
* Convinced
* Expresses concern
* Calls
* Calls for an end
* Calls upon all parties
* Calls for zero tolerance
* Calls
* Encourages
* Stresses
* Particularly concerned

And both resolutions end up with:

* Instructs its President to forward


Obviously the first point refers to a voluntary partnership agreement between the European Union and the Republic of Congo on forest law enforcement, governance and trade of wood and derived products imported into the European Union dated 19 January 2011 in Strasbourg.

The remaining points refer to a European Parliament resolution on human rights violations in the Democratic Republic of Congo dated September 15, 2010.

The implementation of the trade agreement is funded with 2 million euros by the EU, ridiculous amount compared to the budget of the two main European missions in the DR Congo, EUPOL and EUSEC. As shown to indicate that the EUSEC budget for 2010-2011 is 12.6 million euros.
Both missions include among its objectives the fight against gender violence, the violation of human rights, sexual violence and impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes.

Analyzing the dates of the resolutions I see that as a result of mass rape in August 2010 in the province of Kivu, the EU has proposed a resolution condemning the violation of human rights which includes inter alia the following:

9. Calls for an end to the EUPOL and EUSEC missions to the DRC, which have admittedly made a negative contribution to escalating violence and the situation in the country by training security forces that have been perpetrating crimes against their own civilian population;

More than 12 million per year since the start of the mission in 2005 have contributed to the escalation of violence that aims to fight!

And consequently, EU request to end both missions and review the mandate of UN mission in Congo, the MONUSCO.

Such nonsense does not stop, a few months after, the signature of a trade agreement with the country to which EU asks:

15. Encourages the Government of the DRC to implement, without delay and with the assistance of MONUSCO, its new strategy against gender-based violence;

18. Calls for the DRC Parliament to create the National Human Rights Commission as outlined in the constitution, as a previous step to passing a law on the protection of victims and witnesses of human rights abuses, human rights activist and aid workers and journalist;

Taxative words to the signing of a trade agreement against declaration of intent on the violation of human rights.

Trade agreements are necessary, but not enough if not combined with strong steps in Human Rights issues.

MSF, Doctors without Borders, claims that since the beginning of 2011 has treated about 100 victims of sexual violence in the province of Kivu¹.

To the suffering of thousands of men, women and children in the DR of Congo are not worth the nuances of language.

Take action.

http://www.stoprapenow.org/take-action/

¹only available in spanish