mr president that the situation in the democratic republic of congo drc is deplorable and that the effect of the conflict upon the people there is tragic goes without saying
however there are a number of important points that must be reiterated here and in our joint motion for a resolution
we must remember that the violence in the drc like so many conflicts of its type is often driven by greed but also stems from and is fuelled by poverty
fighting over territory ethnicity resources or politics are but branches of the same rotten tree of want
increase a man's prosperity and give him purpose and you will reduce his desire to kill or be killed
that is our development challenge as a parliament
secondly we must ensure that any military presence in a foreign country is designed and implemented to reduce suffering and violence not exacerbate it
we must stand as pillars against impunity rather than agents of it
if there is evidence that western missions are not living up to this standard then their presence and practices must be urgently reassessed
finally history has shown us that in internecine conflicts such as in the drc a political solution is the only hope for peace
dialogue and engagement are the only roads toward such a solution
with the post-lisbon creation of our external action service the european union must take its place on the international stage as a more proactive facilitator of dialogue and a sponsor of peace
