mr president i agree with everyone in this debate who calls on the european union to engage to act and to exercise the responsibility to protect
i also welcome high representative ashton sending a mission into libya with less incident than for example one of our member states
but all those who talk tough in this debate were you also talking tough during forty-two years of a brutal military dictatorship
did you protest when one two hundred prisoners were murdered in cold blood over a decade ago
or against gaddafi's historic litany of torture enforced disappearance and extrajudicial execution
did you complain when the european commission started negotiations for a framework agreement with libya and which were on course to be happily completed this year
tough sanctions against departing dictators at a time of crisis look good to european public opinion but tough standards before a time of crisis look even better for the people we say we are trying to help
