mr president thank you very much indeed for calling me and i apologise for being missing when you called me earlier
it is kind of you to bring me on now
i just want to use the opportunity of this vote in which i voted in favour to express a warning about the rising power of the soviet union and the atmosphere in that country
we all had high hopes when communism fell but in parts of the former soviet union and particularly in russia there is now an atmosphere of fear an atmosphere of nationalism an atmosphere that is i am afraid unacceptable
although the european union has to have relations with the russian government we must remind that government at all times that we demand that the democratic state and the democratic ethos should always prevail and that attempts to censor views that are not acceptable to the government or to put politicians under unfair pressure will not be acceptable to the european union
that is something we should make clear at all times
