mr president i as a long-standing rapporteur on this issue within this parliament welcome the eu-india summit which is due to take place very soon
i see india in many ways as a natural partner for the european union
we must use this summit to make progress and i welcome the council and commission statements that have been made today
but i have to say as a rapporteur that too much time has been taken to get to where we are today
it is now time that we have delivery
i hear comments made by so many of my colleagues today pertaining to the issue of human rights and religious freedoms
i remind them that this house fought very hard to have a human-rights clause included in all of our free-trade agreements
we commissioner must underline our commitment to that clause
so whether it is thousands of disappeared or mass graves in jammu and kashmir or the murder of christians in orissa and attacks upon them our commitments to human rights must remain absolute and committed
concerning the fta we now need delivery
a comprehensive bilateral between us and india is not just of importance to us and india but is of global significance
