madam president i congratulate the rapporteur laima <unk> for her balanced and sensible approach to this report
my group the ecr is fully committed to promoting fundamental human rights throughout the world
however we also recognise that human rights often need to be balanced with realpolitik
why else would the eu be developing a strategic partnership with china whose government shows scant regard for freedoms we consider to be essential
equally the eu has a moral duty to provide development and humanitarian aid to developing countries even those with a lamentable human rights record such as pakistan where women and religious minorities in particular suffer from institutionalised discrimination
i am nevertheless pleased that this report highlights countries that have been of particular concern to me during my career vietnam cuba venezuela iran zimbabwe and north korea
the issue of impunity in russia for human rights offenders is rightly also raised
the central theme running through this report is that democracy human rights and economic freedom go hand in hand
however i do have doubts when this parliament invokes international law in condemning certain distasteful practices when the legal basis for this is far from clear
i notice for instance that in a parliament resolution to be debated tomorrow caning in malaysia has been declared as clearly against international law when such a statement is legally questionable
we must stick to the facts to remain credible as an institution
