Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A51-W14
魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A51-W14
Release Date: February 11, 2004
发布日：2004年2月11日
Topic: Wei Jingsheng Met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and President of European Parliament Pat Cox at 2003 Sakharov Prize Ceremony
标题：魏京生参加2003年度的萨哈诺夫自由奖颁发典礼并与联合国秘书长安南及欧洲议会议长考克斯见面
Original Language Version: English (Chinese version at the end)
此号以英文为准（英文在前，中文在后）
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Wei Jingsheng attends the 2003 Sakharov Prize Ceremony by the European Parliament, and Met with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and President of European Parliament Pat Cox
Amid a high degree of global uncertainty, which undoubtedly should include the unclear nature of the wars, the outrage of refuge denials and trials, the troublesome talk of lifting the weapon sales embargo on China, and the increasingly tense atmosphere along the Taiwan strait, the presentation for the 2003 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought possesses special significance. First, it is a reinforcement of the principles of freedom, democracy, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule of law on which the European Parliament is founded, and second, it is a firm statement to the rest of the world that human rights violations must not be tolerated and fundamental freedoms in any region must be protected.
The European Parliament decided to award its 2003 Sakharov Prize to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and all the staff of the United Nations - in special memory of Sergio Vieira de Mello and many other UN officials who have lost their lives working for peace in the world. Attending the ceremony as special delegates were Wei Jingsheng (1996) and other former Sakharov Laureates Ms. Senka Kurtovic (1993), Ms. Salima Ghezali (1997), Mr. Ibrahim Rugova (1998), Mr. Xanana Gusmao (1999), Basta Ya (2000), and Dom Zacharias Kamwenho (2001), relatives of UN staff victims and injured staff including Mrs. Annie de Mello, widow of Sérgio Vieira de Mello (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and Special Envoy of the Secretary-General in Iraq) and their son Mr. Laurent de Mello, Mrs. Rula Al-Farra (sister of Ms. Reham Al-Farra of the UN Department of Public Information), Mr. Luis Martin Oar and his wife Mrs. Paloma Gascon (brother and sister-in-law of Manuel Martin Oar, Coordinator with United Nations Specialized Agencies), and the survivors Ms. Nada Al-Nashif (Deputy Resident Representative of the UNDP in Beirut), Mrs Mona Rishmawi (Senior Adviser to Mr. Sérgio Vieira de Mello), Professor Gil Loescher (Senior Fellow, International Institute for Strategic Studies, London) and his family, and Mr. Gabriel Pichon (Security Officer for Mr. Vieira de Mello).
The Award Presentation Ceremony was held in the European Parliament Headquarters in Brussels with a formal sitting of the parliament on the 29th of January 2004. The Parliament's some 600 delegates extended their warm welcome to Mr. Kofi Annan and all other special delegates, in firm solidarity for human rights and democracy with the UN and the special delegates.
Mr. Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament, welcomed Mr. Kofi Annan, the former award winners, and the relatives of the victims. The President recalled the continuing fight for freedom and democracy that even now prevented Aung San Suu Kyi from being present. Leyla Zana was not free from her incarceration, though Mr. Cox received a letter from her expressing her solidarity and her wish for a century of peace and democracy. Oswaldo Payá was also prevented from attending by the Cuban authorities. He sent a message of solidarity and dedication to the cause of human rights.
Mr Cox explained that the occasion was symbolic, giving Parliament and the UN an opportunity to mark and to celebrate the values and public purpose that we share. "Ours," he said, "is a Union of values based on pluralist democracy, respect for the rule of law, respect for individual and minority rights, sustainability, solidarity, open economy, and respect for cultural diversity. Arguably our European Union is the most successful conflict resolution process the world has ever seen."
Mr. Annan expressed his thanks and pride in accepting the award in memory of Sergio Vieira de Mello and the other UN staff who have lost their lives in working for peace in the world. It was, he said, a welcome acknowledgement of the kinds of people they were. The brave men and women lost in Baghdad were free spirits and free thinkers. He also thanked President Cox and Parliament for inviting the relatives of victims and survivors to the ceremony, which, he said, spoke volumes about the solidarity of the EU and the UN.
"Like many who survived the blast," Mr. Annan said, "the United Nations itself carries deep wounds. But our determination is stronger than ever and we value the solidarity of friends like you. Europe has seen more than its fair share of war, tyranny and terrible suffering. But Europeans have replaced that with a future of hope. You have pursued the path of peace through multilateralism. And today, the European Union is a shining light of tolerance, human rights and international co-operation."
The presentation was followed by a meeting with the delegation of families of UN victims and injured persons, a Sakharov Prize Exhibition tour, and a Choral Performance by school children.
Wei Jingsheng met with a number party leaders, including those of the European People's Party/European Democrats (EPP/ED), European Liberal, Democratic and Reformist Group (ELDR), and Green Group in the European Parliament (Greens/EFA) before and after the ceremony and discussed a variety of issues, particularly weapon sales. The exchanges were in-depth and fruitful. Many leaders expressed their continuous support towards a democratic China, and their firm opposition towards weapon sales to China. Former Sakharov Prize winners also expressed their willingness to strengthen the relationship with China pro-democracy forces and human rights activists. Wei Jingsheng emphasized that a democratic China is in the best interests of world peace, and a strong Communist Chinese military is a direct threat to the human race. Wei stressed that only with a firm stand by the European nations stating that human rights violations are not tolerated and weapon sales are not supported would avoid any possible wrong signal that the Chinese Communism regime would use to deceive the Chinese people and the world.
One of the founders and former president of Independent Federation of Chinese Students and Scholars in USA, XingYu Chen, also attended the ceremony and other activities along with Wei. Chen is a world-known activist who sacrified a lot for his more than one decade of work to advocate Chinese democracy and human rights.
Photo link 1: Wei Jingsheng at the 2003 Sakharov Prize Ceremony http://weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2004/newsletters2004-1/EP040129WJS.jpg
Photo link 2: Wei Jingsheng with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan (left) EP President Pat Cox (right) http://weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2004/newsletters2004-1/AnnanCox040129WJS.jpg ）
Photo link 3: Wei Jingsheng with Mrs. Annie de Mello (middle) and Mr. Laurent de Mello (right) http://weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2004/newsletters2004-1/deMello040129WJS.jpg ）
For more information about Wei Jingsheng Foundation and Mr. Sérgio de Mello, please read our newsletter report of Ciping Huang's meeting with Mr. De Mello of United Nations' High Commission for Human Rights in Geneva in April 2003 (issues A13-G5 and A28-O7).
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中文版
Wei Jingsheng Foundation News and Article Release Issue: A51-W14
魏京生基金会新闻与文章发布号：A51-W14
Release Date: February 11, 2004
发布日：2004年2月11日
Topic: Wei Jingsheng Met UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and President of European Parliament Pat Cox
标题：魏京生参加2003年度的萨哈诺夫自由奖颁发典礼并与联合国秘书长安南及欧洲议会议长考克斯见面
此号以英文为准（英文在前，中文在后）
若有阅读中文的困难，请直接访问我们的网站：www.weijingsheng.org
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魏京生参加欧洲议会2003年度的萨哈诺夫自由奖颁发典礼并与联合国秘书长安南及欧洲议会议长考克斯见面
新春伊始，风云世界并未给人带来振奋的气象。相反，诸多正在进行中的事件，却恰恰增加了人们极重大忧虑。中东战争旋起的纷争，各地难民遭遇的不平，军械销售引发的义愤，台湾局势布满的阴影，足以使爱好和平的人们焦虑痛心。正由于此，今春欧议会年度沙哈诺夫自由奖的颁发，其意义尤为深重。一方面，它使欧议会向世界重申其维护自由民主，人权，法制的一贯宗旨，同时它也提醒世人，任何地域对人权的侵犯必须受到谴责，人类的基本权益必须受到保护。
为表彰联合国秘书长安南及全体联合国工作人员为世界和平和维护人权做出的极大努力，为纪念为世界和平献出生命的联合国高级人权专员德．梅洛先生及众多的同仁，欧议会决议将2003年度的萨哈诺夫自由奖颁发给联合国秘书长安南及全体工作人员。颁发典礼于元月二十九日在座落于布鲁塞尔的欧议会议会大厅举行。为凸显对其之重视，此次颁发仪式被安排在议会全体会议的进程中。作为一九九六年的自由奖得主魏京生，同其它六位前得主及联合国遇难人员家属和幸存者受邀为特别代表出席了大会。六百多名议员向安南秘书长和众位特别代表致以了热忱的敬意和隆重的欢迎。
考克斯议长代表欧议会发表了欢迎致辞。他向与会代表们再次强调了议会对人权民主执着的信念。安南秘书长致答谢词。他对欧盟率先的跨国沟通与合作给予了极高度评价。指出这为增加谅解，维护人权燃起了一盏明灯。
会议期间，魏京生遇到了不少老朋友和神交已久的人权斗士。大家转达了相互间的敬意和增加合作的意愿。许多议员和政党领袖就中国的人权问题和对中国的武器销售向魏京生咨询意见，同时表达了他们反对向中国出售武器的立场。魏京生表示，只有民主才能使中国成为真正的世界和平的维护者。一个拥有强大武装力量的专制的中国，随时都是对中国人民的安全和世界的和平的直接威胁。他强调欧洲各国及世界其它国家，必须对中国当局对人权的肆意侵犯和武力的不断扩充持有鲜明的反对立场。唯有如此，才能避免中国当局玩弄手腕而愚弄中国人民和世界人民，而也唯有如此，才能促进中国的民主自由，使世界和平进入到一个新的境界。
会后，魏京生拜访了法国，比利时，荷兰的一些一贯为中国人权民主奔走的国际友人，对他们不懈的支持和努力给予了高度的评价和感谢。同时，魏京生也同当地的中国民主人士进行了融洽的交谈，了解了各地同仁关注的问题，号召大家要扩充队伍，增强信念，掌握时机，提高斗争艺术，发挥个人优势，使民主运动再现生机，使中国人民重振希望。
全美学生学者自治联合会（简称全美学自联）的创始人之一及第二届主席，十多年来致力于中国自由与民主事业的陈兴宇先生陪同魏京生先生参加了这一系列的活动。
图片之一：魏京生参加欧洲议会2003年度的萨哈诺夫自由奖颁发典礼（网页联接：http://weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2004/newsletters2004-1/EP040129WJS.jpg
图片之二：魏京生与联合国秘书长安南及欧洲议会议长考克斯合影（网页联接：http://weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2004/newsletters2004-1/AnnanCox040129WJS.jpg ）
图片之三：魏京生与殉职的联合国人权委员会的高级专员德．梅洛先生的遗孀与儿子合影（网页联接：http://weijingsheng.org/pic/newsletters/newsletters2004/newsletters2004-1/deMello040129WJS.jpg ）
有关魏京生基金会的黄慈萍与（已于2003年8月殉职的）联合国人权委员会的高级专员德．梅洛先生2003年4月在日内瓦的会谈，请参见我们的A13-G5期的报道。
（魏京生基金会首发，请注明出处。）
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