Brief items for which space was lacking in earlier issues
*** EU/United Kingdom: Former Chancellor of the Exchequer (Conservative) Kenneth Clarke, criticised the Labour government on Wednesday last, just as Tony Blair was making his pro-European speech in Ghent, over its indecision on Britain joining the euro. "So long as we remain in the waiting room we have diminished our influence in the Union", said Kenneth Clarke, speaking in the framework of the government's "Britain in Europe" campaign.
*** EU/Basque Community/Commission: The Spanish Members of the European Commission -Vice-President Loyola de Palacio and Commissioner for Economic and Monetary Affairs Pedro Solbes- participated last Wednesday in a demonstration sponsored in Brussels by the "Coordinadora por la Paz" following the latest ETA terrorist attacks. During the demonstration, held in the district of the European institutions, some 1,000 demonstrators observed a moment of silence in tribute to the victims.
*** EU/Norway: A poll published last Tuesday by the daily Dagbladet reveals that 42% of Norwegians favour their country joining the EU, 40% are opposed and 18% have no opinion. It will be recalled that, in referendums in 1972 and 1994, the Norwegians rejected accession, negotiated by the government.
*** EU/Denmark: Danish Prime Minister Mr Rasmussen has reshuffled his government, replacing the Interior Minister responsible for immigration, Mr Simonsen, with Social Affairs Minister Mrs Jesperen. Agriculture Minister Mr Kristensen, who has been moved to Social Affairs, has been replaced by former European Commissioner Ritt Bjerregaard.
*** Greece/United Kingdom/Stock exchange: Greek Economy and Finance Minister Yannos Papantoniou, during his visit to London last week, also met the President of the London stock exchange, with whom he discussed strengthening of cooperation with the Athens exchange. Mr Papantoniou welcomed the perspective of Greek accession to the cooperation system that has developed between major European financial markets and which, he said, will help lead to the creation in Europe of "a powerful stock market similar to the US market".
*** EP/Tibet: MEP Olivier Dupuis has affirmed that statements made by the Dalai Lama during festivities marking the 60th anniversary of his "enthronement" should be "read and understood for what they are: an irrevocable denunciation of the ongoing deterioration of the situation in Tibet".
*** Charlemagne Prize: The Charlemagne Prize 2000 (the 50th edition of the prize) will be awarded to President Clinton for "his special personal role in cooperation with the European states for the protection of peace, democracy and human rights and for his support for enlargement of the European Union", and also for his efforts to promote "rapprochement between Greece and Turkey" and "a lasting solution to the conflicts in Cyprus and Northern Ireland". The prize will be awarded to Bill Clinton on 1 May, in Aix-la-Chapelle.
*** Council of Europe/Environment: Ministers of Council of Europe member countries, at their eighth meeting on natural disasters in the Mediterranean and the Balkans, decided to establish in Athens a European Coordinating Centre on Forest Fires.
*** Ukraine: To conform with Council of Europe requirements, Ukraine's parliament last Tuesday abolished the death penalty (capital punishment decided for convicted prisoners will be commuted to life imprisonment). Of the 269 MPs present, 229 voted for the bill and 15 against, reported parliament's press service.
*** Turkey: A Turkish court has indicted the Kurdish mayors of Diyarbakir, Siirt and Bingöl for separatism and ties with the PKK. The arrest of the three mayors gave rise to protests by the European Parliament and the Council of Europe.
*** Middle East/France: French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin said during his visit to Israel that France, which has "peacekeeping or observation forces in Sinai, Golan and Lebanon", is "prepared to guarantee, via ground troops, a future peace agreement between Israel and its neighbours".
*** Chechnya: The Russian daily Segodnia, quoting sources at the Federal Security Service, has reported that Chechen fighters have been recruited to join Kosovar Albanians in operations against the Serbs (Yugoslav Ambassador to Russia Borislav Milosevic, brother of President Milosevic, had already stated that "Islamic mercenaries, including Chechens, fought alongside Albanians" in Kosovo).
*** China/Taiwan: In a White Paper made public last Monday, China, while making overtures towards Taiwan, states that it could use force if Taipei refuses "indefinitely" to negotiate its handover to Beijing. This document provoked sharp reactions not only in Taipei, but also in the United States.