Strasbourg, 14/03/2000 (Agence Europe) - Several Euro-MPSs (Socialist Mr. Seguro, PSD member Mr. Pacheco and CDS/PP member Mr. Queiro) protested in plenary on Tuesday against the initiative of the Angolan ambassador in Paris, following the adoption in February of a European Parliament resolution on the detention of journalists in Angola. The ambassador had written to the European Parliament forwarding a declaration from the Angolan Government putting into question Portuguese Socialist Mario Soares, one of the signatories of the resolution. In its declaration of 18 February last, the Angolan Government claimed that no journalist was currently being detained in Angola and that the authorities had never "subscribed to nor proffered threats against the physical integrity of any journalist". And, especially, it deplored the fact that "personalities like Mario Soares, whose political and ideological links with the criminal of war Jonas Savimbi are publicly recognised, may still benefit from sufficient credibility to be able to influence such a serious decision"
The Portuguese MEPs called on the Conference of Presidents of the EP (as well as the EU Council) to decide in this affair.