Strasbourg, 17/01/2001 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament "calls on the Member States that are part of NATO to propose a moratorium on the use of depleted uranium arms in accordance with the precautionary principal", in a resolution adopted on Wednesday in Strasbourg following the debate on the "Balkans syndrome". The paragraph favours a moratorium, mainly supported by the Socialists, was adopted by 339 votes, 202 against and 14 abstentions. On the other hand the plenary rejected with a significant majority the amendments by the Greens and United Left groups which called for a ban on the manufacturing of these arms.
Without commenting on the opportunity of the moratorium, the High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, called for prudence by opening the debate in plenary. As yet there is no scientific link between the symptoms developed by the soldiers who served in the Balkans and the use of depleted uranium munitions, but all the transparency will be given as soon as more complete information is available, he explained in substance.
The parliamentarians of the centre right broached in the same direction , by calling, as with the Dane Bertel Haarder (ELDR), that the studies on the effects of depleted uranium be "absolutely scientific, so as to eliminate any doubts", as with the Portuguese Luis Queiro (UEN), who hoped that light be caste "with serenity". Divided over the issue of a moratorium, the EPP MEPs rather called for a formulation suggesting that NATO "considers other munitions until the time when the results of the investigations on depleted uranium are known". The former General Philippe Morillon (USF, French) and the British Conservative Caroline Jackson also clearly opposed the idea of a moratorium as long as the correlation between the operations in the former Yugoslavia and the case of leukaemia are not confirmed. Either way, stated Philippe Morillon, "the debate shows that one cannot dream of a clean war", as war always implies death and can "only be of the last resort". The moratorium was defended, on the contrary, by the Left and the Greens in the name of the precautionary principal. "As long as we do not have scientific proof of the safety of depleted uranium, we must impose a moratorium" felt the German Social Democrat Dagmar Roth-Behrendt, when reversing the burden of proof. It "is not a case of forcing the precautionary principal, but first to understand what is happening, in a case which is not only military, but also civilian", underlined, on behalf of the Socialist group, the Italian Pasqualina Napolitano. The Belgian Paul Lannoye, Co-President of the Green group, notably underlined that the European Directive of 1998 on the management of radioactive waste foresees that the waste of the depleted uranium kind be confined, while they have been used in armaments and disseminated in the Balkans. He recalled that his group had already shown doubts over the radioactivity of uranium enriched munitions in April 1999, without raising reactions, either in the European Parliament nor in NATO. Other than the Communists, the parliamentarians refused to make in this context a trial of the NATO intervention in the Balkans. Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO, carried out the opening of the debate by calling in favour of the intervention of the Atlantic Alliance in Bosnia and Kosovo, by insisting on the calls made in 1994 and 1998 by the European Parliament itself in favour of intervention. "Many of you will remember the efforts by the Parliament to incite the European governments to intervene against the aggression of Milosevic in the Balkans", he underlined. Most of the MEPs rose up against this statement. "We thank the political and military leaders for having carried out this intervention in the Balkans", but "check if there is a link between depleted uranium and the symptoms noted in the soldiers stems from prudence and not a signs of weakness", replied, for example the German members of the CDU, Elmar Brok on behalf of the EPP-ED. In line with this, the member of the Democratici di Sinistra, Pasqualina Napolitano, noted on behalf of the SP group "that it is not a case of reopening the debate on intervention in Kosovo".
Only the French Communist Francis Wurtz felt, on behalf of the GUE group, of which he is President, that "this hard trial" must bring Europe to review its views on CFSP and its relations with NATO, to no longer "let itself be pulled into conflicts" in relation to "American strategic options". According to him "for Europe, the end must not justify the means". For Francis Wurtz, this "dramatic case" poses a "democratic challenge" "in fact the list is long, the silence cutting, the falsehoods, lies by omissions to which have taken part both NATO and certain Member States."
Javier Solana said that he believed that it was "our duty to do all we can to provide all information" to military and civilian personnel who had worked in the Balkans, stating: "We are all democracies. We have nothing to hide. Our goal is to provide you with the information at our disposal". "Mr. Solana announces to us his desire for transparency, all well and good. That's new" Lannoye said ironically. "I can only provide you with information on subjects I know about"" Solana replied, indicating that, for now, he could only go by the information provided by governments and NATO. But "as soon as it is available, we shall forward it to you", he assured them, stating that the results of the first meeting of military medical experts, organised at NATO on 15 January, had been published on the Alliance's internet site.
The European Commissioner for the Environment, Margot Wallstrom, and Council President, Swedish Minister of State Lars Danielsson, for their part, placed emphasis on the responsibility of NATO. "The question of risks for soldiers who served in peacekeeping operations in the Balkans is foremost NATO's responsibility and that of participating States", Danielsson underlined. He did, however, recall that the General Affairs Council would broach the subject at its meeting on 22 January. Recalling that the European Commission had no say in matters of weapons, Ms. Wallstrom pointed out that the European Executive had asked a committee of scientific experts to gather all the information available on the syndromes, so as to assess the risks linked to exposure to depleted uranium. "The "cocktail" effect of the different factors to which the soldiers were exposed will also need assessing", the Commissioner told the press. On that basis, the Commission will see what it has to do to protect its staff on the ground and re-direct short and medium-term measures undertaken in the environmental sector in the framework of the Balkans reconstruction programme. The Commission will also continue cooperating with other international bodies, like NATO, the UNDP and the WHO, which are studying the question, she stipulated. A line she defended during the debate on the subject in the Commission (see EUROPE of 15/16 January, p.6).