Brussels, 11/10/2001 (Agence Europe) - The co-Presidents of the Green Group in the European Parliament, Paul Lannoye and Heidi Hautala have written to the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson to protest against the procedure chosen (a meeting with the Conference of Presidents, in Strasbourg) to enable him to explain himself over statements he made in an interview since the 11 September attacks, and that had led to strong reactions on the part of MEPs. Parliament has the "right to demand a public debate", say the two MEPs in their letter. At the same time, they say that a majority of their Group consider that the Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid "certainly has the right and the duty to warn the European public about dangerous political developments which could undermine effective work in his portfolio".
In a statement he made on 25 September, Mr. Nielson had already specified what he had said in the interview: "I did not imply that the globalisation process had caused the terrorist attacks or that the United States were to blame", he stressed, saying that he had simply noted that the anti-globalisation movement "had gathered strength from the perceived insensitivity of industrialised countries in advocating their own values". For that reason, "I was warning against "norm imperialism" and pleading in favour of "a more civilised meeting of cultures", he said