Brussels, 01/02/2002 (Agence Europe) - The spokesman of European Commissioner Chris Patten confirmed on Friday the refusal of visas to two Commission officials, one from Europaid and of the DG External Relations and a contractual expert specialist in human rights who did not want to reveal his name or NGO affiliation. It is, he remarked, a question of the second case of refusal. The other concerned officials from DG Fisheries, at a date he does not stipulate. According to this spokesman, the Commission will soon receive the Algerian Ambassador to Brussels to express its "concerns" at the repetition of such facts that "place Algeria's will to co-operate in doubt" to "engage" in the defence of human rights, as demanded by the Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements.
On the Algerian side, the facts are presented in another light: no details were provided to us on the contents of the missions, authorised sources in Brussels say. It is more of a question of a request for details than a refusal, and that in the sense that, according to the same source, it is difficult to organise missions on the ground, even for Algerian officials.
This source is livid that the affair should have taken on such importance whereas Algerian envoys to Brussels have been refused visas on many occasions.