Brussels, 30/08/2002 (Agence Europe) - The Socialist group in the European Parliament has asked the Fifteen Foreign Ministers to use the opportunity offered by their informal meeting in Elsinore to adopt a "clear European position" on the possibility of unilateral US military action against Iraq and on the International Criminal Court. "We are very concerned over recent signs from American political and military sources indicating that unilateral action against Iraq is being considered. Any military action must take place within the framework of an international alliance and an explicit United Nations mandate. We support those Americans who advocate a multilateral approach under UN auspices", declared the group's Deputy Chair Max van den Berg (NL), who also regretted the US attitude towards the International Criminal Court.
Two members of the Socialist group, Ioannis Soulidakis,Deputy Chair of the EU/Romania Joint Committee, and Jannis Sakellariou, coordinator of the foreign policy group, met on Thursday in Brussels a member of Romania's Permanent Representation to the EU. They told him that it was "unacceptable" for an applicant country to conclude an agreement with Washington on the impunity of American servicemen in the case of indictment before the International Criminal Court. "By giving in to American pressure, the Romanian Government demonstrated a total lack of solidarity with the EU Member States and the accession countries", said the MEPs. They added that they hoped to meet Romania's Minister for European Affairs in Brussels after next week's plenary session and that they hoped that "Romania's Parliament will understand the importance of this issue and will take our political position into account".