Brussels, 25/11/2002 (Agence Europe) - The decision f the Conference of President to prevent access to European Parliament buildings for two Zimbabwe ZANU-PF members for are subject to EU sanctions (also see EUROPE 23 November p 4) has led to the cancellation of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly meeting, which was due to take place in Brussels this week. The ACP group was unable to accept this unilateral European Parliament decision that interferes directly in the functioning of the Parliamentary Assembly.
During a meeting of the European delegation, the Cop-president of the Assembly, British Labour Party Member, Glenys Kinnock indicated that despite the numerous contacts since Saturday and the "constructive participation" of the ACP Co-President, Adrien Houngbedji, they wee unable to reach an agreement. Ms Kinnock explained that one of the possibilities had been for the ACP group to boycott the solemn opening session and that draft resolutions on Zimbabwe were withdrawn. This suggestion was accepted by the European delegation by not by the ACP. The transfer of the meeting to another venue in Brussels was judged unrealistic by Ms Kinnock, particularly because it could be misinterpreted. Belgium made a proposal that went in this direction and which received the support of the ACP group. Ms Kinnock then proposed that the European delegation immediately go and hear the President of the East Timor government speak, Francisco Guterres, as well as the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Children, Olara Otunnu, who was due to speak in the plenary.
Before the intervention by Mr Guterres, French Communist, Francis Wurtz, welcomed the President of the Timor Parliament but protested against the procedure used by Ms Kinnock to "avoid" a discussion on the cancellation of the Assembly meeting and pointed out that he has protested against the decision during the Conference of Presidents, that was obviously going to "scupper" the Assembly. His declaration was followed by the damaging departure of another French Member of the GUE/NGL group, Fodé Sylla, who sharply criticised the holding of the meeting by the European delegation. In a joint press statement, the five Green-EFA members of the EP delegation, Caroline Lucas, Nelly Maes, Inger Schörling, Didier Rod, Paul Lannoye and Marie-Anne Isler Beguin) criticised the cancellation of the session. "The Parliamentary Assembly is a joint structure independent of the EP. The bureau and or the Assembly plenary should have taken any decision that impacts on the work of the Assembly. The European side has not respected the working rules", they pointed out before adding that the decision of the Conference of President was, "undemocratic and reflects a colonialist and paternalistic attitude to the Cotonou Partnership Agreement".
Following the intervention of Ms Kinnock, the room gradually emptied and there were only 18 MEPs out of the 77 in the delegation who remained when the young Guinea speaker invited to speak by Mr Otunnu on situation of children in Africa. Mr Otunnu drew up a rapid balance sheet of the progress achieved in certain African countries such as Angola but stressed that a lot remained to be done for improving conditions for children. He particularly denounced the enrolment of young people into the para-militaries in Northern Ireland, the Problems in West and East Africa, behaviour by the Russian forces and the recruitment of children by the rebels in Chechnya, as well as malnutrition and access to health care and education in Afghanistan. Mr Guterres highlighted the efforts constantly being made to achieve reconciliation by the new authorities in East Timor and stressed the importance of the Cotonou partnership in the promotion of dialogue and the struggle against poverty in the world.
During a press conference, Ms Kinnock recognised that the cancellation of the session was "a serious setback" but pointed out that she supported the decision of the Conference of Presidents, believing it could have been avoided without the provocation of the Zimbabweans (reference to the choice of the two delegates on the EU black list when other parliamentarians could have been chosen. The first 2003 session will take pace in an ACP country (EUROPE thinks that this will probably be Congo-Brazzaville in the first week of April) and the second session will be held in Italy. An Assembly bureau meeting is expected to be held in January. ACP Assembly Co-president, Adrien Houngbedji criticised the unilateral character of the Europeans and pointed out that the situation was illegitimate given that the two delegates involved in the affair had been granted visas from Belgium, in keeping with derogations governing participation in international organisations' meetings.