Brussels, 07/11/2003 (Agence Europe) - The remarks by European Council President Silvio Berlusconi, who spontaneously took the defence of Russian policy in Chechnya during the press conference which closed the EU/Russia Summit on 6 November in Rome, caused dismay within the European Parliament (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.3).
On Thursday in Rome, a colleague from "Le Monde" had questioned Vladimir Putin on the human rights violations in Chechnya (Laurent Zecchini, who, for a similar question, had been rebuffed in a shocking manner by the Russian President in Brussels: "If you want to become an Islamic radical and be circumcised, then I would invite you to Moscow (…) We have specialists there"). "Just myths", Berlusconi said answering in Putin's place. At the European Parliament, the elected member of Lista Bonino, Maurizio Turco, expressed his indignation in a press release: "After his well-known statements (Ed.: in an interview with the Spectator) on the luxury holiday destinations where Mussolini sent Italian anti-fascists - from Ernesto Rossi to Altiero Spinelli, the Rosselli brothers to Pertini and Gramsci - we now have 'myths' about the continued genocide in Chechnya". Another radical MEP, Olivier Dupuis, responded to the advice given by Berlusconi to the press to stop "spreading myths" and "look at the reality of facts" in Chechnya. He said: "If we look reality in the face, we cannot fail to see that real extermination is under way in Chechnya - you only have to read the reports by Amnesty International, the International Federation of Human Rights, and even the pro-Russian Kadirov administration". (In Rome, Romano Prodi simply told journalists, who were questioning him about statements made by the European Council President on Chechnya and on his attacks during the same press conference against Italian media: "I only hope Berlusconi is better informed about the situation in Russia than he is about the press in Italy").
Vladimir Putin, speaking before the press, thanked his "advocate" Berlusconi in Rome. The latter said: "For this defence, I shall send Putin fees of one euro"…
Answering questions put to him by the press, the Chair of the EP Committee on Foreign Affairs, German Christian Democrat Elmar Brok commented saying it is known that Mr Berlusconi is very "pro-Russian", even expressing the hope that Russia would become a member of the EU! But, be this as it may, his declarations are "unacceptable" and MEPs will no doubt discuss the matter.
The Commission spokesperson puts a clear distance between himself
and Silvio Berlusconi's remarks
In answer to questions put to him by the press on Friday in relation to this incident, the spokesperson for the European Commission, Reijo Kemppinen, noted that it is "rather clear that the Commission's position (and as far as we know also that of member States) is not exactly that expressed" in Rome. Thus, he went on: - the Yukos affair (in Rome, Mr Berlusconi reproached the international press for criticising the way it is managed by the Russian government). Romano Prodi said during the Rome summit that, while being an internal Russian matter, it had "wider implications" as the foreign investors, mainly European, have the right "to be sure that the security of investment is guaranteed". Furthermore, Mr Prodi noted that the EU expects the law will be "applied in an impartial manner" in this affair (Ed. something that CFSP High Representative Javier Solana also said in press conference); - Chechnya. The Commission (Ed. including Chris Patten) raised the question "rather clearly" during the Summit, mainly posing the question of humanitarian aid which does not always reach the "suffering people". The spokesperson admitted that they will continue to have the same difficulties as they have experienced for years, recalling above all that the providers of humanitarian aid do not have their safety guaranteed and that there is still no access to the radio networks necessary for working correctly in safe conditions. Were the declarations by Silvio Berlusconi helpful?, a journalist insisted. Here, the spokesperson refused to comment on the remarks by the President of the European Council, while repeating that "we do not share his views".