Strasbourg, 14/03/2007 (Agence Europe) - Under the terms of Article 147 of the European Parliament rules of procedure on “sanctions”, its president, Hans-Gert Pöttering, after informing the plenary session on Wednesday, sent a reprimand to the League of Polish Families MEP and non-attached member of the EP Maciej Giertych for his having published an anti-Semitic pamphlet bearing the EP logo and entitled “Civilisations at War in Europe”. This sanction, however, is the lightest in the rules of procedure, which provide for sanctions of up to ten days' suspension and temporary withdrawal of subsistence allowance. “During my presidency, I intend to safeguard both the freedom of expression and the standard of conduct of Members as well as the honour of this House. As I declared on 13 February 2007 in my inaugural address to the plenary, tolerance and respect for others are important European values, which are at the centre of my political priorities and to which the European Parliament is deeply committed,” Mr Pöttering said in a letter to the Polish MEP. He concluded by saying, “The European Parliament, which thrives on lively political debate, and unfailingly condemns all forms op xenophobia, should under no circumstances be associated with the views published in your brochure”. (eh)