Lima, 30/04/2008 (Agence Europe) - Luis Javier Gonzales Posada, President of the Peruvian Congress, has strongly protested against the European Parliament's failure to call on the Council to envisage inclusion of the Movimiento Revolucionario Túpac Amaru (MRTA) on the European list of terrorist organisations. On Tuesday 29 April 2008 in Lima, at the opening of the plenary session of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EUROLAT) (see EUROPE 9650), he urged the EU Council and EP to assess the actions and activities of this terrorist group in order to apply the corresponding sanctions to it. Warmly applauded by the Latin American delegation, he pointed out that Peru had always described organisations such as the Basque separatist movement (ETA) and the Irish Republican Army (IRA) as terrorists. Mr Gonzáles Posada therefore hoped that Europeans would do the same towards MRTA. He went on to express his conviction that the EP will go back on its decision in an “intelligent and united” way once MEPs have “full and trustworthy information” on the consequences of terrorism in Peru. A Peruvian parliamentary mission will make a special trip to Europe for this.
The European side spoke of misunderstanding: unequivocal support is given to combating terrorism but it is stressed that the rejection of the amendment in question is above all due to the democratic deficit regarding management of this list. José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra (EPP-ED, Spain), EUROLAT Vice President, said that “the EP had never refused to support the fight against terrorism”. He noted the request of the Peruvian Congress while stressing that the EP was independent in its decisions. Saying that the EP may change its opinion, he called for an exchange of information between Latin Americans and Europeans, mainly on this very sensitive subject in Peru.
The subject could come up again during discussions on the Euro-Latin American Charter for peace and security on the agenda of the political affairs committee of the Euro-Latin America parliamentary assembly. Answering questions by EUROPE, Belgian Socialist Véronique De Keyser, the author of the draft charter, spoke of “a real misunderstanding”. The outcome of the vote at the EP “has nothing to do with Peruvian policy”, she said. In her view, it was more a matter of the Parliament denouncing the lack of transparency of the European list of terrorist organisations. “There are no rules for withdrawal from the list”, she commented. She also pointed out that the Court of First Instance had, end 2006, ruled that the People's Mujahidin Organisation of Iran (PMOI) was right in considering that the procedure establishing the list of EU terrorist organisations violated the rights of defence (see EUROPE 9326). Raül Romeva i Rueda (Greens/EFA, Spain) criticised a “completely exaggerated” debate. “Here one is presenting it as if the EP were in favour of the MRTA. It has nothing to do with it! At the EP, the debate is on the list strictly speaking, and on the doubts of MEPs concerning the democratic aspect of the list”, he added, denouncing “manipulation of reality”'. He hoped that the EUROLAT plenary session would not have to take a stance on this theme as, in his view, the EUROLAT plenary is not the appropriate place for settling this affair. Luis Yañez-Barnuevo Garcia (PES, Spain) argued against the interpretation whereby even a fraction of the EP would be in favour of the MRTA. In his view, the EP's position is due to the “precipitation” which sometimes characterises the work of the assembly. He said: “We have not had time to explain to a very diverse parliament composed of so many different nationalities that it is important to approve the amendment on MRTA in order to provide flawless support to the Peruvian society”.
Rejected by just four votes during adoption of the EP resolution on the EU/Latin America Summit, the amendment of the EPP-ED Group had only received the support of the Spanish Socialists and Christian Democrats. Just before the vote, the Peruvian association for the defence of human rights, Aprodeh, had sent a letter to MEPs condemning violence perpetrated by the MRTA while requesting that the organisation's capacity for action should not be exaggerated. In a press release, it denounces a political scenario that shows proof of authoritarianism and intolerance. Inactive and lastingly weakened since the spectacular hostage-taking at the Japanese Embassy in 1997, the MRTA is said, at present, to carry out recruitment activities in the Amazonian forest near the border with Colombia. According to Peruvian government sources, the inclusion of MRTA on the European list of terrorist organisations aims to put pressure on member states, especially Scandinavian states, which take in activists likely to raise funds for the cause of MRTA on their territory.
Sustainable development. Mr Gonzáles Posada spoke, moreover, of climate change as one of the main themes on the agenda of the EUROLAT plenary. “Over the past thirty years, we have lost 22% of our glaciers, which represents 7 billion cubic metres of water” or ten years of water consumption for the town of Lima, he pointed out. He also denounced the “oil imperialism” of the exporting countries, mainly made possible by the lack of cooperation between fossil fuel importing countries. Jorge Pizarro Soto, Vice-President of the Euro-Latin American Assembly and President of the Latin American parliament, emphasised the importance of sustainable development which allows both economic growth and social progress.
Social integration, immigration. According to Mr Pizarro Soto, EUROLAT is expected to suggest to European and Latin American heads of state and government, who are to meet on 16 and 17 May, that they create a “regional development fund” in the field of social cohesion. Calling for minimum respect of the human rights of migrants arriving in Europe from outside the Community, he suggested that a migration observatory should be set up. Mr Salafranca spoke of the human drama caused by shipwrecks off the Canary Islands of vessels weighed down by excessively large numbers of illegal immigrants on board. How, he asked, can one think about mechanisms to facilitate controlled integration of immigrant populations when Europe will soon need to fill 21 million jobs due to population ageing? Julio Gonzales Gamarra, President of the Central American Parliament, said that the Central American countries were discussing with Mexico about how to improve the conditions of transit for Central American immigrants travelling to the United States. He also stressed the importance of the role played for national economies by the money that emigrants send back to their families in their homeland (“remesas”).
Regional integration. Ivonne Juez de Baki, President of Parlandino, spoke of the talks underway on an association agreement between the European Union and the Andean Community of Nations (CAN) which groups Bolivia, Columbia, Ecuador and Peru (see EUROPE 9447). “We need peace if we are to act, create, think and grow”, she said. She went on to add that the recent political crisis between Columbia and Ecuador makes it necessary to finalise “mechanisms for the prevention and peaceful resolution of conflicts” that are also supported by the international community. Early March, tension between these two countries ended with the Colombian Army's incursion into Ecuadorian territory without the Columbian government informing Quito, the aim of which was to eliminate a senior official of the revolutionary armed forces of Columbia (see EUROPE 9619). “Strength in union!”, exclaimed Mr Gonzáles Gamarra. He said that the Central American countries, following the example of the European Union, are making progress slowly but surely on the road to regional integration.
Backed by Mr Pizarro Soto, Mr Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra called for the number of deputies at the Euro-Latin America Assembly to be increased from 120 to 150 in order to more easily include a delegation of the Mercosur parliament. Several representatives from this newly created parliament are present for the first time at the EUROLAT plenary session, as observers. (M.B.)