Lima, 06/05/2008 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 1 May, several Latin American and European members of the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) signed a letter to the President of the European Parliament (EP) calling on it to re-assess its position that the Túpac Amaru Revolutionary Movement (MRTA) should not be included on the European List of terrorist organisations (see EUROPE 9654). Around ten members of the Latin American and Central American Parliaments and of the Peruvian Congress signed the letter, while, from the European side, José Ignacio Salafranca, Sánchez-Neyra (EPP-ED, Spain), joint chairman of EuroLat, and Luis Yañez-Barnuevo García (PES, Spain) put their signatures to the document. After the second plenary session of the Euro-Latin American Assembly, Salafranca said that he had received “a letter signed by various MPs from both sides of the Assembly and from different political groups calling for the review of the decision taken by the European Parliament”.
He clearly acknowledged the discontent expressed by the Peruvian authorities on this affair, as he had the evening before at the Peruvian Congress. He now feels “obliged” to send a message to the EP, which only involves some of the parliamentarians and not the Euro-Latin American Assembly. He provided assurances that the Peruvian parliamentary mission coming to Brussels to express its version of the facts will be welcomed with, “the best disposition and openness” of mind. The calendar for this mission still needs to be worked out.
In the letter we can read that, “the signatories participating in this Great Assembly are convinced of the need to extend solidarity to the Republic of Peru with regard to terrorist acts by the MRTA and other groups sowing terror. They believe that it is both necessary and opportune that your worthiness(Mr Salafranca) transmits this request for the European Parliament to re-examine the decision taken on Wednesday 23 April”. During the vote on the resolution regarding the next EU/Latin American summit, the EP rejected an amendment introduced by Mr Salafranca on behalf of the EPP-ED group and which asked the Council to consider putting this Peruvian Guevaran Tupac Amaru movement on the EU's list of terrorist organisations. The Peruvian parliamentarian Luis Humberto Falla Lamadrid welcomed Mr Salafranca's “position of solidarity”. His counterpart Wilbert Bendezú was pleased with the, “support that we have received for the continuation of our fight against terrorism”.
Asked about the real impact this letter could have, Mr Salafranca said that he preferred to wait for the response from MEPs at the foreign affairs committee hosting the Peruvian parliamentary mission. Are there other cases of the EU going back on its position? The history of the European Parliament is “full” of examples where opposing positions were adopted. He also highlighted the importance of parliament's sovereignty when making decisions. He was also a little annoyed at the fierceness of the Latin-American press about an affair that to a certain extent overshadowed the work of the Euro-Latin American Assembly. (M.B.)