WRITTEN QUESTION E-0704/01 by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Council. Human rights abuses in Pakistan.
Date: 2001-03-14
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Pakistan, democratisation, human rights, the EU's international role

4.12.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 340 E/73

What action does the Council intend to take to ensure that Serbia honours its obligations in this regard?

Reply

(16 July 2001)

The Council stresses continuously to the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia authorities that full respect for
human rights and democracy is a necessary precondition for a rapprochement of this country to the
mainstream of Europe.

On their side, the Belgrade authorities (cid:129) and President Kostunica personally at the Zagreb Summit, last
November (cid:129) have on numerous occasions restated their commitment to respect fully these fundamental
principles and have taken positive steps to this end.

Much remains to be done (cid:129) including on full cooperation with ICTY and the release of all wrongly
imprisoned ethnic Albanian political prisoners (cid:129) but in the Council(cid:146)s view the democratic government of
the FRY has made good progress in overcoming the unhappy situation in the human rights field
bequeathed to it by the Milosevic regime.

(2001/C 340 E/086)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0703/01

by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(8 March 2001)

Subject: The plight of defendants in Palestine

Defendants in Palestine are regularly subjected to execution following military trials, having been denied
access to lawyers and the right to appeal. What action has the EU Commission taken to end this
unacceptable procedure?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(2 May 2001)

The Commission is opposed to the death penalty in all circumstances and is committed to campaign for
the universal abolition of the death penalty. That stance is rooted in the Commission(cid:146)s belief in the
inherent dignity of all human beings and the inviolability of the human person.

In this context, the Commission has fully supported the Union Presidency Declaration of 15 January 2001
deeply regretting the latest executions that have taken place in West Bank and Gaza in January 2001 and
requesting President Arafat to respect its commitment with the Union as regards a moratorium on death
penalty. This declaration also appealed to President Arafat to commute the death sentences against Ali al-
Hatib and Husa al-Din Musa in Bethlehem. The Palestinian Authority has for the moment suspended those
executions.

(2001/C 340 E/087)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0704/01

by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Council

(14 March 2001)

Subject: Human rights abuses in Pakistan

What steps does the Council intend to take to ensure that the human rights abuses which are taking place
in Pakistan in the name of political reform are discontinued? Since Pakistan(cid:146)s transition from constitutional
to military rule, the Musharraf government has detained opponents and former officials without charge,

C 340 E/74

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

4.12.2001

removed independent judges from the higher courts, banned public rallies and demonstrations, and
rendered political parties all but powerless. The sweeping powers of arrest, investigation and prosecution
conferred on the National Accountability Bureau by the National Accountability Ordinance are other
causes for concern.

Reply

(16 July 2001)

In the wake of the military coup in autumn 1999, the Council suspended signature of the EC-Pakistan
Cooperation Agreement and interrupted the regular political dialogue. Possibilities for direct
formal
interaction with the regime in Islamabad are therefore limited. However, the Council has on two occasions
(cid:129) November 1999 and November 2000 (cid:129) sent a high-level ad hoc mission to Pakistan, which raised the
various preoccupations mentioned in the Honourable Member(cid:146)s question during talks with General
Musharraf, Government Ministers, senior officials and other interlocutors, in particular representatives of
countries which share the same beliefs and of the international financial institutions present in Islamabad.
The EU has put special emphasis on the need to respect human rights, on freedom of expression and on
an independent judiciary. The EU has also impressed on its Pakistani interlocutors the need for a speedy
and full return to representative democracy. More recently, similar concerns were raised at the Pakistan
Development Forum held in Islamabad from 12 to 15 March 2001.

On behalf of the European Union, the Presidency wrote twice to the Pakistani Minister for the Interior to
express the EU(cid:146)s concerns over the continued application of the ban on outdoor political rallies in Pakistan,
in April and again in May 2001.

in particular the announced return to
The Council will continue to monitor the situation closely,
parliamentary democracy by means of elections to be held at local, provincial and national
level by
October 2002. The Council will also continue to intervene in an appropriate manner where necessary, in
particular by making confidential representations. The EU Heads of Mission in Islamabad will raise
individual cases in the course of their regular contacts with the authorities.

(2001/C 340 E/088)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0705/01

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(8 March 2001)

Subject: Similarity of the euro logo with that of Thomas Cook and the claim for GBP 25 million

Is the Commission aware of the article in the Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad of Saturday, 3 February

1.
2001, entitled (cid:145)Euro gaat Brussel ponden kosten(cid:146) [Euro will cost Brussels pounds]?

2.
Is the Commission aware of the problem referred to in the article of the similarity between the euro
logo and the logo of the British company Thomas Cook which, the company maintains, has been
registered since 1993?

3. Was any preliminary research carried out into other registered logos comparable with the euro logo?
Did this include the Thomas Cook logo? If so, what was the outcome and what is the Commission(cid:146)s
interpretation of the outcome?

4. What is the Commission(cid:146)s opinion of Cook(cid:146)s view, referred to in the article, that the considerable
similarity between its own logo and the euro logo will devalue its own logo?

The board of Thomas Cook has let it be known that it has been endeavouring since 1998 to reach

5.
a solution to this problem with the Commission. Can the Commission confirm this?