WRITTEN QUESTION E-0752/03 by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council. Iraq-related threats made against Chile and Mexico by the Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar at a press conference held in Madrid on 27 February.
Date: 2003-03-11
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Chile, Iraq, Mexico, Spain, United States, association agreement (EU), head of government, military intervention, public statement

C 280 E/84

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

21.11.2003

(2003/C 280 E/089)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0752/03

by Camilo Nogueira Román (Verts/ALE) to the Council

(11 March 2003)

Subject: Iraq-related threats made against Chile and Mexico by the Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar

at a press conference held in Madrid on 27 February

At a press conference held in Madrid on 27 February in the presence of the UK Prime Minister Tony Blair,
the Spanish Prime Minister José María Aznar issued implicit threats against Chile and Mexico (current UN
Security Council members) which could be carried out should those two countries fail to support the US
stance in favour of war with Iraq. Mr Aznar pointed out that both Mexico and Chile are awaiting the
conclusion of association agreements with the EU, which must be signed by the Member States’
governments and parliaments. The way in which he made this point and the moment at which he did so
(just before the decisive UN vote on war or peace) implied that he intended to threaten the two countries
in question with a refusal on the part of the Spanish Government to sign or implement the association
agreements.

How does the Council intend to react to Mr Aznar’s behaviour? Does the Council deem it politically,
morally and procedurally acceptable that such an attempt should be made to by-pass the European Council
and to bend the views of two sovereign countries in order to serve the particular interests of, and to
promote political positions favourable to, a country (namely the USA) which is not part of the EU?

Reply

(22 July 2003)

It is not Council practice to comment on public statements made by Heads of Government of the

1.
Member States.

2.
The Council recalls that the EU-Mexico Global Agreement was signed on 8 December 1997 and
entered into force on 1 October 2001. The EU-Chile Association Agreement was signed in Brussels on
18 November 2002 and the bulk of its provisions are being implemented since 1 February 2003. Member
States will have to complete their ratification procedures before the Agreement may be concluded.

(2003/C 280 E/090)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0766/03

by Isidoro Sánchez García (ELDR) to the Council

Subject: Exploitation of natural resources in Western Sahara

(12 March 2003)

The administration of Western Sahara by the Moroccan Government has been disputed ever since Spain
left in 1975.

Despite the various political agreements established at UN level for decolonising the territory, it is public
knowledge that
the Moroccan Government granted licences to two international
companies, one French and the other American, to test drill for energy resources in the territorial waters of
the Western Sahara. These companies entrusted the Norwegian company TGS-NOPEC with making the
preliminary seismic investigations.

in October 2001,

In view of the UN Security Council Legal Services’ report of 29 January 2002, the licences granted by the
Moroccan government could be understood as infringing international law, which means that should such
energy resources be exploited, they would belong to the Saharan people.