WRITTEN QUESTION E-1716/03 by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission. Poul Nielsen's statements on the USA's presence in Iraq.
Date: 2003-05-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, European Commissioner, Iraq, United States, common foreign and security policy, duties of civil servants, military intervention, military occupation, public statement

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/617

the Directorates General

The Directors’ Committee brings together at least once a year the Presidents and Directors-General of the
statistical services of the Euro-Mediterranean partner countries, including European Free Trade Association
(EFTA) countries,
Its
discussion focuses on the decisions and strategic guidelines to be adopted. Its work also involves a critical
report on activities since the previous meeting and guidelines for work in the short and medium term. The
so-defined priorities and guidelines provide the input for the management of the programme, and give
indications on the necessary means to be allotted. On the basis of this information, the Commission
decides on the financing of these actions.

(DG) of External Relations, EuropeAid and Eurostat.

Medstat Phase 1. The financing proposal approved by the Commission in July 1996 stipulated in its
‘Implementation procedures’, that ‘The regional programme of statistical cooperation will be
Article V,
coordinated by the Commission (Eurostat and DG EuropeAid)
in cooperation with national statistical
offices of EU Member States. The programme will be implemented by the’ Centre Européen de Statistiques
et de Développement (CESD) network.

Medstat Phase 2. For the second phase of the programme, it was decided to see whether, for such a special
assignment, competitive bidding can yield results. Consequently, a restricted call for tender has been
launched in the second half of 2002. The tender procedure is still under process.

(2004/C 88 E/0636)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1716/03

by Mogens Camre (UEN) to the Commission

(23 May 2003)

Subject: Poul Nielsen’s statements on the USA’s presence in Iraq

On Friday 9 May 2003, the EU Commissioner for Development made a number of remarks which sowed
doubts about the USA’s intentions in Iraq, including: ‘I believe that the USA is on its way to becoming a
member of OPEC like this. They are appropriating the oil. It is very difficult to make sense of it otherwise’.

These remarks are totally unacceptable. The USA’s presence in Iraq is to ensure that the country does not
collapse and that the revenue from Iraqi oil is used to transform Iraq into a modern, democratic society
free of
live with dictatorships that perpetrate terrorism
internally and externally. Anyone with a modicum of insight realises that it would be a disaster for the
Iraqis if the coalition left the country now and allowed the warring factions to wreck the country’s future.

Islamic fundamentalism. The world cannot

Since the Commission is a collegiate body which does not allow Commissioners to hold diverging views
issues, will the Commission say whether Poul Nielsen’s remarks reflect the Commission’s
on political
official position on the presence of the international coalition in Iraq?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(4 August 2003)

What the Member of the Commission responsible for Development actually said, and the underlying
reasoning behind the statement, is the following: Without the United Nations being given a decisive role in
the reconstruction phase, it is very difficult for the United States to avoid slipping into the role of the
power-bearer and the controller of the oil. The core issue to get across is that the only way to avoid that
problem is to whole-heartedly promote multilateralism and legitimacy. This can only be assured if it is not
the occupying power that governs. If the occupying power does not take a step back when it comes to the
establishment of the system and the allocation of considerable oil resources (which only the United
Nations’s involvement can legitimise), there is a risk that those Iraqis appointed by the United States are
not perceived as the right choice by other Iraqis, and broad support among the Iraqi population is key to
stability and normalisation for the future Iraq.

C 88 E/618

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

His statement corresponds well with the description of the role of the occupying power (‘the Authority’) in
the United Nations Security Council (UNSCR) of 22 May 2003.

Of course the statement of the Member of the Commission was an expression of his own analysis of the
situation, (cid:1) and as such neither very original nor controversial. Mr Camre could also have drawn guidance
from the thorough and constructive debate on Iraq in the Parliament’s plenary session in Strasbourg on
14 May 2003 where the Commissioner represented the Commission.

(2004/C 88 E/0637)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-1768/03

by John Cushnahan (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(28 May 2003)

Subject: Rehabilitation of torture victims

Would the Commission agree that in post-war Iraq, one of the main priorities must be to address the
needs of the Iraqi people, particularly those who have suffered from the torture and inhumane treatment
which was so widespread under Saddam Hussein’s regime? There are many rehabilitation centres outside
Iraq that have provided treatment for Iraqi survivors of torture, and would the Commission agree that is
essential that they continue to carry out this important work? However, there has been a shift in policy
priority in the EU from the rehabilitation of torture victims to prevention, which has resulted in a dramatic
reduction in EU funding allocated to rehabilitation, from EUR 14,5 million to EUR 8,2 million between
2001 and 2002, a reduction of 45 %. Will the Commission acknowledge that it is important that the EU
funds policies both to prevent torture and to rehabilitate torture victims? Will the Commission reconsider
the reduction in funding for the rehabilitation of torture victims to ensure that this vital work can still be
carried out?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(2 July 2003)

The Commission shares the Honourable Member’s view about the fact that the needs of Iraqi people,
particularly those who have suffered from the torture and inhumane treatment under Saddam Hussein’s
regime, should be specifically targeted under a possible humanitarian intervention. The Commission is
currently examining which activities could be supported in the short and medium term in Iraq, once the
appropriate political framework will be established for the Commission’s contribution to the post-war
reconstruction of Iraq. Human rights, including rehabilitation of torture victims, are considered as one of
the possible priority areas.

The Commission decided to adopt a more strategic approach to funding channelled through the European
Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). The Commission’s Communication on Human Rights
and Democratisation of May 2001 (1)
identified four thematic priorities for future EIDHR support,
including the fight against torture. In line with the need to focus limited funds more effectively, the
Communication also underlined that
the Union should seek to focus as much as possible on the
prevention of torture, as opposed to support for rehabilitation centres. The subsequent programming
document for the European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR) in 2002-2004 noted that
funding would be re-oriented in the direction of prevention of torture in the longer term.

The reduction in funds for rehabilitation centres has been accompanied by measures designed to reduce
existing dependency on Community funding in a progressive fashion, with the aim of enabling centres to
look for funds from other sources. For example, the 2001 call reduced the maximum percentage support
for rehabilitation projects to 60 % for centres inside the Union and 80 % for projects outside the Union.
These percentages were further reduced in the 2002 call to 50 % and 75 % respectively. In this aspect, the
degree of importance accorded to sustainability questions during the assessment process is a determining
factor for funding decisions by the Commission. Moreover, ‘institutional strengthening’, which includes the
development of fund-raising capabilities, was explicitly eligible for funding in 2001 and 2002.