WRITTEN QUESTION P-3179/03 by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission. Cambodian deadlock.
Date: 2003-10-20
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Cambodia, EU relations, political coalition, political situation

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/453

(cid:1) selective murder, and the constant violation of the most basic rights of the Palestinian people, in what

can only be called full-blown State terrorism;

(cid:1) the building of a completely unacceptable wall, about which the UN Special Rapporteur for Human
Rights in the Palestinian Occupied Territories has stated that ‘It is time to condemn this wall as an
illegal act of annexation, just as the annexation of East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights by Israel was
condemned’.

Meanwhile, the Government is escalating its military aggression, with attacks on Syria for the first time
since 1974.

Given these realities, it is totally inadequate merely to express ‘concern’, and it is even less acceptable to
follow the US line and make Israel and Palestine equally responsible, confusing aggressor and victim, or
make cynical demands that the Palestinian authorities control terrorist attacks, while Israel is destroying the
Palestine authorities’ wherewithal to do so.

Bearing in mind, furthermore, the repeated appeals from the Palestinian authorities:

(cid:1) What initiatives does the Commission intend to take to ensure that the successive UN resolutions on

the Middle East are applied?

(cid:1) Does the Commission not believe that

the Euro-Mediterranean Association
Agreement between the EU and Israel, requested in the EP resolution on the situation in the Middle
East of 10 April 2002, has been fully justifiable for quite some time?

the suspension of

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 2003)

The Union recognises Israel’s irrevocable right
to live in peace and security within internationally
recognised borders. It continues to press the Palestinian Authority, as the legitimate governing body in the
Palestinian territories, to do everything possible to prevent terrorist acts, to bring perpetrators to justice
and to dismantle all terrorist networks. At the same time, the Union calls for the establishment of a
democratic and viable sovereign Palestinian State. Union Heads of Government have endorsed the Road
Map and, in line with its proposals and relevant United Nations Resolutions on this matter, have repeatedly
called on Israel to withdraw its military forces and occupation; to stop extra-judicial killings; to change the
route of the security barrier; to lift closures and other restrictions imposed on the Palestinian people; and
to dismantle settlement outposts and freeze any expansion of settlements.

On the question of suspending the Association Agreement with Israel, the Commission recognises the
frustration of those who feel that things have gone from bad to worse over the last three years. On
balance, however, it is the Commission’s view, reflecting the views of Union Foreign Ministers meeting in
the External Relations Council, that suspending the agreement would at this stage make the Israeli
authorities less rather than more responsive to the efforts of the international community to promote a
lasting settlement.

(2004/C 88 E/0464)

WRITTEN QUESTION P-3179/03

by Glyn Ford (PSE) to the Commission

(20 October 2003)

Subject: Cambodian deadlock

Has the Commission made representations to the Cambodian authorities in order to help solve the current
constitutional deadlock, especially in the context of the country’s troubled and violent history?

C 88 E/454

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(12 November 2003)

The Commission and Member States represented in Phnom Penh are following the recent political
developments in Cambodia closely. Commission representatives have on several occasions encouraged all
political parties to do their utmost, in a peaceful manner, to find an agreement on the formation of a new
government reflecting the wishes of the electorate.

(2004/C 88 E/0465)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3181/03

by Antonio Tajani (PPE-DE) to the Commission

(27 October 2003)

Subject: Sending EU representatives to observe the referendum on Chavez

The political, economic and institutional crisis in Venezuela is steadily worsening. Since Hugo Chavez’s
election as President of the Republic in 1998, a series of events have produced deep divisions among
Venezuelans.

The extreme populism of Chavez, who claims to be conducting an imaginary ‘Bolivarian’ revolution, has
given rise to a succession of electoral consultations whose sole result has been to produce violent street
protests, months of strike action, deaths and injuries. The mediation carried out by former US President
Jimmy Carter and the President of the Organisation of American States, César Gaviria, did not succeed in
defusing the situation. Chavez has formed a close alliance with Castro, whose political and social model he
claims to wish to follow in Venezuela. On one occasion, he even paid a visit to the dictator Saddam
Hussein. His relations with the FARC, the violent narcocommunist guerrilla groups in Colombia, have been
the subject of much controversy. At its most recent meeting, the Socialist International expressed a clear
and severe condemnation of President Ugo Chavez’s policies and methods. This has brought together a
vast opposition movement comprising trade unions, businesses, traditional political parties and the media.
All these forces, with the unequivocal support of the Catholic Church, have joined together in the
‘Coordinadora Democrática’. Following a failed attempt in August, this organisation has asked the National
Electoral Council to initiatite the procedure for the collection of signatures with a view to holding a
referendum within three months. The Venezuelan Constitution provides for the possibility of holding a
Revocation Referendum, on a request from 20 % of voters, half-way through the term of office.

What action does the Commission intend to take to uphold the democratic rights of Venezuelans? What
does it intend to do to reassure and protect the large Italian, Spanish and Portuguese communities?

Does President Prodi
representatives to visit the country in order to ascertain how EU cooperation funds are being used?

intend to approach Chavez directly with a view to allowing Commission

Does the Commission intend to support the sending of EU observers to monitor the collection of
signatures for the referendum and ensure that the procedure is conducted in a democratic manner.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(11 December 2003)

The Commission is closely following the political situation in Venezuela. The EU has fully supported the
OAS (Organisation of American States), together with the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and the Carter Centre in the tripartite working group, and the Group of Friends, in their efforts to
facilitate a national dialogue. The EU, in several Declarations, has emphasised the need for a peaceful,
the Commission has offered financial and
democratic, constitutional and electoral solution. Besides,