WRITTEN QUESTION E-3147/03 by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Recent escalation of Israeli aggression in the Middle East.
Date: 2003-10-23
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: EU relations, Israel, Palestine question, UN resolution, association agreement (EU), public safety

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This part of the resolution represents the follow-up to what I have called the ‘Sakharov initiative’,
promoted by myself within Parliament. This initiative has already obtained the individual signatures of 205
MEPs, and has been highlighted in my letters, sent to recipients including, notably, the President of the
Commission, of 28 May, 3 July and 24 September 2003.

In the meantime,
it has been reported that a petition bearing more than 14 000 signatures has been
submitted to the Cuban Parliament by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, in support of the ‘Varela project’. This is a
particularly important development in view of the extremely harsh climate now confronting democrats in
Cuba.

Has the Commission taken any action in implementation of
to
paragraph 12 of Parliament’s joint resolution on Cuba adopted on 4 September 2003? If so, what is the
nature of the action taken?

the ‘Sakharov Initiative’, pursuant

Following the recent submission by Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas of a petition bearing over 14 000 signatures to
Cuban Parliament, and the considerable media coverage given to that event, does the Commission not
believe that the time is now right to act on Parliament’s initiative?

Answer given by Mr Nielson on behalf of the Commission

(5 February 2004)

The Commission took note of Parliament’s resolution on Cuba adopted on 4 September 2003, and in
particular its paragraph 12 concerning Oswaldo Payá. The Commission is well aware of the situation
concerning Mr Paya and regrets the Cuban authorities’ decision not to allow him to come to Brussels to
attend a meeting of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Human Rights, Common Security and Defence
Policy on 1 December 2003.

On 5 June 2003, the Union decided on a series of measures in response to the action taken by the Cuban
authorities against members of the opposition and independent journalists. The events in Cuba also
subsequently led the Council to re-evaluate its Common Position on Cuba (1) on 21 July 2003 (2), nearly six
months in advance of the due date.

The Commission and the Member States continue to follow the situation in Cuba attentively, particularly
with regard to members of the opposition such as Mr Payá. The Commission wishes to give them the
fullest possible support in the present situation. This requires, of course, fully taking into account the
difficult circumstances in which they live.

The Commission firmly backs democratisation efforts in Cuba, and the President and relevant Members of
the Commission would certainly be glad to meet with Mr Payá when he comes to Brussels.

(1) Common Position 96/697/CFSP defined by the Council on the basis of Article J.2 of the Treaty on European Union,

on Cuba, OJ L 322, 12.12.1996.

(2) http://europa.eu.int/abc/doc/off/bull/en/200307/p106154.htm.

(2004/C 88 E/0463)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3147/03

by Ilda Figueiredo (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

Subject: Recent escalation of Israeli aggression in the Middle East

(23 October 2003)

On a recent visit to Palestine with other members of Parliament, I was able to observe that the Israeli
Government, despite criticism and protest, is pushing ahead with:

(cid:1) building colonies on the West Bank, military occupation and destruction of infrastructure (some of it

built with Community funding), agriculture, housing and other facilities;

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(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?