WRITTEN QUESTION E-3263/03 by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission. Powers of the region of Wallonia to approve arms exports, and the use of such weapons to repress the people of Nepal.
Date: 2003-11-04
Institutions: European Parliament, Provisional data
Subjects: Belgium, Nepal, Walloon region (Belgium), arms trade, civil war, code of conduct, export licence, export monitoring

C 88 E/138

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

8.4.2004

In its Common Position 2003/280/CFSP (1) of 16 April 2003 the Council imposed an EU travel ban on
some persons obstructing the mandate of the ICTY, and this has had a positive impact, especially in Bosnia
and Herzegovina (BiH).

What steps is the Commission taking to broaden the list of persons named in that Common Position to
include those helping ICTY indictees elsewhere in the region to evade justice?

Specifically, will those sheltering Karadzic, Mladic and Gotovina, whose respective support networks in
Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro are reported by ICTY to be significant, now be subject to the travel
ban?

(1) OJ L 101, 23.4.2003, p. 22.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(26 November 2003)

With Common Position 2003/280/CFSP of 16 April 2003 the Council adopted measures preventing the
entry into or transit through Member State territories of individuals engaged in activities which help others
to evade justice for crimes for which the ICTY has indicted them.

When adopting this Common Position, the Council agreed that amendments to the list of persons
identified in the annex could be adopted as required. Thus, on 27 June 2003 under Council Decision
2003/484/CFSP (1), the Council, following recommendations from the office of the High Representative for
Bosnia and Herzegovina and after consultations with the ICTY, added new names.

The Commission and Member States remain in contact with the ICTY and the High Representative for
Bosnia and Herzegovina and keep the list under review. If or when new evidence emerges concerning
other individuals, appropriate steps can be taken.

(1) OJ L 162, 1.7.2003 amended by OJ L 178, 17.7.2003.

(2004/C 88 E/0146)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3263/03

by Erik Meijer (GUE/NGL) to the Commission

(4 November 2003)

Subject: Powers of the region of Wallonia to approve arms exports, and the use of such weapons to repress

the people of Nepal

1.
Is the Commission aware that the financing of 5 500 machine guns purchased by the state of Nepal
from the Belgian arms manufacturer FN Herstal has been at the expense of measures to combat poverty,
education, health care and the holding of elections, and that all of these weapons are ready for deployment
just over a year after the placing of the order?

2.
Is the Commission also aware that, since the delivery of these weapons, the Government of the
Kingdom of Nepal and the army have ended the dialogue with the opposition begun in the first half of
2003, and that the weapons are being used on a massive scale in western Nepal for the killing of unarmed
citizens suspected of possibly joining the protest against the conditions of inequality under which people
traditionally live in this country?

Does the Commission regard the delivery of such weapons to an area of conflict like Nepal for such

3.
purposes to be compatible with the EU code of conduct on the export of arms?

4.
Is it only the EU Member States that are bound by this code of conduct, or also the individual states
of which they are comprised, such as the region of Wallonia, which has been delegated powers to export
arms by the federal Belgian government and which bases its decisions primarily on the employment
opportunities provided by arms production?

8.4.2004

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 88 E/139

How is a repetition of this deplorable situation to be prevented, so that further weapons cannot find
5.
their way into use in internal extermination campaigns or summary executions in Nepal or other similar
regions?

Source: Belgian newspaper ‘De Morgen’, 17.10.2003.

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 2003)

The Commission is fully aware of the ongoing conflict in Nepal and deeply regrets the interruption of the
peace talks on 27 August 2003 and the increased violence and loss of life since.

The trade in arms is currently dealt within the framework of the Common Foreign and Security Policy
(CFSP) and the Commission is fully associated. In June 1998, the Union adopted the Code of Conduct on
arms exports under the CFSP on the basis of criteria that Member States are pledged to respect.

The Commission, while sharing the Honourable Member’s concern, has neither the authority nor the
means to monitor armament’s exports. Full responsibility for the licensing of arms exports is an internal
matter of the Member States to organise the way they see fit in order to fulfil the obligations they have
undertaken under the code of Conduct.

(2004/C 88 E/0147)

WRITTEN QUESTION E-3292/03

by Claude Moraes (PSE) to the Commission

(7 November 2003)

Subject: Shariah Law

It has been brought to my attention by the Centre for Legal Aid Assistance and Settlement (CLAAS), which
is an interdenominational organisation from my constituency, that many Christians living in Pakistan
endure constant threat and intimidation in their daily lives. Following the adoption of Shariah Law earlier
this year by the provincial assembly of the North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, Christians and other
religious minorities in the region cannot worship freely and are being converted to Islam by force; they are
being harassed and persecuted for their beliefs and denied their human rights under this strict Islamic law.
There is growing fear that the Muttahidda Majilis-e-Amal alliance of Islamic parties (the MMA) will
persuade the Federal Government to endorse Shariah Law and enforce it throughout the country.

Would the Commission please comment on this situation and give its view on the opinion that non-
Muslims should be exempt from the Shariah Law?

Answer given by Mr Patten on behalf of the Commission

(4 December 2003)

The Commission is concerned about the situation of Christians and other religious minorities in Pakistan
and has brought this to the attention of the Pakistani authorities on several occasions through Union
diplomatic contacts in Islamabad. The Delegation of the Commission and Member States Embassies will
continue to raise these issues with the Government of Pakistan.

The Shariah Law came into force in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) on 19 June 2003. However,
the various Commissions which have been established to review the existing legislation in order to adapt it
to Islamic injunctions have not yet carried out any work. Moreover, the NWFP Governor has raised a
number of concerns on the draft Hasba Bill which is designed to implement the Shariah by appointing an