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Haupt arrow newsitems arrow EU asks Turkey: don't hinder Greece+Cyprus to pay Debts +by their Gas-Oil based on UN Law of the Sea

EU asks Turkey: don't hinder Greece+Cyprus to pay Debts +by their Gas-Oil based on UN Law of the Sea

Geschrieben von ACM
Friday, 14 December 2012

 

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*Brussels/EU Summit/Angelo Marcopolo/
- In surprisingly coordinated, parallel and topical moves, EU Summit's  27 European, Heads of State/Government practically urged Turkey to stop hindering EU Member States Greece and Cyprus to pay off heavy Sovereign Debts and boost much needed economic Growth, also by using fast enough their Oil/Gas Natural Resources, estimated at several Trillions € in growing findings all along the Aegean Sea's islands and Cyprus' South-Eastern Coasts, according to the well establlished International Law of the Sea, whose 30th Anniversary was celebrated officially by the UNO earlier this same week at New York.
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 - The European Union expressed "Serious Concern, and urged Turkey to avoid any kind of Threat or action directed against a(n EU) Member State, or source of friction or actions, which could Damage good Neighbourly relations and the Peaceful settlement of disputes", underlined the relevant official EU declaration.


    - In this regard, "EU stressed ...all the sovereign rights of EU Member States, which include, inter alia, entering into bilateral agreements, and to explore and exploit their natural resources, in accordance with the EU acquis and international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea".
    
    - "In this context", the December 2012 EU Summit underlined thet "Turkey needs to commit itself unequivocally to good neighbourly relations and to the peaceful settlement of disputes in accordance with the United Nations Charter, having recourse, if necessary, to the International Court of Justice".


    This is "in line with the (EU-Turkey, open-ended) Negotiating Framework and previous European Council and Council conclusions", EU Leaders reiterated.
    
    The move was Unanimously made by the 27 EU Heads of States/Governments meeting these 2 Days in Brussels, who officially approved and endorsed a Draft prepared by their Foreign Ministers earlier this week, as confirm the Final Conclusions of the December 2012 EU Summit.

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+ Meanwhile, the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, acting as a “Constitution ...”, ... of Maritime affairs", "Guided every aspect" of them,  "and set out a delicate balance of rights and duties",  UNO Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared, earlier this same week (12/2012) at N.Y,  as UNO's General Assembly celebrated the 30th Anniversary of the opening for signature of the nearly Universal Treaty :


- “Indeed, the treaty was a firm foundation — a permanent document providing order, stability, predictability and security — all based on the rule of law,” UNO's Secretary-General reportedly said, opening the commemorative meeting, which heard from nearly 40 Speakers and featured a video presentation on the History of the Convention (1982-2012).

 Ban Ki Moon hailed the International Treaty on the Law of the Sea as a testament to the power of international cooperation, multilateral negotiation and consensus-building, and said that with 164 States parties, it was nearing the goal of Universality.
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Nevertheless, Turkey still remains one of the few States practically refusing to recognize the International Law of the Sea, as it's set up in UNO's-celebrated, 30 Years-old Treaty (1982-2012), despite even of several formal Calls by the PanEuropean CoE from Strasbourg to support UNO's stance on how to peacefully settle, on the base of Internationaly recognized, General Principles, any eventual dispute of Sea Law.


Moreover, Turkey has notoriously threatened Greece with a Military Aggression if Athens dares use its Legal Right under UNO-sponsored International Treaty on the Law of the Sea, by extending its exclusive economic zone up to the Agean Greek Islands' shelf, where Geologists estimate the existence of valuable Oil/Gas Resources as long as since the 1970ies... Thus, Ankara practically imposed unilateraly a .. 40 Years "Freeze" (1970-2010+) of Greece's Natural Resources, (as it's also vainly attempting more recently to also vis a vis Cyprus, current EU Chair for July-December 2012, by various harassments and threats against Nicosia Government's sovereign Right for peaceful International Cooperation in order to explore and exploit its exclusive Economic 2one's Oil/Gas a.o. resources).


This has now started to become obviously scandalous and dangerously counter-productive, directly against Europe's General Interest, since €uroArea has been notoriously threatened by the exploitation of the Greek State sovereign Debt's growing Bank costs, which exploded after the USA-imported 2009 Global Crisis, aggravating the consequences of mis-management in the Past 30years (1981-2011), particularly of some former PASOK Governments, which used some Former "Socialist" EU leaders' complicity, back on 1999-2001, in order to "hide" the growing Debt, and thus practically escape from otherwise necessary Public Sector's Structural Reforms, maintaining a disproportionate number of unproductive cushy job holders, political lackeys, corrupted and/or otherwise criminal and/or "simply" ambusive and unpopular Civil Servants, previously appointed by former Clientelist/Nepotist Governements of the Past. That complicity was based on the simultaneous acceptance, by that same former PASOK Government, of Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid back on December 1999's Helsinki EU Summit, which provoked the notorious 2 "NO" to EuroReferenda on EU Constitution between 2005-2007 and an unprecedented, sharply rising Abstention Majority in EU Parliament's Elections mainly between 1999-2004, except just a deceleration in 2009, with consequence to "Block" and delay EU's institutional developments for too long. Until Sarkozy-Merkel succeeded to partically unblock the situation by refusing Turkey's EU entry and adopting Lisbon Treaty's minimal but much needed Institutional Innovations (2010), that EU Member States are just starting recently to use in order to boost EU Integration, (f.ex. by the creation of EU Patent, progress towards EU's "Autonomous" Security and Defence policy, etc).

The Succesful outcome, this week in Brussels, of EuroGroup's decisions on a Financial solution on the Debt provoked against Greece, which was naturally welcomed and hailed by all EU Leaders gathered here for the December 2012 EU Summit, at least partly depends, however, also from the conditions set up by the IMF, which clearly stressed, with a statement  of its Director, Christine Lagarde, yesterday at Washington DC., f.ex. that the Greek State must succeed, from 2013, to return to a Budget "without primary Deficit".


Something which apparently could only be done either by a radical Anti-Bureaucratic change, f.ex. by Firing and/or imposing Sanctions to all scandalously appointed by former Clientelist-Nepotist Governments, mainly of PASOK, counter-productive, abusive and unpopular cushy job holders and/or political lackeys, often corrupted or even otherwise criminal, etc., during 30 years (1981-2011),


- and/or by simply starting to boost much needed Growth thanks also to the Aegean Sea's Oil/Gas Resources in order to rapidly pay off all the Debts of the Past, (which, otherwise, threaten to keep EU Member Greece constantly under the pressure of a 120% Deficit each Year up to 2020+, which has already Sabotaged Productive Businesses and imposed Tragic Cuts upon suffering Poor People, (See relevant, earlier "EuroFora" NewsReports between 2009-2012).


For the moment, it's only the 3 Political Parties elected on 2012 at the Center-Right side of the political spectrum : New Democracy, of Prime Minister Samaras, "Independent Greeks" (dissidents coming from his Party ND), and "Golden Dawn", (Rightists), who have, more or less explicitly urged to use EU Member Greece's Right to apply the International Law of the Sea in order to pay-off all or most Debts of the Past, (while also adding their voices even to a widely popular "Anti-Corruption" campaign vis a vis Public Sector's counter-productive cushy job holders, political lackeys and other such corrupted and/or criminal appointees of Clientelist and/or Nepotist former Governments of the Past. But, at least for the time being, Prime Minister Samaras ("New Democracy") has been pushed into another governemental coalition with the remnants of PASOK and a small Leftist Party, which are opposed to such decisive Structural Reforms of the Public Sector, but keep a rather "flip-flop" stance on the issue of Aegean Sea's Natural Resources and International Law of the Sea (Comp.supra), while their popular basis are fluctuating on the prospect for Greece to eventually do ...like Norway, (which has notoriously benefited a lot from Oil/Gas findings at the Northern Sea).


=> In consequence, (and always according to political and other developments), an apparently secondary but in fact very important, Political Change in Greece's governing coalition, might offfer (if adequately prepared, but resolutely realized) a better, and more efficient/sustainable solution.

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(NDLR : "FlashNews", ie. a Brief version of a "DraftNews" already sent, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version might be published asap).

 

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  imag0573_400

    An "Eugenic" loophole Amendment, which might expose to Dangers reminiscent of "3rd Reich's" notorious Genetic Abuses, hidden at the last minute inside an otherwise Good, larger Health policy Package scheduled to be voted on Thursday, was strongly denounced by a coalition of MEPs from various Political Groups and Countries, in a Press Conference held this afternoon at EU Parliament in Strasbourg.

    Mainly calling to "Select Human Embryos", via "Genetic Counselling" and "pre-implantation" Techniques including "Genetic Tests", in order to "Eradicate Hereditary rare Diseases", it might open ways to Dangerous Practices in Future, they denounced in substance.

    But they also made it clear that a much larger Report inside which this Controversial Amendment "No 15" was added in dubious circumstances, officialy destinated to struggle against "Rare Diseases", and drafted by Professor Antonios Trakatellis, was otherwise "an Excellent Report", aiming at a "completely Uncontroversial target" of Health policy on which "all MEPs and Experts are united, believing that Europe should act" to protect People's Health (See "EuroFora"'s earlier News).

    The controversy came at a particularly delicate moment for the EU in relation to Citizens, at the eve of June 2009 EU Elections, and shortly before Ireland re-votes for "Lisbon Treaty"..    

- Denouncing risks of "an Eugenic demand, very similar to what we had during the 3rd Reich in Germany, but now coming from some Scientisists themselves", German ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Dr. Peter Liese stressed that critical MEPs were against "Eugenic" engineering with "Selection of Human Embryos", and anything which might ultimately lead up to to a "Selection of Human Race". It doesn't help to "eradicate" Human Lives, he added.


    Several Experts and NGOs expressed "Deep Concern", as f;ex. DR M.C. Cornel of the "European Society of Human Genetics", which stressed, on this occasion, that "the importance of Non-Directiveness in Reproductive issues is a Central characteristic of Human Genetics, after the Atrocities committed in the name of Genetics in the first half or the 20th Century".

     - "This is completely Unacceptable", stressed Italian Liberal MEP Vittorio Prodi, on the Controversial Amendment, also because pushes to "eliminate early Human Life", as he noted.

     - "This opens a Dangerous Road, rather a Motorway", denounced Danish MEP Mrs Margrette Auken, from the "Greens", observing that various similar attempts were made in the Past "not only in Germany, but also in several other Countries, "even at the 1970ies", "f.ex. on forced Sterilisation of Roma" People, and other criticisable situations f.ex. in the UK, in Sweden, etc. as she said.

    + Other NGOs, as f.ex. "LebenHilfe" from Berlin, added that, among various other Risks, could also be that, by exploiting the pre-implantation Genetic Diagnostics and the Selection of "healthy" Embryos, some may "propagate" several "Eugenic" aims, starting f.ex. by pushing to eradicate Human Livies which might "Cost too much" to preserve, ultimately exposing to dangers reminiscent of the "3rd Reich"'s atrocious abuses.

    In consequence, ChristianDemocrats/EPP and "Green" MEPs "decided by Majority to vote against" this Controversial Amendment, anounced to Journalists the 5 MEPs who participated in the Press Conference, representing a wide spectrum, from Liberals to "Greens" and ChristianDemocrats, and from Hungary, Italy, Germany and Danemark up to Ireland (Gay Mitchell), etc.
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    Hungarian ChristianDemocrat MEP Laszlo Surjan said "that it was "Suddenly, at the End of the Procedure" in Committee, that "appeared this (Controversial) Amendment, which has nothing to do" with the main purpose of the Report, on which all agreed.

    He denounced an "Unhonest" move, and called to "avoid this kind of unacceptable situations". Nobody should "Select People", Surjan stressed.

    - "We (MEPs) had No Chance to Discuss" this last-minute Amendment earlier added at a Committee's level, said German MEP Peter Liese

    Speaking to "EuroFora", Dr. Liese, the Spokesman of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group in EU Parliament, said that MEPs didn't oppose other references of the Report f.ex. on "Genetic Tests", because they were "no proposals" to impose them, while, on the contrary, there was "a Problem" if anyone attempted to "impose" f.ex. this or that Genetic Technique and "Genetic Counselling", etc. to the People on human reproduction.
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The precise Text :
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    Controversial parts of Amendment No 15 ask mainly "to lead finally to the Eradication" of "Hereditary" "rare diseases", "through Genetic Counselling .., and ..pre-Implantation Selection of healthy Embryos".

    But  EU Rapporteur Professor Trakatellis, said to "EuroFora" that fears should be alleviated by Guarantees that all this should be done only "where appropriate", when it's "not contrary to existing National Law", and "always on a Voluntary basis", according to other Parts of the Amendment.

    He stressed that the main aim was to allow "a free and informed choice of persons involved", without imposing them anything :  - "It's not an obligatory, but advisary" text, he said.

    To make that point clear, he was ready, in agreement with many MEPs, to eventually drop at least that part of the controversial Amendment which initially called for "efforts to ..lead finally to the Eradication of those rare diseases" "which are Hereditary".

    But, until late Wednesday evening, reportedly together with many other MEPs, he stood by all the rest of the controversial Amendment, (fex. on the "Genetic Counselling" and the "pre-implantation Selection of healthy Embryos"), so that critical MEPs, going from ChristianDemocrats as Dr. Liese, to "Greens" or "Ind/Dem", observed to "EuroFora" that "this was not enough" to close the dangerous loophole.

    Particularly since, as Professor Trakatellis noted himself, "this is already allowed to the U.K.", and "other National Legislations would probably follow, sooner or later" in a similar direction. As for a general call to "Eradicate Hereditary rare Diseases", this "should happen, at any case, in practice, de facto", to protect public Health.

    On the contrary, "our goal should be to help patients suffering from rare diseases, not to eradicate the patients. In case of genetic disease risk, the decision should not be guided by scenarios" made by politicians. "Perents who may decide to accept a child, even if handicapped or with genetic disease, must be respected and supported with solidarity", critical MEPs stated.

    - "Any Pressure" to "a patient or couple (who "should be able to make an informed choice consistent with their own values"),"from health Professionals, Public Health Policies or Governemental Institutions, or Society at large, should be avoided", stresses the "European Society for Human Genetics".

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Each MEP's vote will be registered !

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The Socialist Group requested a "Split vote" on the Amendment 15, first without, and afterwards with the words "lead finally to the Eradication" etc.


    But the first "split vote" leaves intact all the other parts of the Controversial Amendment, (i.e. "Genetic Counselling", "Selection of healthy Embryos", etc).

    That's why, 3 Groups of MEPs : ChristianDemocrats/EPP, "Greens/EFA", and "Ind/Dem", have asked for "Roll Call Votes", on everything regarding the Controversial Amendment No 15, and on the final outcome of the resulting Report as amended, which will register all the individual positions to be taken by each MEP.   

Something which will obviously make each MEP think twice before voting for one or another choice, to be sure that he/she will make the right choice in front of EU Citizens, particularly at these pre-Election times...


    Crucial Votes were scheduled between 12 Noon and 1 p.m. local Strasbourg time, in the middle of a long series of various other Reports, and after a long Public Debate on the larger Health policy package, from 9 to 11.50 am.

    The specific Report inside which was hidden the controversial Amendment is due to be debated between 11 and 12 am.

    So that more last-minute Surprises may not be excluded a priori...

    Particularly at the present Historic moment, when even the Institutional Future of the EU depends on the result of a second Referendum on "Lisbon Treaty", later this year, in ...Ireland, a mainly Catholic country, where People are particularly sensitive in such kind of socio-cultural and values issues...
 

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     (Draft due to be updated).
 
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