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Home arrow newsitems arrow Sarkozy agrees with Obama a strong EU Defence in NATO, but Turkey a.o. keep the brakes on..

Sarkozy agrees with Obama a strong EU Defence in NATO, but Turkey a.o. keep the brakes on..

Written by ACM
Friday, 03 April 2009
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 The quite good personal relations between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and new USA President Barack Obama, added to their explicit agreement for a "strong EU Defence policy" between "partrers", could have convinced that fears expressed by dissidents on France's famous Gaulist "independence" could be excessive in a "Nea Era" starting now in Euro-American relations, if it wasn't for Turkey's moves in NATO's Summit, which provoked unanswered questions..

Turkish reported obstruction on election of new NATO SG, would dash Sarkozy's hopes for smooth EU - NATO relations after France's full reintegration ?

- "President Obama wants a strong alliance, he wants  defence able to stand on its own feet !", stressed French President Nicolas Sarkory, after his 1h talks with the new American President, shortly after his venue in Strasbourg.

- "We (USA) don't look how to be EU's patron. We are looking to be partners", echoed the American President in reply.America has promissed to help Europe, and Europe has promissed to help America, that's why during all Cold War NATO didn't have to fire a shot to protect Western Europe from any eventual threat Eastwards, from the former Soviet Union, added Obama. 

With the new "Climate of Confiance" between Europe and America, US could agree more easily on the development of European Defence, said to "EuroFora" NATO's Policy Director, Jamie Shea. At any case, NATO cannot be Europe's defence : EU has to create its own Defence, and develop its own capabilities, he added.


Well informed sources, on the sidelines of the on-going NATO's Summit in Strasbourg,  indicated to "EuroFora" that, in fact, "France's return to NATO's military commandment had already started, progressively,  since .. 1994", because of Balkan wars. Step by step, similar moves were extended later, following other crisisn, which needed to send soldiers and military equipment abroad, inside multinational or international teams.

Critics, however, did'nt point only to the US itself, but also to "the UK, Turkey, Poland, as former PM Dominique Villepin reportedly observed the same day. Villepin was with Dupont-Aignant and other dissidents from the governing party, who came, eartlier this week to Strasbourg to voice his dissent, anouncing an independent list to the June 2009 EU Elections, which respect proportionality of votes, instead of the majority-takes-all national election system in France.

German Chancellor Angie Merkel has already clearly stressed that EU must discuss with the new American President how to overcome a "Turkey and Cyprus" issue, as she called the "regrets" expressed by an EU Parliament's Resolution on March in Strasbourg, for Ankara's "obstruction" against a smooth EU - NATO cooperation in all cases, asking them to "drop" it asap.

In brief, Turkey perisists to block EU - NATO joint activities each time they involve EU Member Cyprus that Ankara still refuses to recognize, despite a crystal-clear EU call, since 21 September 2005, which "may affect" even more gravely its controcersial EU bid if it's not corrected before the end of 2009..

A "New Start" on efforts to solve this issue, eventually with a fresh "Package" deal, including EU moves on Cyprus, appeared probable on the sidelines of Strasbourg's 2 Days Summit, according to NATO's experienced former Spokesman, and current Policy Director, Jamie Shea, as he said to "EuroFora".


But, once again, Turkey intervened : Now it's about Ankara's objections against Danish Prime Minister,  Anders Fogh Rasmussen's candidacy as new NATO's Secretary General, which should, in principle, be decided by the Heads of State/Government Summit, tonight.

New US President Obama reportedly backed Rasmussen's candidacy, and most of his EU partners apparently agreed.  But Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan accused Rasmussen in public to be impopular among some Islamic movements, because he had defended freedom of expression against some excessive reactions to the provocations by a controversial artist in the famous case of  anti-Moameth "Cartoons", that hilmself had also condemned, but not censored.

But, facts indicate that, the real reasons for which Turkey might block the election Danish PM at NATOs Summit would be much more selfish : Denmark has had, indeed, in the past also another "Freedom of Expression" row vis a vis Turkey itself, on a Kurdish language Radio-TV.

Buit the most important seems to be the InterState application lodged by the Danish Government agains Turkey for Torture/Inhuman-Degrading treatments, by offering protection to a Danish Citizen of Turkish origin, who had denounced that torture was largely practiced by Ankara.

Later on, Denmark and Turkey agreed to drop the case by "Friendly Agreement", earlier in Strasbourg, once Ankara promissed to eradicate Torture all over the Country, and to take, all necessary measures to fight against Impnity and Inhuman and degrading treatments.

However, EU Parliament's latest Resolution oin Tukey, adopted in 2009, denounces, on the contrarry, the fact that the Number of reported cases of Torture "is growing" in the country...

So that, if anyone denounced this fact into CoE's Committee of Ministers, then, Ankara would be anew exposed for persistent failure to comply with ECHR's judgements on a core-Human Rights issue..

Now, it might be that it wasn't so much Liberal Rasmussen himself, bur rather his ChristianDemocrat Foreign Minister, Per Stig Moller, of another party, who could have been more active on such issues..

But, at any case, a brake is a brake, ... unless all this was just hard bargaining behind closed doors... .

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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 !

-----------------------------------   

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...
 

      ***     
 
     (Draft due to be updated).
 
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