UK Minister, Tony Lloyd, leading the EU Troika (representatives from the present, preceding and next EU Presidency) mission to the Great Lakes Region, forcefully raised the issue of allowing the continuation of UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs Mary Robinson's mission to the region, with representatives of the Rwandan Government. Mrs Robinson's mission was suspended by the Rwandan Government on 9 May.
According to the EU special representative to the Great Lakes region, the Troika also raised the 'legal question' on how to tackle the genocide. The EU is in favour of a settlement with a strong political component, distinguishing between the instigators of the genocide and those who just went along with it.
2. SLOW PROGRESS IN EU-SOUTH AFRICA NEGOTIATIONS TO OVERSHADOW MANDELA'S VISIT
The South African President Nelson Mandela visits Cardiff later this month for the European summit amid concern about the EU's stalled trade negotiations with South Africa. Though the UK Presidency claim that Nelson Mandela's trip is not an attempt to inject fresh impetus into the EU-South Africa trade talks, it seems unlikely that the South African President will miss the chance to call for greater EU support for South Africa's position. Some observers have warned that if the three year negotiations, which were initially described as a fast track accord, stretch on for another three or four months, the entire process could become politicised and suffer as a result.
South African diplomats claim the European Commission's latest proposal to open up 95% of its market to South Africa for a ten year period is excessively 'back-loaded', with many of the benefits only coming into play towards the end of the transition period. They add that the EU's new proposal is in practise of little value, as it does not take account of South Africa's most promising sectors for growth such as agriculture.
EU negotiators on the other hand are said to be increasingly frustrated at the Pretoria Government's unwillingness to open its market beyond the 80% figure currently been offered. However most diplomats say the ball is still in Europe's court, and it is up to the EU to reduce its 'no-go' list of agricultural products. The majority of EU Foreign Ministers have given their tacit approval to the Commission to negotiate beyond its original mandate but France and a few other States remain adamant that no deal can be done without their eventual consent.
3. EU MINISTERS DELAY THE ENDORSEMENT OF THE COMMISSION STRATEGY ON CHINA
It is likely that EU Ministers will endorse the Commission's new strategy on China later this month instead of next week as originally planned. This delays follows a dispute between Member State governments and the Commission over the degree to which the five pillars that make up the Commission's 1995 strategy towards China, including poverty alleviation and social reform, should centre of the new 17 million ECU co-operation programme. The Commission has resisted according the pillars a high profile. It claims that the priorities have changed and that the EU should now focus on China's entry into the WTO and the economic reforms needed to tackle the Asian financial crisis. The UK Presidency however insisted that the new strategy be consistent with that of 1995. All sides are now said to have come to an agreement on the new strategy. Commission officials claim that the dispute arose over a long drawn out diplomatic exchange and that the China strategy should be now adopted without further debate. However critics argue that the Commission only focuses on presentation rather that substance. This highlights the fundamental problem with the Union's approach towards China. According to critics the Commission is more occupied with drafting contorted forms of words to appease both the European public and China rather than tackling the basic issues.
During a recent visit to China, a European Parliament delegation for relations with China met Chinese Deputy Prime Minister, Quiao Qichen, and other Chinese officials to discuss a number of issues, with the emphasis on Asian financial crisis. The MEPs also raised the issue of human rights, asking for information on several political prisoners and allegations of a trade in organs taken from executed prisoners. The Chinese authorities denied the existence of any such trade.
4. PRESENTATION OF ECHO's ANNUAL REPORT CAUSES CONTROVERSY
The European Community Humanitarian Office, ECHO's publicity campaigns continues to draw mixed reactions amongst observers. This week, a European newspaper described the organisation's efforts as 'making an art of conspicuous passion in the post Band-Aid era'. ECHO's newly released 1997 annual report, featuring on the cover, three starving children sitting naked on an empty UNHCR carton with the headline "Forgotten" has been described by many observers in the NGO community as merely an exploitation of the disadvantaged in order to promote ECHO. ECHO Commissioner, Emma Bonino explained the cover photo saying, "We decided on a rather stark image of three Rwandan kids for the cover, because the despair on their faces could be that of anyone of any age... The photo does more than words ever could to convey just how helpless people feel when faced with the day to day depravity of modern humanitarian crisis...".
Critics have however argued that relieving misery should not be reduced to sound-bites and striking photographs. Defenders of ECHO on the other hand claim that ECHO gets its message out loud and clear in contrast to other EU institutions accused with a lack of transparency. They argue that in the age of donor fatigue, concentrating on individuals' suffering may be the only way to cut through increasing public disinterest.
ECHO have argued that their aid strategy is based on a philosophy that states that humanitarian aid should be granted irrespective of race, creed, religion or political objectives. They says that humanitarian priorities should not be linked to political priorities, in particular geographical patterns, as they claim is done by the US. In 1997 29.1 % of ECHO aid went to ex-Yugoslavia, 26.7% to the ACP, 11.7% to Asia, 8.6% to Latin America, 8.2% to the Former Soviet Union, 7..3% to Eastern Europe, 4.1% to North Africa and the Middle East, 0.6 to Iraq and 2.7% to other areas.
5. IN BRIEF
The revised Lomé IV Convention between the EU and the ACP signed in November 1995 official took effect this week. According to the Commission there will be no interruptions in the EDF (European Development Fund) funding in ACP States. The protocol governing South Africa's partial accession to the Convention also came effect at the same time.
Mario Conceicao Van Dunem has been appointed as the new spokesperson to EU Development/ACP Commissioner, Mr Joao de Deus Pinheiro. Mr Pietro Petrucci will replace Filippo di Robilant as spokesman for Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Emma Bonino.
At a Press Conference MEPs Anna Terron and Glyn Ford criticised the
Mafia as the organisation behind the 'immigration route' through Spain
in to other European countries. Refugees from Nigeria, Mali and other sub-Saharan
African countries shell out considerable sums of money to fly to Morocco,
with the goal of reaching Europe by illegally crossing the Spanish border.