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The draft 'code of conduct on arms exports', from the UK Presidency, drawn up in liaison with France, has been positively welcomed as a first significant step towards a uniform policy on the EU's foreign and security affairs by the EU Council. This is in spite of its criticism by several NGDOs and humanitarian organisations on the code's inadequacies. The highlighted feature of the code is the so called 'system of notification', whereby if one Member State refuses to sell weapons or technologies for military purposes to a potential buyer, it has to inform the other Member States of its reasons of refusal. The other States would then in theory not be able to replace the State in question in the export deal. However, if a Member State intends to follow up the order after being approached by the potential importer, it can go ahead after consulting with the country that rejected the deal and informing it of the details of its export deal.
Suggestions from EU Member States on tightening up the draft concern both procedure and criteria. Regarding procedure, suggestions have been made to require a Member State that has decided to go ahead with an arms deal after another has refused to inform not only the Member State that refused but rather all other Member States. On principles and criteria, suggestions centre on providing more restrictions on arms deals and clearly stating that that human rights and fundamental liberties in the countries to which weapons are destined will be taken in consideration.
2. EU ENVOY IN FAVOUR OF INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREAT LAKES REGION
EU special envoy to the Great Lakes Region, Mr Aldo Ajello, stated his wish for the holding of an international conference on security and co-operation in the Great Lakes region, following a tour of the area. He pointed out that he had started discussions with heads of states in the region concerning the establishment of a demobilisation plan for soldiers, so as to re-integrate them into their country and civil society.
3. ECHO AID FOR AFRICA
The European Commission approved three humanitarian aid packages for projects in Africa to be financed by the European Community Humanitarian Office, ECHO, last week.
Somalia is to receive 2 million ECU for the finance of medical and emergency food assistance as well as the repair of the water and sanitary equipment distribution networks. This project is to be implemented by UNICEF along with about ten NGOs.
South-eastern Africa will receive 1.5 million ECU to prevent a cholera epidemic and care for the victims of the illness in the region.
In Madagascar 100 000 ECU will go towards a Medecins sans Frontière (Switzerland) project intended to set up early warning systems to prevent and respond to food shortages that occur in the southern part of the island.
4. UK MINISTER FOR DEVELOPMENT GIVES QUALIFIED SUPPORT TO EU PROPOSED CHANGES TO LOME FRAMEWORK
Claire Short, the UK Development Minister, described the changes proposed to the Lomé framework as essential but warned that they will be very difficult to implement. The Minister said the past regime had not brought prosperity to the ACP countries. She thus emphasised that the status quo is not an option. However, she cautioned that negotiating reciprocal agreements in regions such as Southern Africa where countries had very different levels of development would be extremely difficult. Other regions such as the Caribbean may not even want a free trade agreement. Still Ms Short said that the regional reciprocal agreement should be an option available to the different regions. She added that an enhanced General System of Preferences, GSP, (system of trade concessions) should also be available as an alternative to the free trade agreements.
WTO rules currently state that free trade agreements should cover around 90% of trade and be put in place about ten years from now. Ms Short confirmed that the EU and the ACP were negotiating within the WTO for a more development oriented system to be allowed for the Lomé framework.
Ms Short also spoke of her campaign to put poverty alleviation back on the international agenda and commended, EU Commissioner for Development, Joao de Deus Pinheiro's proposal to incorporate the Development Assistance Committee targets of halving the number of people living in extreme poverty and achieving universal primary education by 2015 into the Lomé Convention.
5. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH CALL FOR DEBATE ON EU HUMAN RIGHTS POLICY ON CHINA
According to the international human rights association, Human Rights Watch (HRW) the EU's new approach to promoting human rights in China is fundamentally flawed and should be debated in Member States' parliaments before the first EU-China summit that will be held on the fringe of the Asia Europe Meeting, ASEM on 2-4 April in London. This call for debate follows the EU's decision to neither table nor back any resolution criticising human rights in China before the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva. The HRW said, in a press release this week, that the EU had set a low threshold with the most minimal requirements in its benchmarks to measure progress of human rights in China. HRW criticised in particular EU Council President, Robin Cook's, statement that human rights in China will be measured according to how seriously China takes a visit by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson. The organisation questioned how one can assess whether a visit has been taken seriously.
HRW also commented on the EU's opinion that the International Red Cross Committee should obtain authorisation from the Chinese authorities to resume its visits to China, stating that the Red Cross Committee had never been allowed to visit prisons in a regular manner. Rather EU diplomats were able to visit a 'showcase' prison which gave the Chinese Government an opportunity to score propaganda points.
6. NOTICE FOR EUROSTEP MEMBERS
The Management Committee of the Reality of Aid held a telephone conference on Monday 9 March chaired by Halle Jorn Hanssen, Director of Norwegian People's Aid (NPA). It was decided at the conference that the final drafts for next year's report should be ready for publication by October this year. The drafting process has already started.
The Eurostep position paper on the Arms Code of Conduct prepared by Novib and Oxfam UK, should be out at the end of this month. All comments from members should have been submitted by the end of this week. Concerning Eurostep's the campaign on restrictive control of European arms exports, member organisations are requested to present position papers to their Minister of Foreign Affairs by 25 March.
The Eurostep 'Summary Response to the European Commission's proposed Negotiations Mandate for Lomé V', prepared by Oxfam should also be out shortly.
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