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Brussels
Wednesday 9 October, 2002
Three human
rights organisations have combined to send a last-minute appeal
to the European Parliament not to remove language calling for
specific and concrete measures to address the serious human
rights situation in Algeria when it votes to give its assent
to the EU-Algeria Association Agreement tomorrow.
Amnesty
International, the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network and
the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) are alarmed
that amendments tabled by French MEP Philippe Morillon, on behalf
of the biggest group in the Parliament, the PPE-DE, (European
People's Party and European Democrats) would remove a call to
the Council and the Commission to put concrete human rights
monitoring mechanisms in place.
In addition,
the amendment would remove calls for unrestricted access to
Algeria for United Nations human rights rapporteurs and human
rights NGOs.
The three
human rights organisations had earlier welcomed the EP Foreign
Affairs Committee's draft resolution calling on the Council
and the Commission to specify concrete mechanisms to evaluate
the human rights situation in Algeria, in the context of the
human rights clause (Article 2) in the Euro-Mediterranean Association
Agreement with Algeria.
Grave human
rights abuses continue to be committed with impunity in Algeria.
If the European Parliament removes calls for better human rights
monitoring in the context of the EU-Algeria agreement, it effectively
invites Algeria to regard its human rights commitments under
Article 2 as a dead letter.
The human
rights organisations call on MEPs to reject these amendments
or risk serious damage to the Parliament's credibility in the
area of human rights.
For further
information:
-Dick Oosting,
Amnesty International EU Office
Tel: 322-5021499
-Marc Schade-Poulsen, Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network
Tel: 45-32698910
-Driss El-Yazami, FIDH (International Federation for Human Rights)
Tel: 331-43552518
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