Raül Romeva i Rueda

M’informen que una pregunta que vaig presentar al Consell en la qual denunciava la venda (de fet, més aviat el ‘regal) d’armes espanyoles al Marroc ha estat guardonada amb ‘una estrella’ a la coherència per part de l’EU Coherence Programme (iniciativa conjunta duta a terme per Evert Vermeer Foundation i CONCORD). Aquest sistema monitoreja la tasca que fem els MEPs en la nostra activitat parlamentària en relació a la promoció de la Coherència de Polítiques per Desenvolupament en general. Adjunto a continuació el missatge del ‘guardó’, el qual, lògicament, no puc sinó agrair.

Dear Mr. Romeva i Rueda,

We are happy to inform you that, on the basis of the EU Coherence Programme, you have earned a star for the following question you asked: (segueix…):

WRITTEN QUESTION E-0812/08 by Raül Romeva i Rueda (Verts/ALE) and Karin Scheele (PSE) to the Council

Date: 18 February 2008

Subject: Arms sales to Morocco

According to the minutes of the Spanish Council of Ministers meeting of 18 January, the Spanish Government, for the symbolic price of one euro, sold eight sets of aircraft bomb-launchers to Morocco, under an agreement which the  Government sees as contributing to the objective of ‘strengthening the special fraternal relationship which exists’ between the two countries’ armed forces.

According to Europa Press, sources familiar with the sale have stated that the system concerned is the ‘CLB-30’ (‘Exploding Bomb-Launcher 30’), a free-fall bomb-launcher used to equip fighter-bombers such as the Mirage F1 and the Northrop F5. This equipment is used to launch free-fall bombs such as the MK-82, one of the most widespread on the planet, noted for its cheapness and its effectiveness in demolition missions.

Is the Council aware of these facts? Is it going to ask the Spanish Government for any explanations of the sale of this military equipment? Is the selling of arms to countries like Morocco, which does not respect human rights and is engaged in conflict on the territory of the former Spanish Sahara, compatible with the EU’s requirements with regard to trade in weapons?

Given that a series of negotiations is currently taking place between Morocco and the Saharan Government, with the next round scheduled for 11-13 March, is this the right way to create an appropriate environment to encourage both parties to reach understanding, without any factors liable to destabilise the negotiating process?

For this question your political group will be awarded a star on our homepage. We believe EU development policy goals should not be undermined by actions in other EU policy fields. Your action has contributed to this idea by putting development at the forefront of the EU arms-trade policy. Our case study on arms-trade policies explains the incoherencies resulting from the EU’s trading policy (please find the case enclosed).

Thank you for this, and keep up the good work. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.

Yours Sincerely,

Mathijs van Schaik

Assistant EU Coherence Programme – Evert Vermeer Foundation

10 Square Ambiorix, B-1000 Brussels

BE +32 27438787 Call / BE +32 498298295 Call

mvschaik@evertvermeer.nl

www.eucoherence.org

www.evertvermeer.nl

Foto: President Zapatero saludant el rei del Marroc Mohamed VI. Font: El Pais