International

Harry van Bommel has asked Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen to make a statement on the Afghanistan-based NATO armed forces' incursion into Pakistani territory. Last week troops from NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) repeatedly entered Pakistan, leaving dozens of people dead. The Pakistani government has issued a protest against the incursions. Since then the action has led to attacks on NATO convoys bringing fuel across Pakistani territory to deliver to troops in Afghanistan. Numerous trucks carrying goods for the NATO troops have been destroyed. "The NATO attacks within Pakistani territory must stop," says Van Bommel. "|If that doesn't happen, and quickly, the war will spread into Pakistan. I call on Foreign Minister Verhagen to join me in this.”

The European Parliament is threatening to leave beginners along with alternative and local musical genres out in the cold. The SP in the European Parliament believes that the future of novice musicians is at stake and is preparing concrete ideas for supporting up-and-coming musicians in the face of the heavily monopolistic and commercialised music industry. As SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong notes, 'The slogan of the European Union is unity in diversity, yet Europe's cultural diversity is in danger of disappearing, and we mustn't let that happen.'