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11 March 2013

Van Bommel: ‘Stop the humanitarian disaster in Camp Domiz’

According to Mohamed Hussein, head of the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) in Iraqi Kurdistan, the refugee camp at Domiz is close to ‘explosion’. More than 1,100 Syrian refuges are arriving daily, while the camp is already close to capacity. According to SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel, who is visiting the camp, both the Kurdish regional Government (KRG) and the international community must do more to prevent a humanitarian disaster.

11 March 2013

Recognise genocide in Iraq

It would be a mark of respect for the victims of the mass-murder of Kurds in Iraq and their surviving families and friends were the government of the Netherlands to recognise the massacre as genocide, argue Harry van Bommel and Hazjah Salah.

10 March 2013

SP Senator Tuur Elzinga in Laos: grave concern for missing activist Sombath Somphone

This week a European delegation led by SP Senator Tuur Elzinga visited Laos and expressed grave concern to the country’s government and parliament – known as the National Assembly of the People’s Democratic Republic (PDR) Lao – over the well-being of Sombath Somphone.

9 March 2013

Van Bommel visits Iraqi Kurdistan

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel will in the next few days visit the Kurdish Autonomous Region in the north of Iraq in the company of SP regional councillor Younis Lutfula. ‘In contrast to large parts of Iraq, where ten years on from the illegal US-British invasion it still isn’t peaceful, in Iraqi Kurdistan things are going well,’ says Van Bommel. ‘It’s important that the Netherlands encourage this development and seek closer relations with the region.’

7 March 2013

De Jong demands EU action against Israeli treatment of Palestinian prisoners

SP Euro-MP Dennis de Jong today attended the Amnesty International protest action which was supported also by Palestinian solidarity groups in Brussels. The demonstrators‘ action was intended to draw attention to the treatment of Palestinian prisoners by Israel. ‘The European Union must take action and stop going along with the continual enlargement of trade privileges via the Association Agreement with Israel,’ says De Jong. ‘Israel uses so-called administrative detention to lock up thousands of Palestinians, sometime even including children, without trial. This is in contravention of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights and also with conditions attached to the Association Agreement. I want to hear condemnation of this practice from the EU’s High Representative on Foreign Policy Catherine Ashton.’

6 March 2013

European Commission backtracks: no rush to liberalise domestic road transport

The European Commission will for the time being not be rushing to liberalise domestic road transport, a group of MEPS including the SP’s Dennis de Jong learned at a meeting with Commissioner Siim Kallas today. 'I’m pleased with the outcome of our talks,’ says De Jong. ‘True, Commissioner Kallas didn’t wholly rule out liberalisation, but he isn’t happy about the numerous abuses in road transport and agrees that we must first ensure better enforcement of working conditions and safety rules. In this we will be assisting him.’

International