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30 September 2011

Van Bommel: 'EU treaty with Indonesia much too soon’

For SP foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel, the new agreement between the EU and Indonesia has come far too soon. The European Union has signed the accord in an attempt to draw the two sides closer together. “The bond between the Netherlands and Indonesia is, it’s true, already age-old, but is also extremely sensitive,” says Van Bommel. “As long as there is corruption in Indonesia and human rights abuses continue there, it makes no sense for the EU to reward that country with a favourable agreement. This accord is aimed principally at putting the EU on the map in Asia.”

30 September 2011

Uncrewed planes don't help: only diplomacy can save the Somalis

The Dutch government must commit itself to a diplomatic offensive for Somalia. By doing so, they would not only be working toward a solution to the acute humanitarian crisis in the country, but possibly even toward a political solution in the longer term, argues Ewout Irrgang.

29 September 2011

Urban decline and exploitation of workers results of unrestricted labour migration from Eastern Europe

‘Exploitation of employees and problems in certain neighbourhoods could have been prevented if successive governments had kept a closer eye on migration of workers from Eastern Europe. The Netherlands clearly does not have its own house in order sufficiently to be able to receive so many guests.’ So says SP Member of Parliament Sadet Karabulut in reaction to the report from the temporary parliamentary commission which, on an initiative from the SP, has looked into the consequences of recent labour migration into the Netherlands from Central and Eastern Europe.

29 September 2011

'Halt talks on a Netherlands-Israel cooperation council’

Harry van Bommel has asked Foreign Minister Uri Rosenthal to put pressure on Israel to reverse its government’s decision to give its permission for the construction of 1,100 dwellings in the Jewish settlement of Gilo on the occupied West Bank. Van Bommel: 'Israel’s decision demonstrates that the Netanyahu government isn’t interested in ending the occupation of the West Bank. We’ve heard talk of negotiations before. This sort of behaviour shouldn’t be rewarded, so the Netherlands must halt discussion of a new Netherlands-Israel cooperation council.

28 September 2011

‘Refugee policy must be based on justice’

Some two hundred asylum seekers today protested against the unjust consequences of the current government’s immigration and asylum policies. SP Member of Parliament Sharon Gesthuizen addressed the crowd: ‘A just refugee policy would mean that you help people, verify their story in a decent fashion , then carry out the decision, whether it’s to allow them to stay or send them back, in the best possible way. This government is treating refugees like criminals by making unauthorised presence in the country a punishable offence. This won’t reduce the problems, in fact these people are very likely to take to the street, with all the consequences that will have for them and for society.’

27 September 2011

100 storks against maternal mortality

Flanked by a hundred storks, SP Member of Parliament Ewout Irrgang promised to call the Dutch government to account for its cuts in spending on the global struggle against maternal mortality. The storks were assembled on Het Plein, the square in front of the Netherlands’ Parliament, by development aid NGO Simavi as a protest against maternal mortality throughout the world. 'This government pays lip service to the notion that the struggle against world-wide maternal mortality is a top priority,’ says Irrgang. ‘But they’re actually cutting tens of millions of euros from the budget for this important matter. When we come to debate the budget I’ll be calling Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Ben Knapen to account for this contradiction and asking him to reverse these cuts.'

International