Nieuws van de afdeling

22 January 2008

Minister promises to look into government subsidies for Euro-propaganda

Government propaganda should be strictly separated from other television programmes, argues SP Member of Parliament and media spokesman Jasper van Dijk. Minister of Education and Culture Ronald Plasterk said during today's parliamentary question time, in answer to a question from Van Dijk, that he would be looking into the matter of government subsidies in this area. Parliament itself has the power to alter these rules, however, and Van Dijk is concerned also by the waste of taxpayers' money involved in the lame and meaningless government campaigns

22 January 2008

Van Bommel to attend conference on genocide against Iraqi Kurds

SP Member of Parliament and foreign affairs spokesman Harry van Bommel leaves at the end of the week for northern Iraq where he will participate in a conference on the genocide against Kurds which took place in the 1980s. The conference, ‘Genocide in Kurdistan-Iraq’ takes place from Saturday 26th to Monday 28th January in Arbil in Iraqi Kurdistan. It will be opened by Nerchivan Barzani, Prime Minister of the Kurdish regional government.

21 January 2008

Foreign Minister must condemn Israeli sanctions against Gaza

SP Member of Parliament and spokesman on foreign affairs Harry van Bommel is urging Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen to make clear to the Israeli ambassador the Dutch government's displeasure at the cutting off of fuel supplies to Gaza. The embargo has led to the shutting down of the power station supplying a major part of the population with electricity. Daily life has ground to a halt, while hospitals face major problems and the UN is warning of a humanitarian crisis.

18 January 2008

Punish war criminals - but give the innocent a better future

The Union of Afghan Associations (UAV) demonstrated in The Hague on Friday against the Dutch government's policy of declaring certain refugees to be guilty of war crimes, without first allowing them a trial. Giving its full support to the demonstration, the SP was represented by, amongst others, Member of Parliament Sadet Karabulut, who addressed the crowd which gathered in front of the national parliament building.

18 January 2008

Van Bommel: Not a cent more for Euro-propaganda fund

SP Member of Parliament Harry van Bommel is demanding an explanation from Labour Party Secretary of State for Europe Frans Timmermans regarding the granting of a subsidy to a foundation with close links to his own party.

16 January 2008

NATO divided over approach in Afghanistan

The disparaging remarks of US Defence Secretary Robert Gates regarding the performance of soldiers in southern Afghanistan reveal cracks in NATO's front, says SP Member of Parliament and foreign affairs specialist Harry van Bommel. Gates said that NATO troops in the south of Afghanistan did not know how to combat an uprising, a criticism which was directed in part at the Netherlands.

International