International

Minister of Foreign Affairs Bert Koenders warned early this week that a catastrophe of enormous proportions was threatening in Aleppo. Syria’s President Assad has the town surrounded, and 300,000 people are stuck there. Death through starvation is an immediate threat, and shortages of medicines have already cost lives. Diplomatic pressure on Assad to lift the siege and permit humanitarian aid is of course needed, but the chance of this working is small. Emergency aid from the air could be the only possible solution.

The SP wants the national parliament in The Hague to organise an official hearing with Turkish-Dutch organisations over how they can contribute to reducing tensions in the Dutch-Turkish population in the wake of the failed coup d’état in their country of origin. Social Affairs Minister Lodewijk Asscher has for some time been conducting an enquiry into the management and influence on integration of a number of organisations which have close links to the Turkish government. However, while tensions between certain groups of Turkish-Dutch people are on the rise, there can be no question of a change in integration policy. “In our view the government must end any association with organisations which are extensions of Turkish politics,” says Sadet Karabulut.’

What many in the offices in Brussels had not believed possible has nevertheless occurred: the British voted against continued membership of the European Union. The system must be transformed root-and-branch, a fact which has already been proved by the haughty nature of the reactions. Now the dust-clouds surrounding the referendum have cleared, ‘Brussels’ is showing its true face.

Last Friday the Turkish army attempted to effect a coup d’état to bring about the fall of the government. The coup failed, but the consequences for the country are huge. President Erdogan reacted with mass arrests, and with the suspension and sacking of tens of thousands of judges, civil servants, academics and others. Opposition news sites have been blocked and journalists’ press cards removed. Moreover, military personnel who carried out the coup have been severely maltreated. There has even been talk of reintroducing the death penalty. Meanwhile, tensions in the Netherlands are rising. Five questions to SP Member of Parliament Sadet Karabulut on the events of the past week.

Published last week, the Chilcot report on British involvement in the war on Iraq has demonstrated once more the immense fiasco that this rash military foreign adventure became. It speaks of moral bankruptcy that those who played the leading roles have still not, thirteen years on from the criminal decision to invade Iraq, been forced to face up to their responsibility.

SP leader Emile Roemer reacted with shock to the attack in Nice. “On the day that France celebrated the country's freedom, freedom was attacked,” he said. “A terrible event for all the victims, their families and the entire French people. This is an attack on everyone who wants to live in freedom. We share the sorrow of the French people, but together we must also do all we can to combat this terrorist violence.”

The SP is furious about freshly leaked TTIP-documents which show that the European Commission is proposing to allow shale gas on to the European market while undermining incentives to promote green energy. The documents represent the European starting position for the new round of negotiations on the controversial trade treaty taking place this week.

On 8th and 9th July Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Foreign Minister Bert Koenders and Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert will attend the NATO summit in Warsaw. Every indication is that the military alliance will seize the opportunity of the summit to escalate still further the already mounting tensions with Russia. It is of huge importance that this is prevented.

A parliamentary majority today decided that the Netherlands should oppose setting up a European Office for Public Prosecutions. This is a victory for SP Member of Parliament Michiel van Nispen, who has opposed the move from the start. “Fraud involving European money must be combatted effectively, but an EU Public Prosecutor is undesirable. Such an office is unnecessary for mutual cooperation and thus redundant. This can be achieved by making sound agreements. An EU Public Prosecutor would, moreover, lead to further transfers of powers. I’d rather cooperate to fight crime and retain the power at home to determine our priorities in the pursuit and prosecution of criminals.”