Prominent MEPs condemn withdrawal of GSP+ from Sri Lanka
The European press agency Agence Europe in a report published in the
EU Bulletin Quotidian Europe No 10171 - July 1, 2010, titled "Leinen and
Muscardini condemn withdrawal of GSP+ from Sri Lanka", says two months
before the expiry(on August 15) of the period allowed Sri Lanka to
resolve its failure to comply with three UN human rights conventions -
the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), the
Convention Against Torture (CAT) and the Convention on the Rights of the
Child (CRC) - MEPs Jo Leinen (S&D, Germany) and Cristiana Muscardini (EPP,
Italy) have spoken against Sri Lanka's temporary suspension from the 'GSP+',
the special regime to encourage good governance and sustainable
development established for the most vulnerable of developing countries
as part of the EU's Generalised System of Preferences.
Leinen is the Chair of the European Parliament's Environment
Committee and was a long-standing member of its South Asia Delegation,
while Muscardini is the Vice-Chair of the International Trade Committee.
The latest developments in Sri Lanka are promising. As you know, the
main concern on this matter last year was internally Displaced people,
and we have, to a large extent, resolved this issue.
Child soldiers, which was a matter of concern until very recently, is
now a non-issue,? Leinen says in a letter to European Trade Commissioner
Karel De Gucht. He calls on the EU to retain the GSP+ for Sri Lanka, a
status which, he says, will have a significant role for the country if
the Millennium Development Goals are to be realised.
"Muscardini says that significant democratic steps have been taken in
Sri Lanka over the last few months, such as the involvement of Tamils in
the democratic process, the resolution of the issue of child soldiers,
guaranteed free movement in most of the country and the lifting of some
restrictions on the freedom of the media.
She, too, wants the assessment period extended until the start of
2011 so that political developments in Sri Lanka can be better gauged." |
