From: statewatch [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 02 October 2002 12:19
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Statewatch News online, 2 October 2002


Statewatch, 2 October 2001

Contents of this message

1. EU condemned for failing to stand up to US on International Criminal
Court
2. France to extradite Italian exiles/Criticism of Persichetti extradition
3. EU: UK setting up "Mobile Detection Unit" for external border controls
4. Danish EU Presidency to investigate role of officials
5. News In brief

EU CONDEMNED FOR FAILING TO STAND UP TO US ON INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT

The EU has been strongly condemned today for failing to stand-up to US 
attempts to secure immunity for its citizens from the International 
Criminal Court which is currently being set-up to prosecute people accused 
of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The ICC was created 
under the July 1998 Rome statute which entered force in July of this year. 
The Bush administration has opposed the court since coming power, passing 
domestic legislation against it, making the unprecedented diplomatic step 
of withdrawing the original US signature by Clinton and pushing for UN 
Security Council Resolutions to exempt UN peacekeeping operations from the 
ICC's jurisdiction. See: <http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/oct/02icc.htm>
____________________

FRANCE TO EXTRADITE ITALIAN EXILES

Roberto Castelli, Italian Justice Minister met his French counterpart 
Dominique Perben in Paris on 11 September 2002 to discuss the position of 
Italian refugees sought by Italian authorities for crimes dating back to 
the 1970s and 1980s. The Italians have been living in France without 
risking extradition due to former president Mitterand´s decision in 1985 
that those who had turned their back on "that damned machine of terrorism" 
would not be extradited. The French government of the time, as well as 
other external observers, including Amnesty International, said that 
defendants were denied a fair trial under Italian emergency legislation, in 
force in Italy since 1976. The French government extradited Unita Comuniste 
Combattenti (a Brigate Rosse off-shoot) suspect Paolo Persichetti to Italy 
on 25 August 2002, indicating that the policy that has been operating since 
1985 may be reviewed. See:
<http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/sep/11frit.htm>

FRENCH LIGUE DES DROITS DE L´HOMME CRITICISES PERSICHETTI EXTRADITION

Michel Tubiana, of the French Ligue des droits de l´Homme (LDH), wrote an 
open letter to President Jacques Chirac on 23 September 2002 to criticise 
Justice minister Perben´s authorisation of the extradition of Paolo 
Persichetti - in breach of a commitment to refuse to extradite refugees 
from the "years of lead" to Italy, made by Francois Mitterand at an LDH 
conference in 1985. The letter stresses that the decision was taken due to 
"the lack of balance in a repression that has left unpunished ... attacks 
by a far right that had by and large penetrated the institutions", the lack 
of "accountability ... and impartiality" in Italian justice at the time and 
the fact that "the persons concerned manifested a genuine desire to live 
differently".
See: <http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/oct/01frit.htm>
____________________

EU: UK SETTING UP "MOBILE DETECTION UNIT" FOR EXTERNAL BORDER CONTROLS

Within the next six month the UK will make available to other EU states a 
"Mobile Detection Unit" using "cutting-edge technology" to combat 
"clandestine immigration" which has "security implications regarding 
potential terrorist threats". The Unit, a so-called "centre of excellence 
in the field of search and detection technology", will be based at Dover 
and is being designed to move quickly to the "vulnerable points" where 
there is a "threat to the integrity of the external EU frontier". See: 
<http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/sep/13uk.htm>
____________________

DANISH EU PRESIDENCY TO INVESTIGATE ROLE OF OFFICIALS

The Danish Foreign Ministry is to investigate the role played by Danish 
civil servants in amending proposed EU measures in direct negotiations with 
the MEP rapporteurs in the European Parliament. According to "euobserver" 
under the so-called "fast-track" procedure talks are held between officials 
and MEP rapporteurs to try and ensure the parliament agrees measures 
quickly at the 1st reading stage. These secret talks take place outside the 
formal committee proceedings and are therefore kept from the members of the 
committee, MEPs as a whole, the public and national parliaments.
See: < http://www.statewatch.org/news/2002/sep/12ep.htm>
____________________

STATEWATCH NEWS ONLINE - NEWS IN BRIEF

* The challenge to the European Courts of the listing of the PKK as a 
terrorist group and challenge by the Kurdistan National Congress

* Final Declaration of the 7th meeting of Ministers responsible for 
migration affairs, Helsinki, 16-17 September 2002

* USA: "The National Security Strategy of the United States of America", 
which adds "regime change" to USA objectives

See <http://www.statewatch.org/news/Newsinbrief.htm>
____________________

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