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Europe fails to do as it preaches o



Subject: Europe fails to do as it preaches on human rights 



           Europe fails to do as it preaches on human rights 
26/3 BT

By Shada Islam 

P RACTISING what you preach isn't always easy. Ask the European Union: Having
lectured their Asean colleagues at the Euro-Asean ministerial meeting in
Singapore
last month on the need to stop human rights violations in Myanmar, EU
officials are
now negotiating a new cooperation treaty with Algeria -- a nation where human
rights are violated every day. 

EU policymakers deny they are using double standards -- one for a turbulent
country
in their backyard and another for a nation very far away. But, for Asia's
Euro-watchers, their denials cut no ice. The EU's much-publicised commitment to
protecting and promoting human rights has lost all credibility. 

To be fair, the EU has some good strategic reasons for reinforcing its
dialogue with
Algeria. But what is increasingly raising Asia's hackles is Europe's perpetual
finger-wagging on Myanmar -- and East Timor -- and its failure to stop flagrant
violations of human rights nearer home. 

Take Bosnia, Algeria and Albania. In all three cases, EU governments were unable
to prevent the explosion of violence and the ensuing large-scale abuse of human
rights. The war in Bosnia was brought to an end only because the United States
stepped in. 

Despite the vast amount of European money going into Albania, EU leaders have
not been able to stop the chaos. And most EU governments are backing Algeria's
military rulers despite repeated appeals from human rights organisations for
the bloc
to take a more neutral stance -- and to work for national reconciliation. 

Asians are keeping a close watch on EU relations with Algeria because that's
where
the weaknesses in Europe's human rights doctrine are most evident. If EU
officials
were to put their own noble words into action, they'd break off all links
with Algiers.

But, of course, no such move is on the EU agenda. Instead, the EU has just
released millions of dollars in financial assistance for Algeria, arguing
that the
government needs money to build houses and create jobs. Trade preferences are
still accorded to all Algerian farm and industrial exports and Algeria
remains one of
the EU's largest suppliers of oil and gas. 

And the EU has just started negotiations on a new cooperation treaty with
Algeria,
designed to bring the country into the Euro-Mediterranean co-operation network
which will ultimately lead to the creation of a Euro-Mediterranean
free-trade zone. 

Defending the policy, European officials say the EU wants to bring about
political
and economic stability in Algeria. Isolating Algeria would be dangerous and
would
strengthen the Islamic extremists. The Algerian government needs to be
engaged in
a dialogue, so that it can be persuaded to adopt a more conciliatory
attitude towards
the opposition. And finally, it is only through such contacts that the EU
can hope to
influence events in the country. Valid arguments all -- and uncannily like
some of
those given by Asean for its planned enlargement to include Myanmar. 

In fact, the EU is finding it increasingly difficult to apply its human
rights doctrine in
the real world. Despite pressure from human rights groups and the European
Parliament, EU ministers who went to Doha, Qatar, right after the Singapore
meeting
to discuss setting up a free-trade zone with the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation
Council
(GCC) were careful not to offend the GCC by making any statements on human
rights. 

Australia and New Zealand have frozen negotiations on a new trade and
cooperation
treaty with the EU because they refuse to accept any references to human
rights in
the proposed agreements. 

In fact, even on policy towards Myanmar, the EU remains devided on whether the
country should be stripped of its GSP privileges. Germany and Britain have
traditionally opposed any moves to link trade and labour standards and made this
clear at the ministerial meeting of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in
Singapore
last year. Both countries are also believed to be concerned that any
punitive action
approved against Myanmar could unleash a host of union calls for trade sanctions
against other countries accused of using forced labour and child labour. 

The trade unions say France is unwilling to endorse the trade sanctions
because of
French investments in Myanmar. French oil giant Total is working with Unocal
of the
US on a US$1.2 billion (S$1.73 billion) project to build a gas pipeline. French
officials insist this is not true and that they will vote in favour of the
commission's
proposals later this month. But, even if Myanmar is thrown out of the EU's GSP
scheme, the split in EU ranks proves human rights issues are not just a bone of
contention in Euro-Asean relations: they are also a source of friction
within the EU
itself. 

The writer is a Brussels-based journalist who contributes to BT