Arrest of General Pinochet
(B4-0976/98, B4-0976/98)
Thursday 22 October - Manuel Medina Ortega (E, PES) expressed his support for the
resolution before the House which congratulates the British and Spanish judicial
authorities for their cooperation over the arrest of General Pinochet in London. He wanted
to see the extradition of General Pinochet whose government had ushered in one of the
darkest pages of South American history, he said, with thousands being killed. Those
responsible for such crimes had not yet been brought to justice, he stated, and it was
time to take action. Charles Goerens (L, ELDR) too could not object to the British
government's action. He favoured the request for the extradition of General Pinochet and
the launch of international criminal proceedings. This case, he said, would test the
credibility of the application of international law. Alonso Puerta (E, EUL/NGL) also
welcomed the opportunity to put the end to a "terrible page" in South American
history. This view was also expressed by Wolfgang Kreissl-Dörfler (D, Greens).
Pierre Pradier (F, ERA) cautioned that there were many others who were guilty of
crimes against humanity and that to tackle this issue there was a need for an
International Standing Court. Jim Nicholson (Northern Ireland, I-EN) had considerable
reservations that Parliament should be debating the subject as it was a judicial and not a
political question. It was a matter that fell within the competence of the British
authorities, he said. Nevertheless he could empathise with the views of his Spanish
colleagues as there were parallels with Northern Ireland where people had also lost their
loved ones and he agreed that evil did deserve retribution.
Hugh Kerr (Essex West and Hertfordshire East, Greens) in supporting the call for former
President Pinochet to be brought to justice whether in Spain or the UK expressed concern
that the US government might bring pressure on the UK not to comply with the extradition
command.
Eryl McNally (Bedfordshire and Milton Keynes, PES) stressed that EU citizens too had
been affected by the actions of General Pinochet's government and she believed it was
appropriate for Parliament to debate the issue. She noted that the legal process was being
pursued and although justice might be slow, everyone should receive a fair trial. She
condemned the "disgraceful
intervention" by Margaret Thatcher and argued that the issue should not become a
"political football".
Stan Newens (London Central, PES) believed that the claim that General Pinochet's
rights were being breached would not have cut much ice in 1973 when the Presidential
Palace in Santiago was being bombed and the legitimate Chilean President Salvador Allende
had been killed. Mr Newens noted that over 2,000 people had disappeared and that even
foreigners were not afforded proper rights. He had been involved himself in demonstations
against the Chilean dictatorship at the time and had heard heartrending stories from the
relatives of those who had been "barbarously killed". He concluded by noting
that General Pinochet's rights would be scrupulously observed, unlike what had happened in
1973 when he illegally seized power in Chile.
Tom Spencer (Surrey, EPP) questioned whether effective instruments at global level
existed to tackle this issue. Justice, he believed, should be blind and enforceable and,
as yet, it was difficult to achieve this. As General Pinochet had now been arrested, he
mused, would it not also be appropriate to arrest President Castro, the Chinese leadership
and "a dozen African dictators". Mr Spencer argued that the UK government had
blundered and should have acted like the French authorities which had already refused
entry to General Pinochet. He called for the rule of law and not the "politics of
soundbites". Justice should be pursued through the courts, he concluded, but
"vengeance is the Lord's".
Replying for the Commission Franz Fischler stated that the Commission was resolutely
opposed to any form of totalitarianism and he argued that government could only develop on
a democratic basis. During the 15 years of General Pinochet's rule, he said, human rights
had been gravely violated. However, he noted, the Commission had no powers in this area of
judicial cooperation which was a matter for the member states concerned. There were
already two conventions on this issue, he concluded, however they had still not been
ratified and therefore remained a dead letter.
MEPs subsequently voted 184 to 12 with 14 abstentions to adopt the resolution which
congratulates the Spanish and British judicial authorities for their "effective
cooperation in the arrest of General
Pinochet". The resolution goes on to call on the Spanish government to request the
extradition of the former leader as soon as possible so that he can face charges in
relation to the crimes of which he is accused. These crimes, it is alleged, have led to
the deaths and disappearances of thousands of people during his military dictatorship.