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SW LIB DEM MEP UNDERMINES HUMAN RIGHTS |
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16th July 2007
 British Green MEPs Jean Lambert and Caroline Lucas have hit out at South Wests' Liberal Democrat MEP Graham Watson and his party for undermining the EU’s role in protecting human rights.
Green and Socialist MEPs walked out in protest at the decision on
Thursday by Euro-MP Graham Watson, leader of the European ALDE Group,
the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, who reneged on an
earlier deal to ‘upgrade’ the European Parliament’s ‘Human Rights’
sub-committee into a decision-making full committee.
Dr Lucas, South-East England’s Green Party MEP, who was recently voted
'Politician of the Year' by Observer readers, said: “This is a real
blow for the EU’s ability to prioritise human rights protection. It
will make it easier to sideline human rights considerations in future.
The Liberals would have done well to listen to the citizens of Europe –
people don’t want just a free-trade zone, they want an EU that protects
and enhances human rights and the environment. Mr Watson has just
thumbed his nose at all of us who want the EU to play a role in
upholding universal human rights across the union.”
Cllr Philip Booth, a spokesperson for Gloucestershire Green parties
said: “This is deeply disappointing: a party that prides itself on its
record defending human rights, the Liberals in the European Parliament,
has backed away from boosting the EU’s ability to do so. The Liberals
have failed to keep their word and make human rights a stronger profile
in the Parliament by improving the status of the committee.”
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