“le plat pays”

I am back from Central America where I have attended a joint meeting between the European Parliament and the Central American Parliament (Parlacen) where was again highlighted the need to deepen cooperation between the two regions to face the transformations of the twenty-first century international society.

As chairwoman of the European Parliament delegation to Guatemala, I had the opportunity to state the problem of lack of redistribution resources that exist only for certain people in this region. In addition, challenges have been reappeared during the visit that are no longer exclusive to this area, but which also affect the world, such as terrorism, security, migration and environmental management.

We have also taken the opportunity to discuss the negotiations for an Association Agreement between the European Union and Central America, which is expected to be approved in 2009. I believe that this agreement can not ignore the serious shortfall economic, political and social development of most countries of the isthmus, or the asymmetries between the countries, or between the European Union and Central America. In any case, what is clear is that this agreement should maintain the three pillars: political, cooperation and trade.

And, at a time of uncertainty and concern generated by an economic, financial and social crisis that affects the entire world, strengthening Central American integration may be the best tool to deal with this situation.

The European Commission has just opened this site http://www.study-in-europe.org/ to show clear and updated educational programs and high education studies offered by the European Union. I invite you to visit it!

Today it is 30 years since the death of Jacques Brel. This blog which is entitled by one of the best known songs of Brel “Le plat pays”, could not let pass this occasion for remembering not only the magnificent musical and poetic legacy of the artist, but also some of the feelings that he expressed to his country, Belgium.

On an occasion he said that it was ”difficile d’être Belge”, and he add that ” avouait sa tendresse pour ce pays”. Other words pronounced on another occasion are today of great importance because of the convulsive situation of the country in the last months.
Brel said: “Les gents se sont accrochés a quelque chose que n’existait pas; ou plutôt, une chose qui n’existait pas s’est accrochée aus gens”.

Ireland has said NO again to the EU. Ireland had already said “no” in 2001 in the referendum for the Treaty of Nice. Some time later, Ireland celebrated a second poll, in which the Treaty was approved, after negotiating some questions like its neutrality in military affair.

Ireland, when it entered in the EU in 1973, was one of the poorest countries of Europe and in 1993, after 20 years, it was already the second most rich after Luxembourg, in terms of gross domestic product.

If we observe the arguments that citizens have given for voting against the Lisbon Treaty: we “do not understand the Treaty, it is too much complicated”, they seem not to be enough convincing to turn back to this European Union that has contributed in an important way to its growth and welfare.

It would seem that if the problem is the one of not understanding the Treaty -that certainly it is not at all easy, as usually it is not any Fundamental Law-, the most suitable had been to ask for more explanations before taking a decision that affects so many Europeans citizens. If the opinion of less of 1% of European citizens can decide more than the 99% remaining, we have a democracy functioning in Europe not good at all, it is the less that can be called.

Also the EU has to take into account the difficulty that the Union has for communicating with citizens. In any case, as the Treaty of Lisbon needs to be ratified by the 27 member countries of the EU, the vote against of Ireland creates an important difficulty.

At the present time, there are 18 countries that have already ratified it and those that are missing say they will make it soon. It is a responsibility of the Council that will meet next week in Brussels to study which way we have to take in the near future; and also includes the government of Ireland.

I would like to remark that the Treaty of Lisbon obeys to the aspirations and it serves the interests of European citizens and, because of that, I believe that ratifications should continue as they were planned. However, it will be necessary, as soon as possible, finding a solution to overcome the rejection of Ireland.

REILU SUOMI

The Finn social democrats have celebrated its 41st congress in Hämeenlinna, a beautiful city, one hour away from Helsinki, towards the North. A congress where the word “renewal” often came out, especially in resolutions and papers.

The political situation of the Republic of Finland is that of a government formed by the Conservative Party, a coalition of right-wing party, the greens and the Swedish party -the Swedish minority is very small, but it has its weight. The Social Democratic Party is at the opposition, although it remained at little distance from the Conservative Party, the winner of the last parliamentary elections.

The former Social Democratic party that lost the legislative elections has now the goal to retrieve the backward step, although it is not very important, -as a matter of fact, the 3 majority formations achieved among 45 and 50 deputies each one, in a chamber of 200 deputies-, but it allowed the winner party to form government. The Presidency keeps in hands of the social democrat Tarja Hallonen.

The party shares the worry of other Social Democratic parties in Europe: the majority of conservative governments in Europe and the trend of the social democrat -with the exception of Spain-, of losing the next electoral earls.

Several resolutions about internal politics, which were referred to the need of a stable economic growth and to a recovery of the funding of public services, that the current government has reduced considerably, were shown. The fight against climatic change is a priority of the party and the changes in the pyramid of age of citizens and its consequences of a greater demand of services for the oldest, has also been a subject of the Congress and, finally, the need to return to a society model based in agreements among different social actors, in a “fair co-operation”, in a loyal and fair cooperation. As a matter of fact, the motto of the Congress was: REILU SUOMI, (A FAIR FINLAND).

The Finn social democrats have gone to a congress where 7 candidates for the Presidency and 7 more for the General Secretary’s Office were presented. The President until this Congress, a person close to unions, already announced his renunciation to run again. In the northern social democrat the figure of the president is that of Chairman of the party, that is, the candidate to Prime Minister. There was a competitiveness but loyal generational and gender; young/old, men/women.

Regarding the presidency, a teacher of 32 years, Jutta Urpilainen, was the one more voted in a second round where that she argued with former foreign affair minister, Erkki Tuomioja, a person well known and with a lot of prestige.

The new General Secretary, Korhonen Ari, a man of 42 years-old with a political charge in one of the districts of the city, was also elected in second turn, in this case with a result of a difference of only 4 votes. Because of this, everything made the other candidate think that he could win the General Secretary’s Office, which would have given a distribution of direction more balanced among sectors. It was not like this.

The Party has taken the decision of a generational change and also of an aperture towards new actors of society. Yesterday, after the elections, the environment was of hope and illusion in order to the next local elections that will be celebrated next autumn and to the Europeans ones next year.

It seems that we finally have the democratic candidate in the US: Obama, a mixed race candidate from a Kenian father and a Kansas mother.

Everybody agree that it is a new incarnation of the American dream, after the farmer Harry Truman, the Catholic John Fitgerald Kennedy and the “cowboy” Ronald Reagan. Probably, the election of Obama has a lot to do with the current situation of injured pride that America is suffering.

But what has happened with Hillary Clinton? The senator for New York who some months ago seemed to be the natural candidate of the Democrat Party -in my point of view she is better prepared for assuming the presidency of the US-, she has not been able to win the aiming of a great change for American people. After two Bush administrations, American citizens have wanted to turn page in a clear way and Obama represents a more convincing alternative with his youth and novelty than Hillary with her experience and maturity. Furthermore, Obama awakens this that we call attraction, glamour, charisma….

I think that the senator for New York is more solid, it seems to me that answering the question that sometimes is made in campaigns: who deserves more confidence for you so that she/he takes care of your things? -That it is an important element when voting- my answer would be Hillary Rhodam. I say Rhodam and not Clinton because I believe that she has committed an important error introducing herself as Hillary Clinton and using her husband in the campaign.

It is difficult to think that somebody has forgotten the humiliation that represented for Hillary the affair Lewinski. So difficult that if you go to Washington and you take a tourist bus, they would point out one building where Monica Lewinski was during the months that the scandal lasted.

I am convinced that the majority of people understand that in a couple affairs, everything is possible. Another thing is that the candidature of Hillary has been shown sometimes like a candidature of the marriage Clinton that has given more the sensation of a “business” rather than a qualified woman like Hillary with the sufficient force to govern a country like the US.

And now?

The other day talking to a colleague of the European Parliament, I told him that it would be good that Hillary Clinton or somebody who could pick up the sensitivity of many of her voters accompany Obama to the vice-presidency. This deputy told me that this was impossible, that Hillary would not accept.

There are analysts who believe that this would be an intelligent proposal to avoid these votes to end up to the republicans. However, other democrats, like former president Jimmy Carter, who has given support to Obama, said that it would be a severe mistake because the proposal of novelty and change that represents Obama would come off in interdict with a ticket with Hillary Clinton of vice president. Soon we will know about it.

In any case, we are only in the first part of this history, as Obama has suggested: “This afternoon we have marked another end of a historical journey and the beginning of another”.

This other consists on making Obama into the White House, 40 years after the conquest of the civil rights for the American blacks. Really, if this happens he will make history. A woman who would have become president of the US would have made it also.

Some days ago, as a result of the nomination of Carme Chacón as Defense Minister,
I wrote some notes that until today I have not had the time for uploading them in my blog.

But reading them again I believe that they are still from the present.

“I hear and I read a lot of chatter about the fact that the President Zapatero has appointed a young woman and with an advanced pregnancy as Defense Minister.

I have not seen, nor have heard any comment about if the person nominated, in this case, Carme Chacón, could develop the task entrusted for her satisfactorily. And in my opinion, that is the question.

It has also been talked about the great responsibility for what it represents -and here again- being a woman, young and pregnant woman at the head of a Ministry of State as it is Defence.

Somebody said “the racket it is big among the males of the rancid right and among the misogens who are considered as left”.

Then yes, unfortunately there is still a lot of male chauvinism in the right and also in the left that is called progressive.

We, women, are half the population, we are who -as a consequence of a considerable effort- get the best qualifications at universities. Even so, the named “ceiling of glass” does not allow us to arrive in a normal way in the places of power and of more responsibility, or in the political area or in the private company.

Luckily, the President of the government of Spain, it is not in the “rancid” ones of any kind and believes in the equality of opportunities for everybody. And he has given the opportunity to women he believed are prepared for making a good work in his government. And it does not seem that he has been inconvenient for it.

Carme Chacón has deserved and has won the confidence of the President and for this reason the responsibility of the Ministry of Defense has been ordered to her.

Carme, if everything goes well, will have her son, her family life will attempt to reconcile with her politics responsibility, -like the majority of women who work- and will have to be judged for her work at the head of the Ministry of Defense.

Nowadays, after a few weeks we can see that her management is serious and després of a few weeks we can see that its formality is serious and discreet. And as I think that she must be about to having her son, I wish her what it was told to pregnant women: “A very short hour”.

SOME HISTORICAL NOTES

The history of the relations between both countries goes back to the 13th century, when China and Tibet were part of the Mongolian empire, in equality of conditions. Some political and religious relations among a spiritual teacher, Tibet, and a lay protector, China, in which the spiritual one brought education and initiations, and the layman assured the protection and made donations. This relation existed during four centuries, in which the emperors of the different dynasties considered the Tibet like one more country, if we notice the treatment that it received in the official celebrations.

The figure of the Dalai-Lama, considered like the emanation of the protective divinity of the Tibet, appears in the 16th century in the encounter between a Mongolian chief and the third teacher of a line of eminent monks. In 1642, the fifth Dalai-Lama receives from the chief of the Mongolians -of who is a religious teacher-, the sovereignty of the country.

From 18th century the relations between China and Tibet start to change. It follows the relation of lay spiritual and protective teacher, but this is not perceived in the same way from both parts. After numerous confrontations, from 1720 -during the dynasty Quing-, the Chinese administration and a garnish of its army settle in Tibet. And the argument that often brandishes China to justify the belonging of Tibet to Chinese empire is this employment.

At the beginning of the 20th century, within the framework of Central Asia, Tibet becomes the geopolitical centre of commercial interests, especially for England and Russia. In 1904, the British settle in Lhasa in an attempt to open commercial ways. The Dalai-Lama runs away to Mongolia, and afterwards to China. The Chinese revolution of 1911 spreads to Tibet and forces the withdrawal of the occupation forces and it allows the return of the Dalai-Lama. The independence that enjoys Tibet for 37 years allows it to govern in an autonomous way, resisting the British pressures for “modernizing”.

In 1949, when Mao proclaims the Popular Republic of China, he affirms the sovereignty of this country on Tibet, and use the military way to impose it. Tibet shows a complaint in front of the United Nations that does not prosper, in a basic way for the pressures of the United Kingdom and India. In May of 1951, the named “agreement of 17 points” between the communists and Tibet is signed. In 1965 “the autonomous region of Tibet” is set up, and the traditional regions of the Tibet -Kham and Amdo- are definitively annexed to the Chinese provinces of Qinghaï, Gansu, Yunnan and Sichuan.

THE INFLUENCE OF CHINA

Even though in some documents the Chinese Communist Party presents itself like the releaser of the nobility slave of Tibet, according to opinions of expert people about Tibet, there is a society with castes, very hierarchy, with a clean separation between religious people and laymen, but under no circumstances slavish. The laymen were divided into 3 castes: nobility, people and an inferior stratum. Furthermore, castes which could only be owners were the State, the clergy and the nobility. As a matter of fact, the farmers, the great majority of people, were hereditarily tied to earth, and they had to pay rates, which normally consisted of work itself. This structure had a certain flexibility that entailed duties and rights. It was not an ideal system, but it did not have anything to do with the slavery.

Beijing invokes often also the positive economic effects of its presence in Tibet.
Although it is certain that many changes were produced with the arrival of the communists, it is also certain that, without them, Tibet would have also become modernized. As a matter of fact, its growth has generated an important social exclusion. A big part of the population, mainly Tibetans, have not participated of this growth, and after 50 years of funding policy of Tibet from central authorities, the country has been left with a total dependence from grants.

The building usually come from other places of China and, generally, workers are essentially Chinese, often best prepared thanks to a better formation. The construction of the railway that joins the big cities of China and Lhassa has facilitated the arrival of numerous Chinese emigrants to Tibet, and the need to have to speak “mandarin” for finding a job does not facilitate the access to employment to the great majority of Tibetans. The beneficiaries of the economic “boom” are, then, mostly Chinese immigrants and some privileged Tibetans. That explains -partly-, the huge frustration of Tibetan people.

Regarding the culture, in spite of not daring to use the term of “cultural genocide”, it seems that if the situation does not change, it is going towards the disappearance of the Tibetan civilization. The language is in danger and, in the autonomous region, the education is made in Chinese from the University years, and the Tibetan is not used by the administration. Therefore, out of the autonomous Region the situation is a little bit better, as there are Universities and High Schools where the education is it made in Tibetan.

Another frustration comes from the restrictions on the religious question. Though numerous monasteries were reconstructed and celebrated religious activities, from 1995, the situation has worsened. The pictures of the Dalai-Lama are prohibited in public as privately, civil servants of the state do not have the right to practice their religion, and monasteries are used for the courses of “patriotic” education of China.

THE INTERESTS IN THE REGION

Apart from an ideological claim that is set in the history of the Chinese nationalism, the fact that explains the attitude of China is certainly the geo-strategic position of Tibet. The immense area of this country can not be forgotten. The Big Tibet, I mean, the historical Tibet, represents a fourth part of China.

Furthermore, the biggest rivers in Asia are born there and the mining wealths are abundant in the zone, so that the interest of China in the region can be understood better. Losing Tibet could mean a germ of breaking up its multi-ethnic empire. Even the Oriental Turkestan (Xinjiang) which also has difficult relations with China, could manifest in the same direction as Tibet and as if like the Xinjiang and the interior Mongolia they broke away from China, this would lose a considerable space.

THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY

But who talks about the independence of Tibet? These days we have been able to read declarations of the Dalai-Lama that has manifested itself at all times in favour of an autonomy that respects the language and culture. We also had the opportunity in the European Parliament to discuss with the spokesman of the Tibetan Parliament at the exile, Karma Chopbel, who was in favour of not boycotting the Olympic Games but using the guests’ presence to press China for the autonomy and for a greater respect to human rights.

As a gesture of pressuring Chinese government in order to demand to its leaders the search for dialog and reconciliation with Tibetan people, the possibility of not attending the opening ceremony or the ending of the Olympic Games is being studied. From the European Parliament as well as the European institutions in general, there is a certain agreement on seeing how the situation evolves before taking a decision. As a matter of fact, during the partial plenary session of last week, a Resolution that sustains the option not to attend the opening ceremony, in case the dialog is not scolded between Chinese authorities and the Dalai-Lama was approved.

This doesn’t mean that other asking resolutions regarding the respect to human rights, the rights of minorities and to Democracy state haven not been approved. On the other hand, it has been demanded respect to the territorial integrity of China and worry has been shown by the increasing economic marginalization of Tibetan people.

What we should expect is a decrease of confrontations and an attempt to approach to Tibet from Chinese authorities, through a dialogue, which would probably make the boycott of the opening or ending ceremonies of the Games unnecessary.

However, China, whom we have to recognise the effort of growth, modernization and progress that it is carrying out, also has to accompany this advance with a deepening of its democracy, since neither the market nor the wealth for them entail it. Moreover, China has now the opportunity to show the international community about its will of improvement on relations with Tibet, negotiating its autonomy cultural and political and with the respect to a more extense human rights, in general, and to religious freedom, in particular.

It is a great opportunity for not only showing that it does accept some rules from the occidental game regarding the Olympiad, but also some international rules about human and social rights.

The five political parties that have participated in the negotiations for a definite government have reached a final appointment after a whole night of negotiations.

The Flemish Christian Democrat leader, Yves Leterme, and the five presidents - the Flemish Liberal Bart Somers (Open VLD) and the Walloon, Didier Renders; the Flemish Christian democrat Etienne Schoupe (CD&V) and the Francophone one, Joelle Milquet (CDH); and the Francophone socialist member, Elio di Rupo - they have agreed, after 21 hours of negotiation, on a pact that includes an important fiscal, economic and social package, and that integrates concrete measures like the defense of purchasing power, the control of immigration and the fight against climatic change. The last obstacle has been the fiscal reform, as well as certain questions of the area of justice and social security.

It is foreseen that among today and tomorrow the organs of direction of the five parties back up the governmental agreement and, next Thursday, the interim prime minister, Liberal leader Guy Verhofstadt, presents his resignation to King Albert II, after he entrusted the liberal leader to explore the possibilities to solve the crisis. Next Sunday, Yves Leterme, winner of the federal elections of June of 2007, will be the person who will oath in front of the Parliament to preside the new government.

With this agreement, a solution to the worst political crisis of the recent history of Belgium is achieved. It has been necessary more than nine months of negotiations since the elections day to arrive to an appointment among the Francophone and Flemish, the two main linguistic communities of the country, main leaders. Yves Leterme, though winning the elections, he has had to renounce twice during the process to his task of forming a government, failing in his attempt to construct a coalition with the two political families winners of the last elections, for the aspirations of major self-government of the rich northern Flemish, and for the negative to yield federal competences of the little industrialized southern Francophone.

In fact, the withdrawal from the governmental negotiations of the Flemish nationalists NV-A, members of the party of Leterme some weeks ago, has facilitated a lot reaching an agreement. The new governmental majority is born, however, with the uncertainty of the constitutional reform, a Flemish demand that includes a redistribution of competences for the two linguistic communities that integrate the country -Fleming (60% of the population) and Francophone (40%)- and that has not been materialized yet. Its negotiation continues being in a parallel way.

In short, the new Belgian government will be sustained by an extense coalition that, besides Christian Democrats and Francophone and Flemish Liberals, also the Francophone socialists will participate in. This is a satisfactory starting point for the country, but the path will be surely full of difficulties.

18 March of 2008

A new socialist victory in a few days: French left has come out winning in a wide way the second turn of the local elections celebrated yesterday in our neighbour country. The unpopularity of president Nicolas Sarkozy has contributed to the fall of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP), and has let the major part of the French cities be red again. As a result, the French Socialist Party (PS) has retrieved 30 of the 40 cities of more than 30.00 inhabitants that the PS lost in 2001, among those are Toulouse and Strasburg. However French socialists have not achieved to knock down Jean-Claude Gaudin, the conservative mayor in Marseilla, who will continue in the mayor’s office four more years.

Bertrand Delanoë, as it was predicted, has achieved to preserve Paris with a spectacular result of 57.7% of the votes, but he has not achieved to move conservators from district V -where the ex mayor Jean Tiberi has resisted-, nor in the VII –where Rachida Dati, minister of Justice, has won.

On the other hand, the centrist François Bayrou has lost in Pau in front of the socialist candidate Martine Lignières-Cassou, for less than 200 votes. Though he has come to an agreement with the right or the left according to his interests, he has not achieved to sustain his city. This lack of coherence, sooner or later, takes a toll.

Thus, in the municipal global calculation, the PS and its allies have obtained 49.3% of the votes, in front of the 47.5% attained for the right. And to the cantonal elections, where the partisan presence prevails in front of the personality of the mayor or the chief candidate, the PS would have obtained 51% in front of 44% of the UMP. It is worth to say that one of the candidates more prejudiced by the results has been the minister of Education, Xavier Darcos, who has lost the mayor’s office of Périgueux.

These results have shown the dissatisfaction of many citizens for the “disposition” of Sarkozy, to whom they have wanted to give a warning message for having aired in excess his privacy and his luxe life in a not all favourable economic context, and where the words have overcome the facts. According to some experts of the country, this behaviour would have converted him into victim of the ” déprésidentialisation” of his image.

As a matter of fact, this disaffection has also been evident in the abstention, which has been stood around 38% -being one of the most determining elements of the day-, affecting more the right candidates. The abstention also explains the fatigue of French people after an intense year where, in the presidential and legislative elections, the index of participation attained a historical record of 85%. Some analysts think that only a part of the popular vote that backed up Sarkozy in the presidential ones has returned to the left, while the rest has stayed at home to punish him.

In this sense, we are in a good situation to begin the recovery of the French Socialist Party, and to start with success the way towards the next congress that socialists will have to celebrate this autumn, with the will of achieving the revision of their strategy and the beginning of the construction of an alternative project from the towns. It would be wishful that de-encounters in the socialist family could be controlled, in order to achieve a victory in the presidential elections of 2012.