More than four in ten
Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) did not support Swaziland’s inclusion
in a trade partnership deal.
European Union Ambassador
to Swaziland Nicola Bellomo said many MEPs wanted Swaziland excluded because of
human rights violations.
In a recent vote, 417 MEPs
endorsed Swaziland’s inclusion in the Southern African Development Community
(SADC) – European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement. However,
216 MEPs voted against and a further 118 abstained from voting.
Bellomo told the Sunday Observer (9 October 2016), a newspaper in Swaziland in
effect owned by King Mswati III, that those who wanted the kingdom to be
excluded cited human rights violations. He gave the
jailing of the Nation magazine editor Bheki Makhubu and
Human rights lawyer Thulani Maseko on sedition charges as examples.
The Observer reported the EU ambassador said this should be ‘a wake-up
call’ to Swaziland.
The new trade agreement
opens SADC goods to the European markets duty free.
In May 2015, the European Parliament voted
for the release of all political prisoners in Swaziland and called for the
kingdom, where King Mswati rules as sub-Saharan Africa’s last absolute monarch,
to be monitored for its human rights record.
A statement
issued by the European Parliament said, ‘Parliament
considers the imprisonment of political activists and the banning of trade
unions to be in clear contravention of commitments made by Swaziland under the
Cotonou Agreement to respect democracy, the rule of law and human rights, and
also under the sustainable development chapter of the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) Economic Partnership Agreement, for which
Parliament’s support will depend on respect for the commitments made.’
The resolution was passed
by 579 votes to six, with 58 abstentions.
In January 2015, the United States withdrew
Swaziland’s trading benefits under the Africa Growth Opportunities Act (AGOA)
after the kingdom refused to accept democratic change.
See also
GOVT
ACCUSES EU OF ‘POLITICAL RAPE’
ECONOMY
SLUMP AFTER TRADE SANCTIONS
http://swazimedia.blogspot.com/2015/06/economy-slump-after-trade-sanctions.html
No comments:
Post a Comment