02.08.2007
European Greens condemn Sarkozy’s reckless nuclear and
defence deals with Libya
The Spokespersons of the European Green Party today
criticised President Nicholas Sarkozy of France
for reaching an agreement with Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi to provide Libya
with a nuclear reactor. They also demanded clarification from the French
President as to the precise nature of an agreement to sell weapons to Libya.
EGP Co-Spokesperson Philippe Lamberts
said: “While we, like everyone else in Europe, were delighted when six
Bulgarian medics who had been jailed in Libya for more than eight years
were released last week, we do have extremely serious concerns about the
reckless way that the French President has been dealing with the Libyan regime
since the medics’ release. Just the day after the medics’ release,
President Sarkozy travelled to Libya
where he and Muammar Gaddafi signed five key agreements on future cooperation,
including deals on nuclear energy and defence.”
EGP
Co-Spokesperson Ulrike Lunacek continued: “The aspect of
the agreement that has been of most concern to us up to now is that France has
signed a nuclear cooperation memorandum with Libya, a country that had until
2003 been trying to develop a nuclear weapons programme. This deal could
potentially pose a threat of nuclear proliferation in an extremely volatile
region of the world. Now however, there are reports that France will also sell Libya anti-tank missiles. If the claims
by Muammar Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam are true, Libya and France will also build a joint
weapons factory. While we recognise that the EU arms embargo against Libya ended in 2004, these deals would be the
first supply of weapons to Libya
by a western nation and would set a worrying precedent. It is particularly irresponsible
of the French government to agree, without any discussions with their European partners,
to sell Libya “Milan” rocket-propelled grenades which are produced
by a subsidiary of Europe’s joint EADS
defence and aerospace company.”
Both spokespersons concluded:” President Sarkozy
must tell the French people and the rest of Europe
what exactly he has agreed to. Otherwise, the accusations that France
agreed to these deals as some sort of “ransom” for the release of
the Bulgarian medics will only get louder.”
Graham Burgess
Communications Officer
European Green Party
email:graham.burgess@europeangreens.org
Tel no: +32 2 626 0724
Mobile no: +32 477 902 023