European migration control in Libya
The Libyan navy and the coastguard under its authority are being groomed as gatekeepers of Fortress Europe. Even a migration partnership is under discussion.
By Andrej Hunko
Since the forcible regime change in 2011, the European Union has been supporting what it calls reform of the security sector in Libya. Its policy is based on the Berlusconi motto of ‘more oil, less migrants’. The new Libyan Government of National Accord scarcely exercises any control outside Tripoli. For this reason, the police and military forces are being trained with Western assistance to guard borders and oil installations. One unresolved problem is that of the militias, which number more than 1,000 and which serve as the recruiting base for the national security forces. The coastguard also comprises members of such units, whose loyalty to the authorities is prone to waver.
Three years on: the Federal Government of Germany recognises the role played by the Ramstein base in the US drone war
“The Federal Foreign Office has admitted for the first time that US bases in Germany are involved in the deadly drone war. For three years, Members of the Bundestag were kept in the dark and the public deceived. The Federal Government is thus involved in extrajudicial killings in breach of international law. In my view, this meets the definition of approving a crime and obstruction of justice”, stated Member of the Bundestag Andrej Hunko during yesterday’s Question Time session at the Bundestag.
Andrej Hunko on some aspects of the Trump victory
Answers by Andrej Hunko, MP for DIE LINKE in Germany to Sputnik
Do you expect the situation in Syria to ease under the presidency of Donald Trump?
At least that is what I hope. A solution to the Syrian crisis to a large extent depends on the relations between the USA and Russia. While Hillary Clinton is known as a “hawk” in foreign policy and in 2013 tried to push Obama to openly intervene in Syria, Trump at least during the election campaign sounded more moderate regarding the relations to Russia. But currently it’s difficult to say because Trump is very unpredictable.
Co-rapporteurs on Albania welcome justice reform and encourage further reforms
Following their visit to Albania from 26 to 30 October 2016, Andrej Hunko (Germany, UEL) and Joseph O'Reilly (Ireland, EPP/CD), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Albania, welcomed the ongoing justice reform.
The co-rapporteurs applauded the adoption of the constitutional amendments paving the way for a thorough and comprehensive reform of the judiciary. Referring to Resolution 2019 (2014), the co-rapporteurs recalled that the insufficient independence and impartiality of the judiciary and the political pressure and interference had been longstanding concerns of the Assembly.
Before giving the EU any new counter-terrorism powers, let’s evaluate the old measures
Statement from Andrej Hunko on EU plans to merge the work of police and intelligence services in The Hague:
"I am somewhat concerned by the linking of migration and terrorism. First, this stigmatises migrants as a terrorist threat. Second, it paves the way for greater EU anti-terrorist legislation.
Since 9/11, we have lost democratic control over the EU agenda on internal and external security. As an example, the new ‘counter-terrorism centre’ run by the Counter Terrorism Group in The Hague processes data from up to 30 domestic intelligence services. The information is supposed to help find terrorist offenders among asylum seekers in Greece or Italy. However, there is no parliamentary oversight of this new ‘platform’.
Bundeswehr armed drones will be equipped with Israeli missiles and use German encryption
By Matthias Monroy
Airbus is to be the prime contractor for the German-Israeli drone deal. The company will then own 13 old and new Heron drones for the Bundeswehr’s use. The arming of the drones would be guaranteed from the spring of 2019. Now a competitor, US drone manufacturer General Atomics, has lodged a complaint with the federal public procurement tribunal.
The armed German drones will be delivered with the Israeli manufacturer’s usual munitions, the Federal Government revealed in its answer to a Minor Interpellation. The Heron TP drones are to be equipped with the weapons which are integrated into the system by Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) for the Israeli Air Force. IAI itself produces laser-guided air-to-surface missiles, for example.
Until now, it was unclear whether the five planned drones would be equipped with guided bombs or missiles produced by European manufacturers. According to the Federal Government’s most recent answer, this was not considered at any point in time, and so no market surveys or studies were carried out.
Airbus arms firm leads consortium for European combat-drone project
By Matthias Monroy
The German Ministry of Defence has named Airbus as the main contractor for a two-year study for a European long-range armed drone. The contract is due to be signed before the summer recess, and work is to begin in September. The total cost of the project exceeds one billion euros.
The German Federal Ministry of Defence is fleshing out the procurement plans for armable long-range drones. Under the direction of Airbus Defence and Space (ADAS), a division of the Airbus group, an initial definition study for a ‘European MALE RPAS’ is to be conducted. The abbreviations stand for ‘medium-altitude long-endurance’ and ‘remotely piloted aircraft system’, which describe the drone and its guidance and reconnaissance-data processing systems.
Brexit-Referendum: Nicht weinen, nicht lachen, verstehen!
Rede von Andrej Hunko in der Bundestags-Debatte am 28.06.2016 zum Brexit-Votum in Großbritannien
Die wachsende EU-Skepsis in Europa vor allem bei sozial Benachteiligten hat viel mit dem Zustand der Europäischen Union zu tun. Wenn sie nicht sozialer und demokratischer wird, fliegt sie auseinander. Eine erste, richtige Antwort auf das Votum der Britinnen und Briten müssen Entscheidungen über die neoliberalen Freihandelsabkommen CETA und TTIP in den Mitgliedstaaten sein.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S_CqJ_Mfk_U
The case of Mark Kennedy: Cross-border operations of undercover police officers should be investigated in Germany as well
Since he was disclosed six years ago, we have been trying to discover upon whose orders the British undercover police officer Mark Kennedy was active for several years in Berlin and other German cities. Kennedy established “friendships”, took part in meetings, entered private dwellings, committed crimes, and lied to the police and the public prosecutor under his false persona. From 2004 to 2010 Kennedy was active in at least ten other countries alongside Germany, including the United States. The German Federal Government claims that his activities helped form his “legend” – his believable backstory. Kennedy himself has stated that he was able to convey evidence from Berlin to his superiors in the police force in London.
My Question on the brutal murder of journalist Giulio Regeni in Egypt to German MOI
What further “intensification of security cooperation at several levels” has recently been agreed by the Federal Minister of the Interior, Thomas de Maiziere (CDU), and his “Egyptian interlocutors” (press release issued by the German Embassy in Cairo on 31 March 2016; please list the forms of cooperation agreed in the areas of “terrorism, illegal migration, aviation security and organised crime”); and what reflections on the German-Egyptian security agreement, which had previously been delayed due to state repression, but according to the German Embassy is now ready to be signed, has the Federal Government engaged in as a result of reports that Egyptian security authorities are suspected of responsibility for the murder of Italian journalist Giulio Regeni (Spiegel Online, 4 April 2016), and, moreover, the fact that the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera has written in a dossier on Giulio Regeni that there have been 533 disappearances in the last eight months for which the police or secret services could be responsible?
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