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Israeli atrocities drew condemnation from EU states
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COPENHAGEN,
April 15 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Following their call on
the government to stop exporting defense equipment to Israel,
opposition parties and trade unions in Denmark called for a
demonstration on Tuesday to protest against Israel's military
offensive in the Palestinian territories, news agencies reported.
The
protest, whose slogan is to be "Peace Now", was jointly
announced Monday by the Social Democrats, the People's Socialist
Party, and the former communist Unity List as well as by trade unions,
reported Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Former
Social Democrat Foreign Minister Mogens Lykketoft and socialist leader
Holger Nielsen will be among speakers at the protest, to be held
outside Copenhagen's city hall at 1500 GMT.
The
protestors will call on Israel to withdraw from occupied Palestinian
territories.
For
its part, the Danish government summoned Israel's ambassador to
Copenhagen last Monday to vigorously protest the Israeli army's
ongoing offensive.
Meanwhile,
the Social Democrats and the Radical party called on the government to
stop exporting defense equipment to Israel, parliamentary sources said
Monday.
Niels
Helveg Petersen, former Minister for Foreign Affairs, appealed Sunday
to the government to follow Germany's example and suspend exports of
defense equipment because of Israel's offensive. The Social Democrats
added their support to the appeal Monday.
The
Justice Ministry said on Monday that no Danish company requested a
license to export defense equipment to Israel last year nor so far
this year.
In
Luxembourg, meanwhile, European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers appear to
have rejected calls for trade sanctions against Israel, reported
BBC’s online news service.
Though
there is real frustration about Israel's refusal to withdraw its
forces from the West Bank, the EU is not in the mood for dramatic
gestures.
No-one
wants to do anything which could undermine Powell's mission following
his call for a ceasefire in Madrid last week, a BBC correspondent
said.
"We're
not behind Powell just because we like him," said Christina
Gallach, spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
"It's
because he has the Madrid declaration as part of his brief."
