WRITTEN QUESTION No. 1567/98 by Andrea MANZELLA to the Council. Assassination of Bishop Juan Gerardi
C 13/44 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 18. 1. 1999 Reply (24 September 1998) Israel and the Palestinians have agreed, under the terms of the Declaration of Principles, not to take any action which would prejudge the outcome of the Permanent Status Negotiations. The European Union views Israeli action such as withdrawal of ID cards, settlements and house demolitions as violation of this agreement, a view it continues to make known to the Israeli authorities. In order to follow more closely the situation in Jerusalem the EU established, early 1997, its own Jerusalem Watchí. In the framework of this watch, the Member Statesí Consuls General in Jerusalem and Heads of Mission in Tel Aviv regularly draw up reports on developments in Jerusalem having, or likely to have, an impact on the Palestinian character of the city. A summary of the latest Jerusalem Watch report was published on 29 June. The summary, and summaries of recent EU Watch reports on the issues of settlements and human rights, is available on the internet web site of the Council of the EU (http://ue. eu. int)]. In a communication of 14 May 1998 to the Council on Implementation of the Interim Agreement on trade and trade-related matters between the European Community and Israelí, the Commission addressed inter alia the issue of obstacles to access to the EU for Palestinian exports. The issues raised in the communication are currently the subject of experts talks between the EU and Israel. (1999/C 13/062) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1567/98 by Andrea Manzella (PSE) to the Council (25 May 1998) Subject: Assassination of Bishop Juan Gerardi With reference to the assassination of Bishop Juan Gerardi, would the Council state what urgent measures it considers the European Union should take to urge the Government of Guatemala to conduct an efficient and searching investigation to identify both those who carried out the crime and those who commissioned it for political reasons,as the bishopís murder confronts Guatemala with the terrible prospect of a return to civil war? (1999/C 13/063) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1973/98 by Graham Mather (PPE) to the Council (15 June 1998) Subject: Murder of Monsignor Juan Gerardi in Guatemala What action is the Council taking to ensure that a full, thorough and just investigation will be carried out into the murder of Monsignor Juan Gerardi, Auxiliary Bishop of Guatemala, on 26 April 1998? Joint answer to Written Questions E-1567/98 and P-1973/98 (24 September 1998) On 4 May 1998 the European Union issued a declaration on the murder of Bishop Gerardi appealing to all Guatemalans not to allow this cowardly and foul murder to distract them from the full implementation of the peace accords