‘Sold, to the smiling gentleman in the corner!’

..and he has reasons to smile, no doubt about it. What a bargain!

First enthusiasm for releasing the five Bulgarian nurses and one Palestinian doctor from Libyan prisons, then some mixed emotions, and finally rising eyebrows: so this is all about! .

One must be really naive to think that there were no deals behind the release, and we are all grateful that the prisoners are now safe at their homes. But if we turn to the very old question ‘cui prodest?’ the situation is already ’smelly’.

First the ‘big (European) brother’ - France, is giving a helping hand to his ‘little sister’ - Bulgaria (should I say: ‘our twin sister’?). So far so good, the fight for human rights concerns us all, no matter who the injured part is, and it should no matter who imprisoned innocent people. But it does matter if there is uranium involved.

So, the French presidential had the ability to capitalise on the work done by others, especially EU External Affairs staff.

And now, along with the millions paid for the benefit of dead children’ families from Libya, we discover that there were other deals made: nuclear deal between France and Libya (signed one day after the release), exploration for uranium reserves, military, science and education and cultural agreements etc.

A happy Commission President announced the beginning of the “normalisation” of relations between Europe and Libya.

As if the human rights situation in Libya is suddenly ‘normal’. It might be, for those who see the oil reserves and the opportunities that arise.

And ‘Other countries, including the UK and the US, are also lining up to visit Libya in the near future.’ Of course, there is a slice for every one, actually, for every ‘big brother’, and all these while no EU institution is wondering who will compensate the nurses for the ordeal they endured, after they left their homes and went in a foreign and dangerous country to save lives.
Perhaps Mr. president Sarkozy will solve this matter, too.

A different position, but humble and not quite convinced, has Mr. Van Orden: “I am very dubious about the proposed ‘closer EU ties’ with a country that conducts itself in such a way. What signal does this send? [..] We should not be giving credit to Gaddafi’s political opportunism and Libya’s backward judicial system.”

Does anyone remember that there is still a debate whether or not The Charter of Fundamental Rights should be included in the Constitutional Treaty? Wanna bet it will not be, not even in a simplified form?

Keep smiling, Mr. Sarkozy, France already said: ‘no’ to the Treaty.