Libé Founder July,MEP Cavada,+f.Hostage Magnus to EuroFora:Press EU Identity+Syria AlQuaida Hostages

*Strasbourg/EU Parliament/Angelo Marcopolo/- If you lost sight of it while rushing to catch up your Airflights between New York, Shanghai, Geneva, Strasbourg,  or Saint Petersbourg, etc, and/or walking through some City Suburbs, don't worry : EU Identity looks quite "'visible" among Al-Quaida Hostage-takers in embattled Syria :

Indeed, some strange "All-Qaida"-related Hostage takers at Syria's borders with Turkey, who, curiously, don't seem eager at all to reveal in public their demands, nor eventual negotiations, seem spot Journalists from various EU Member Countries and treate them differently, because they are more interested at their EU Identity, as former Hostage Magnus Falcehed from Sweden and famous Top Press Chief Serge July (co-Founder, together with Philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre, and long-time Director, of Newspaper "Liberation" 1973-2006, as well as mainstream Radio-TV contributor, recently also Film maker), told "EuroFora", during and after a Press Conference with long-time Journalist and currently MEP Jean-Marie Cavada, in EU Parliament, followed by a public event with its President, Martin Schulz, and several other MEPs from various Political Groups/Countries, etc., during which a Multi-Lingual Giant Poster calling to Free all Journalists still held Hostages in and/or around Syria, was hung at the European Buildings' central court's inner walls.

 

 - In fact, "it's Public Opinion (that used to serve those Journalists), which is taken Hostage" in such kind of cases, denounced to "EuroFora" Top  MEP Cavada, who is also President of the European Movement, just after launching a Call to extend International Criminal Court's competence toward such Hostage-takers, with the Help of EU Parliament's President Martin Schulz, who decided to hang 4 Giant Posters for the Liberation of the Journalsts taken Hostages, for whom he read also an Official Statement in front of all MEPs at the Plenary just before the Voting-time of Thursday Noon, officially asking "the immediate Release of all imprisoned Journalists" (See Infra).

 

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Just..from France, there are currently 4 Victims still in captivity in Syria : Radio "Europe 1"s Reporter Didier Francois and his cameraman Edouard Elias, as well as Independent Journalists Nicolas Henin et Pierre Torres, among reportedly about 25 Western Press workers in all.

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- "During other, well known, Hostage-takings in the Past, f.ex. back on 2004 - 2005, (with Malbrunot, etc ), it had proved sometimes Difficul to really find out who was exactly behind the Hostage-takers. Now, on the present cases, and given the somewhat particular situation in Syria, is it possible to know, or not, who are really behind most among the cases of Journalists' Hostage-takers ?", asked "EuroFora" during the Press Conference organized by Strasbourg's Press Club in EU Parliament Wednesday afternoon.

- "Briefly : There are many kinds of Hostage-takers in Syria : Purely Criminal (* loathsome, sordid, - "crapuleux"), some only for Money, but who re-sell their Hostages...

+ There are 2 Al-Quaida, as you know : One is called "al-Nosra", and the other "Islamic State in Iraq and in the Levant". (known as "ISIL", or "ISIS"  for "Islamic State of Iraq and Syria").

 - "Currently, concerning the 4 French Journalists, for which we can speak, it's the "Islamic State at Iraq and in the Levant" (ISIS), who reportedly kidnaped them.

 - F.ex., "in the case of (Swedish Journalist) Magnus, he had the chance to be liberated before being re-sold, I think", observed July.

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From its "origins", ISIS reportedly "Differed from the Other early Iraqi Insurgent groups, considerably in its tactics : Rather than just using conventional Weapons and Guerrilla tactics in ambushes ...., it has relied heavily on Suicide Bombings, often using Car Bombs, and Targeting a Wide Variety of groups .. (including) Shia and Kurdish political and Religious figures, ....foreign Civilian contractors, and the United Nations and (even) Humanitarian workers", including f.ex. "the Chief of the United Nations' mission to Iraq, Sérgio ...de Mello", a well known supporter of Refugees' return to their Family Homes and Ancestral Land from which they had been chassed away by many Conflicts Worldwide, who worked for many Years at the UNHCR, before becoming UNO's High Commissioner for Human Rights, at nearby Geneva, and who was brutaly Killed, together with 22 other Civilians, at a Car Bombing against UNO's Headquarters in Bagdad, shortly after planning a massive Return of many Thousands of Kurdish Refugees at the Northern Iraqi Oil/Gas producing Region, facing Turkey's Borders. Moreover, ISIS' founders "have been also known to use ... targeted Kidnappings, the planting of improvised Explosive devices, and Mortar attacks....rocket-propelled grenades" (etc), but "also gained a worldwide Notoriety for BeHeading ... Hostages and distributing video recordings of these acts on the Internet", according mainly to "Wikipedia", which notes also special links to several "very Cruel ... militants. ...almost all Foreigners, (mostly immigrants from Russia’s North Caucasus), ....headed by an ethnic Chechen", (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_State_of_Iraq_and_the_Levant ) - "Since its appearance in ("Northern") Syria on April 2013", ISIS was accused of "Torture, summary Killings" taking place in "Secret Detention Centres", according to Amnesty International, and "they  have also reportedly Detained dozens of Foreign Journalists and (Humanitarian) Aid workers as of December 2013", when "the group reportedly controlled ...4 Border towns ...., allowing it to monitor Entrance and Exit from Syria into Turkey", while also being "described as Foreign "Occupiers" by many Syrian Refugees", (ibid), to the point that even Al Quaida reportedly split with ISIS (more and more at Conflict also vis a vis the Syrian-led Dissidents), at the beginning of 2014.

 

+ Reactions to Foreign Fighters' interference inside Syria are reportedly shared by most political fractions of the country, from the Governing coalition up to the majority of Dissidents, while, on the contrary, the definition and the limits of acts of "Terrorism" by the various opponents of the regime still remain controversial among the Geneva 2 Peace-Talks' participants.                                               
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 - "No, they (ISIS' Hostage takers) haven't yet ... formulated any concrete Revendication", Serge July confirmed afterwards to "EuroFora", when we asked him what they really wanted, even on February 2014, i.e. some 6 Months after the Victims were kidnaped.

I. e.  a strange Fact inevitably reminding, mutatis-mutandis), what had happened in the Past around the Kidnapping of French Free-lance Journalists as Malbrunot, etc., near Turkmen-revendicated and Terror-striken N/W. areas of Irak where many interesed parties were, indirectly but surely, revendicating a part on its Oil/Gas resources, (such as Kirkouk ???, etc), when the strange Kidnapers didn't eve reveal in public their real demands, while 2 main Hostages, both French Free-lance Journalists, were suddenly let free, by a coincidence, just a few Days after EU Council's Member States finaly accepted in Brussels to start Accession Negotiations with Turkey (early 2005). Some Months earlier, rumours for a possible solution on that Hostage drama through a controversial intermediary (MP Didier Julia) had floated almost at the same time that former French President Jacques Chirac and German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder had exceptionaly met in Strasbourg to anounce in a joint Franco-German Press Conference, that such a decision might be taken for Turkey's unpopular EU-bid, while also promising to hold a Referendum on that "hot" issue in France, but it was all postponed for unclear reasons, later-on. In addition, shortly after the Liberation of Malbrunot etc., it was the turn of Florence Aubenas to be kidnaped at Irak, from where she reportedly called anew for Didier Julia's help. She was liberated on June 2005, i.e., by another coincidence, when the EU Council (first on Foreign Ministers' level, and afterwards also on Heads of State/Government level) declared that the conditions for the opening of EU - Turkey Accession Negotiations were met, and fixed its Date for October, asking also from EU Commission to finalise a Draft Framework, (as it did before the end of June 2005).

Today, most of those kindapped Journalists were kidnaped in 2013 at the North of Syria, close to Turkey's selectively "porous" Borders, (f.ex. at Raqqah or Aleppo, etc), almost at the same time that several Youngsters from certain French popular Suburbs had reportedly been endoctrinated locally and incited to leave their Families for Turkey in order to be enrolled into Extreme Islamistic Groups currently penetrating Syria and engaged in Armed Attacks and Conflicts. CNN Journalist Nick Paton Walsh had already documented what he named as "the secret Jihadi Smuggling Route through Turkey" to Syria,  ( See f.ex. : http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/04/world/europe/isis-gaining-strength-on-syria-turkey-border/index.html )  - "Travelling through Turkey has become so straightforward and comfortable that it is the route of choice for ... jihadist(s)" as f.ex. "Hamza", an Iraqi recruit, who "said" CNN that "there are people coming from Holland, Germany, even Peru," ...claiming that the number of recruits from Europe to the jihad is exceeding the Arab complement" (sic !). Indeed, "it is extraordinary to watch this volume of International Traffic from countries where al Qaeda has a confirmed and consistent presence, into a NATO member state" as Turkey, CNN's Journalist observed. F.ex. "a Smuggler, working to facilitate recruits joining the Syrian al Qaeda-linked Radical group, the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS)", told Paton Walsh that "in the past few Months, ...he's moved about 400 People across the Border, and that the rate of people making the crossing has almost Tripled" recently : "That's just him", while there are Many other Smugglers operating in the area" of Turkish borders, (unlike the Lebanese, Jordanian, etc., where the situation is curiously Differend).

(A recent CNN Map for ISIS' presence : Focus on Turko-Syrian Borders' triangle .... http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/syria-turkey-al-qaeda/ )
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+ "ISIS ... are said to have considerable Cash at their disposal", "exploit(ing) superior levels of Financing and Resources",  "often offering Generous Cash incentives" in order to gain "influence", but also "increasingly Brutal in dealing with their Critics" : F.ex. a victim denounced that he "was Tortured, Beaten,. ..Hung ...from the ceiling, and used Electricity on" him, while held in  (a) factory (with) 20 other Prisoners, ... also used by ISIS to make Bombs", according to an article published by 3 CNN Journalists, ( http://edition.cnn.com/2013/11/05/world/europe/syria-turkey-al-qaeda/ ) .
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Today's move came only 1 week after Socialist French President François Hollande's official visit to Turkey, where he was obviously pressed to push for Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, resulting, inter alia, in an unprecedented assimilation, during his public statements in Strasbourg's University, (comp. "EuroFora"s NewsReports from that and other spots : ..),  between the notoriously European Culture, History and Geography-located as well as Technologically developed (Comp. f.ex. the World famous "Antonov" airplanes, etc) Ukraine, and +95% Asia-located and 99% Islamic today, and rather underdeveloped Turkey, with notoriously much more Heavy Problems on Human Rights' Violations, as far as their respective EU - entry chances are concerned in his current view, (which seems quite differend from what Hollande had initially declared in his Reply to an "EuroFora"s Question during a key pre-electoral Visit in Strasbourg, to which was added also an element whose initial lack we had criticized in our earlier Publication, later-on in Paris, replying to a similar question  by our confrere Pujadas, (but where it almost went "lost" an partly unnoticed, inside a much wider TV spot, overshadowed by  various other issues).

Experienced former Irak Hostage, Florence Aubenas, among the participants in EU Parliament'ss events, had already warned earlier (in an INTW at  our Press Club of Strasbourg), about the facts that, "since the Summer of 2012", many Journalists were entering Syria "from Turkey, where the Borders had fallen down", while, later-on, "since last Spring" (2013), many Armed Groups among Rebels had become "Non-Transparent", to the point that (contrary to the initial uprising) now it became often impossible to know "who is exactlly who", and several times "nobody knows who was paid by whom"... - "There are Mafia groups acting for their own interests, Village Groups which still remain (from the Past), but also some groups for which one wonders whether they are manipulated", f.ex. "by the government", etc. So that, recently, "there is a kind of "Foggy Clouds" about who does what, who is who, and what are the risks" : "In this ("unique") context there are more and more Journalists kidnapped".

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Freed Swedish Journalist Magnus to "EuroFora":  Special treatment for Europeans ?..
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    Currently there are reportedly Spanish, Italian, Swedish, French and other kidnaped Journalists from various EU Countries, taken Hostages in Syria

    - But, Swedish Journalist Magnus Falkehed observed earlier that his kidnappers didn't mind at all if he was Swedish, Finnish, French or other, but focused on the fact that he was European, and had a much more net pîcture of what has Europe as a whole, than most average EU Citizens themselves use to do, clearly distinguising European Hostages from American, Asian, and others 

                                                                                                                                                                       - "They treated me Differently, I think, once they saw that I was a European", Falkehed told afterwards "EuroFora".

     - "F.ex., I think that Life for me there would have been more Complicated being an American", while, "if I was Russian, I would be Dead !", he guessed.

    + "For them, being European is something common, much more Common than (it is) for us", (average EU Citizens), Magnus concluded.

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EUParliament's President Schulz :
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=> Therefore, it was only Natural that Efforts to LIberate the Victims started to be "Europanized" now in Strasbourg, particularly with the help of EU Parliament's President Martin Schulz from Germany, (SocialDemocrat), as well as MEPs' "InterGroup for Media", as Cavada explained later-on (See Infra) :

 - "MEPs stand Together with the kindapped Journalists and their Families, to whom EU Parliament pays its homages, as well as to all those who suffer now for Freedom, Human Rights, Peace and for Civilisation in Syria. It's also a moment of Emotion, with which we think about the Victms of these last years in this country", said EU Parliamments' President, German SocialDemocrat MEP Martin Schulz, on Wednesday afternoon, while inaugurating 3 Giant Posters in 3 Languages : French, English and German, at the main Tower's inner court, (known as "Agora").

- "We (EU Parliament) are a MultiNational Institution which works for the Security, the Development and the Guarantee of Fundamental Human Rights : That's at the core of EU Parliament's role, to defend the respect of Human Rights beyond Borders, States and throughout various Peoples", Schulz stressed.  

+ Nevertheless, "Politicians and Journalists don't represent the same Sides of Public Life : We, politcians, members of Governments, etc, must acknowledge that we rarely fall in love with Journalists, and vice versa (this is reciprocal)", he joked, provoking smiles to the Audience, mainly Press Workers used to be often Critical vis a vis Public Authorities.... And, as a matter of general principle, "we must Separate what Politicans are doing, from what Journalists do. We need a certain professional Distance, between Politicians and Journalists, he explained.

 - "But we stand Together in order to defend Democracy's values", he stressed. Because, "let's be clear : Without Press Freedom, there is No Democracy, since Democracy is based on Transparency", he stressed. And it's "Journalists (who) make Politics comperhensible, visible, and Criticize them", Schulz observed.

=> Thus, "we (EU Parliament) have a Duty to be committed into guaranteing the Independence and the protection of those who guarantee themselves the Freedom of the Press, and that's mainly Journalists themselves".

 - It's for that purpose that "we think Today to those Journalists who are Hostages in Syria : Let's Hope that they who are holding them will Liberate them as fast as possible", President Schulz concluded in his 1st out of 2 relevant Statements.

+ Advancing further in his official, public Statement in the name of all the Parliament, at Today's Plenary, Schulz observed, in particular that, until now, "16 Journalists are still held Hostages in captivity" in Syria. "Some were kidnaped, orthers disappeared, missing without ay news for many Months. Among them, there are many EU Citizaens, from France, Spain, Poland" etc.

=>- "We all Admire the Courage of those Men and Women who Risk their Lives for an Independent Reporting and for the Right to Information. ... Without the work of such Journalists we wouldn't know about the Horrors of this War, the Torture, the Massacres of Innocent People, even Children, the drama that People are living everyday. While still remembering Today also all those Journalists who lost their Lives in this War, whether they came from Europe, Syria or from elsewhere, now, we (EU Parliament) ask for the Immediate Release of all Imprisoned Journalists"; Schulz concluded, widely applauded by numerous present MEPs. 

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- "EU Parliament stands for all Europeans, and is decided to join its efforts with us to free the Hostages, because it's defending Democracy, and Democracy cannot exist without the possibility for Free Journalists to Investigate things on the spot. ... That's why those Journalists taken Hostages were at Syria in order to inestigate what is Today the most Deadly Conflict in the Globe", pointed out the new Head of "Reporters without Borders" NGO for Press Freedom, Christophe Deloire.

 => Paying homage also to the Fathers and Mothers of 2 of the Victims, who were present in Strasbourg, Deloire promissed that - "We are going to struggle, as "Reporters without Borders", together with EU Parliament in order to concince all parties in a Conflict to respect the Freedom and preserve the Lives of Journalists, who are Not Actors in the Conflicts, but are there just in order to provide their Testimony, to Inform, and so that Massacers don't take place behind Closed Doors", as he said.

- "Those 2 Journalists who were Hostages in the Past, and are now together with us, Magnus and Florence Aubenas, know very well how important it is to shed some Light upon those who are still in Captivity, show Solidarity and make it known that there are People who are thinking of them and trying to Liberate them", he concluded.

+  Indeed, "Expressions of Solidarity and other Public Reactions about the People exposed to such Risks are necessary, because, otherwise, Criminals might be led to believe that their Victims either wouldn't be real Journalists, or that they are not important enough, so that nobody cares for them, with the consequence to start facing a threat of Life or Death", had Warned earlier experienced former Irak Hostage Florence Aubenas, in reply to another question by a collegue from the website news "Bruxelles2". ------------------------

 - "Hostage Journalists are from Italy, France, Spain, Sweden, and other EU Countries, "but the most important is that they are Europeans", stressed Italian Socialdemocrat MEP Silvia Costa, who denounced also the case of a Catholic Priest who had dedicated himself to Dialogue and Friendship between Religions,  particularly Islam and Christians, as she said.

+ "There are also 3 Spanish journalists", among the Hostages still held in Syria, observed ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Santiago Fisas Ayxela. - in order to Help in real practice, "what is important for them is to give them Valorisation and Notoriety", he pointed out.
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 - Isabella Lövin, at present a "Green" MEP from Sweden, reminded that she had been a Journalist for nearly 20 Years, and expressed her Happiness for the recent Liberation of 2 Swedish Journalists who had been held Hostages in Syria : The fact that Negotiators managed to set you Free, gives some Hope also to others who are still kept Hostages, as well as the fact that EU Parliament starts to be engaged and takes that seriously".

 - Indeed, "I don't think that anything can prepare a Human being "to be held Hostage, unless by thinking that someone Cares from you, outside, and that Families are supporting you", "because Press Freedom is the other side of Democracy", she concluded.             

 

                     
    + EU Parliament Security/Defence Committee President, ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP from France, Arjnould Danjean, speaking to "EuroFora", said that he knew personaly the 1st kidnaped French Journalist, "Francois Didier", "since Bosnia"'s main events, long before he arrived to Syria. He used to go to Dangerous places, but without taking undue risks : He is a real Pro", he noted.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  
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=> Cavada to "EuroFora"  : "This is about Kidnapping Public Opinion !"
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=> - "Good Feelings are important, but, now, Time has come for EU Parliament to take Action for the Criminalisation of Hostage-taking, particularly of Journalists", anounced in conclusion Top MEP and Journalist during all his previous life, Jean-Marie Cavada.

+ "What could be even more efficient, is also to try to modify the Statute of the International Criminal Court. Because a Hostage taker might feel in Security when he still is among a Group. But, once the Group has let him down, while an International Organisation is Searching for him, then, he knows that even if he's hidding at a Forest, if there is a real Political Will, it will not be long before he will be cought", he warned.

- "That's why we shall engage, together with EU Parliament's President Schulz and the InterGroup of MEPs former Journalists, from various EU Countries and/or Political Horizons, in parallel with our Member States, an effort to convince the International Community to modify in consequence the IPC Rules" accordingly, Cavada anounced.

 - "Defence of Journalists is not a Corporative issue", particularly when "it's Free  Speech which is taken Hostage", and, as 2 former Hostages who are present here remind us, "the Worst of all is Silence"....  

   >>> In fact, "this kind of Hostage-taking is not only about Individual Hostages, it' s also about  Kidnapping the Public Opinion" that they serve, and "that's why I consider necessary to extend the competence of the International Criminal Court in order to deal also with this kind of Histage-takers, Cavada (who is also an Experienced former President of EU Parliament's Civic Rights Committee), clarified to "EuroFora".