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Peru suggests Parlatino meet on immigrants

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-08-22 13:09

LIMA -- Peruvian President Alan Garcia suggested Thursday that the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) hold a meeting in Europe "as a political gesture" to demonstrate their preoccupation for the immigrants affected by the Return Law of the European Union (EU).

According to Garcia, this kind of meeting can bring together the media,intellectuals, politicians and mayors, and will probably prompt Europe to reconsider the application of the act.

After meeting with members of the Parlatino in the Government Palace in Lima, Garcia said the Return Law "is an exaggerated decision, unfair and uncompensated."

Garcia said that although worldwide economic crisis such as increasing wholesale prices had aroused European societies' concern about future, welfare and employment, and their guarding against immigrants, it was not the whole picture.

"Europe's first reaction may be: Out the immigrants, out the illegal (workers). But I'm convinced that beyond the declaration, the European society will not allow a severe application of the law," Garcia said.

European countries have already unified in overcoming and forgetting the rancor and atrocities. So Europe will understand that it is no longer possible to have immigrants "ghettos" inside their territory, said Garcia.

He believed that despite the fact that Europe has always represented the victory against such attempts of racial depuration, extermination, and separation for ideologies, groups and races, Latin America needs not to be afraid since it has "an enormous ally -- the European people".

Garcia was confident that the reasonable European people would finally be on their side to avoid any attempt of applying that law.

Garcia said that millions of Latin Americans in Europe now expect to see what the politicians of their home countries would do to the threats of the Return Law. This urges a "political gesture" from Latin America such as the Parlatino's meeting in Europe.

"The respect for formulas and protocols gathered us around the Euro-Latin negotiating table, but the gesture must go beyond ... it won't be excessive for the Parlatino to request the local of the European Parliament in Brussels to have a meeting. In this way, we are giving a strong message," Garcia said.