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Leroux, Camille
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5 articles of this author have been cited in the European Press Review so far.
UN abandons Syrians
The UN Security Council condemned the violence of the Syrian regime against its rebelling population on Wednesday evening but failed to pass a resolution. It is sparing Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and abandoning the oppressed people to their fate, the left-liberal daily Le Quotidien admonishes: "The Libyan precedent is deterring the members of the UN Security Council and dooming every initiative to failure. Bashar al-Assad is happily watching support for him grow in the Arab world. He is above all the guarantee for an extremely fragile stability in the region and a valuable mediator with hot-tempered Iran. The Syrian president is playing this card to the full by promising that the Middle East will plunge into conflict between Sunnis and Shiites should his regime fall. ... Once again, it is the people who suffer the consequences of these power games. The Syrians can give up hope of help from the international community. They will have to get used to fighting on their own."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » International Relations, » Security Policy / Crises / War, » Global, » Syria
Swiss banks vs. dictators
A new law took effect in Switzerland on Tuesday which dramatically tightens regulations on handling the fortunes of dictators. Until now many potentates were able to stash away their dirty millions in Swiss bank accounts, which is why the left-wing liberal daily Le Quotidien welcomes the initiative. "No one forgets the benign neutrality of the Swiss toward both the victims and henchmen of National Socialism. But the country is now making an effort to clean up its image, and over the last fifteen years it has already paid out over a billion euros in restitution. Switzerland has now taken a step which other countries are still reluctant to take. And it is trying to shed its image as an island of peace and financial security for illicitly acquired capital. Even if there are plenty of other tax havens where dictators can stash their cash, at least this stain is being removed from the heart of Europe."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Banks, » Switzerland
Southern Sudan's long and winding road
The referendum on the independence of Southern Sudan has been underway since Sunday, and has been overshadowed by bloody fighting in which 36 people died on Monday. But even if it gains independence the new country's troubles will just have started, writes the daily Le Quotidien: "The widespread jubilation since the start of the referendum has been sullied by the outbreak of violence, a reminder that this separation is difficult to swallow for North Sudan. And the struggle will not be over with independence. ... The new state of Southern Sudan will be free, but it won't have an easy time of things. Even if there is no lack of water, agriculture and livestock resources, even if the new state can count on its petroleum reserves to attract foreign investors, everything has to be built from scratch. ... The infrastructure, healthcare and administration must be built up, the elites must be educated: accomplishing all this will hardly take less time than it will have taken to achieve independence."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Sudan
Separatists escalate crisis in Belgium
An interview with Bart De Weaver, leader of the Flemish separatist party N-VA, published by the German news magazine Der Spiegel has triggered fierce reactions in Belgium. The politician described the country as "Europe's sick man". Yet another blow for Belgium's struggling Federal State, writes the left-liberal daily Le Quotidien: "He used the very same phrase that described the downfall of the Ottoman Empire, which lost both Greece and the Balkans within the space of a century before collapsing completely. What a disastrous analogy. The more time passes, the harsher the Flemish politician's attacks against the Federal State which was founded in 1830. ... Month after month the N-VA boss continues his task of undermining Belgium's unity."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » Domestic Policy, » Belgium
EU rightly criticises rating agencies
This week the EU Commission proposed that a new European regulating authority should monitor the business of rating agencies. The daily Le Quotidien writes that the agencies bear partial responsibility for the crisis: "It is no accident that fingers are now being pointed at the agencies. In all probability they turned a blind eye to the 'subprime' time bomb. ... They brusquely downgraded Greece's rating and cast suspicion on Spain and Portugal. To arm themselves against the agencies' damaging effects, some are proposing striking at the root of the evil, at least on a state level. ... [President of the Euro Group] Jean-Claude Juncker and [economist] Jacques Attali have agreed on an option that could improve the relatively inefficient European budget policies in the Eurozone by issuing European treasury bonds. The idea ... could come into effect just at a time when Europe must protect itself from speculators."
» full article (external link, French)
More from the press review on the subject » EU Policy, » Fiscal Policy, » Europe
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