A CAMPAIGN to stop the appointment of Spain’s foreign minister as the EU’s chief diplomat was yesterday gaining support from around the world.
The hashtag #StopBorrell – created by lawyer and former UN Rapporteur on human rights Ben Emmerson – was trending on social media, aimed at stopping Josep Borrell becoming the bloc’s high representative for foreign affairs and security policy.
READ MORE: Here's what you need to know about each new EU chief
Borrell was fined €30,000 (£30,500) last year for insider trading while he was on the board of Spanish multinational Abengoa.
He also faced criticism from native Americans last year over his remarks in a speech in Madrid about how the US achieved independence.
Borrell said: “They came to independence virtually without any history at all.
“All they had done was to kill a handful of Indians. Apart from that, it was dead easy.”
Emmerson, who has been involved in the Catalan independence leaders’ trial, wrote on Twitter: “Native American writers and activists are joining the campaign to #StopBorrell.
“Not surprising in view of his revisionist statement denying the mass killings of their communities by settlers ...
“In some European States, denial of the holocaust or other genocides is a crime. But the EU wants to appoint this man to head up its foreign policy.”
He said concerns had been raised across Europe, including in Germany, France and Spain.
“The nomination of an aggressive Spanish nationalist with a record of insider dealing, undeclared income and support for the incarceration of elected politicians in Catalonia, despite UN condemnation, is a very bad idea for the EU.”
Spain in English tweeted: “Concerns about the nomination of Josep Borrell have reached the United Arab Emirates, where the media are reporting an outcry at the idea. This is just a taste of the diplomatic fallout that will follow if the EU doesn’t heed the warnings, and #StopBorrell.”
Criticism also came from Finnish MP Mikko Kärnä, a vocal supporter of Catalan independence, who wrote: “Mr @JosepBorrellF will be the new EU high representative of foreign affairs and security policy.
“I predict, that [European] Union’s foreign affairs will experience a heavy crisis within a month.
“Borrell is a loose cannon.”
Author and journalist Tim Parfitt tweeted: “The EU’s new ‘High Representative for Foreign Affairs & Security Policy’: Josep Borrell @JosepBorrellF. And the EU still wants us to take it seriously ...”
Borrell – frequently seen as an abrasive character – is a supporter of the Iranian regime and during his time as Spain’s foreign minister made several comments which were seen assympathetic towards it.
He marked the 40th anniversary of the Iranian revolution earlier this year by noting some of the achievements made since Ayatollah Khomeini swept to power in 1979.
Borrell said literacy rates had improved and Tehran had played an “essential role” in the war in Syria, while the US had withdrawn from it.
He went on to criticise US sanctions on Iran, rejecting “any kind of position that resembles an ultimatum from anyone and also from the United States” – a troubling remark given that the new diplomatic chief will lead on the EU’s negotiations with Tehran over the nuclear deal.
The 72-year-old told Politico earlier this year: “It would be very bad for us if [Iran] goes on to develop a nuclear weapon …
“Iran wants to wipe out Israel; nothing new about that. You have to live with it.”
Borrell has also publicly criticised US President Donald Trump, describing him as a “cowboy” for threatening military intervention in Venezuela.
As Spanish foreign minister, Borrell became a leading voice for the recognition of a Palestinian state and said last September: “It is obvious that the situation in Palestine must not continue as it is.
“If the EU is not able to reach a unanimous decision, then each to their own.”
He then indicated that Madrid could consider unilateral recognition of Palestinian statehood.
While the Israeli government has said nothing publicly about his potential appointment, officials are reportedly wary.
Although Borrell is from Catalonia, he is a staunch unionist and, should he be confirmed in the EU role he will have a fine line to tread in any negotiations between Serbia and Kosovo.
Neither he nor the Spanish Government want to offer pro-indy Catalans a precedent for a breakaway state – and Spain has thus far not recognised the independence of Kosovo.
Among those experts and commentators who have expressed reservations about Borrell’s appointment is Professor of United Nations Studies Alanna O’Malley, a former colleague of his at the European University Institute, who described him as “a fine example of ineffectual, corrupt and empty leadership”.
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