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UP FRONTThursday 7 April 2016
Reports: Dutch reject EU-Ukraine deal in referendum
fits from its internal market,
but paradoxically also a
hotbed of Euroskepticism
that rejected the bloc’s
proposed constitution in a
2005 referendum.
Exactly what will happen
to the agreement now re-
mains unclear.
But in a first reaction, Prime
Minister Mark Rutte said: “If
the turnout is above 30 per-
cent, with such a big vic-
tory for the ‘No’ camp, you
can’t just go ahead and
ratify the treaty.”
However, Rutte said he
would not be rushed into
action, saying he wanted
to discuss the result in his
Cabinet, at the European
Union and in the Dutch
Parliament, a process that
could take “days if not
weeks.” The referendum
was the first in the Nether-
lands since the 2005 rejec-
tion of the EU constitution
and was forced by a loose
coalition of Euro-skeptics
that managed to gather
nearly 430,000 signatures in
just six weeks last year. Most
often, deals like this are rati-
fied by the governments of
the 28 EU members, with-
out any referendums.
Wilders said he hoped the
vote would give hope to
other nations questioning
their place in Europe.
After casting his ballot at
a school on the outskirts of
The Hague, Wilders said the
Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte leaves the polling station after casting his vote in a non-binding Dutch referendum could
referendum on the EU-Ukraine association agreement in The Hague, Netherlands, Wednesday,
April 6, 2016. A clear majority of people who voted Wednesday in a Dutch referendum rejected a
far-reaching European Union free trade deal with Ukraine.
(AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
MIKE CORDER votes were counted and ty with the Ukraine,” tweet-
Associated Press reported by municipalities ed popular anti-Islam, anti-
THE HAGUE, Netherlands to national news agency EU lawmaker Geert Wilders.
(AP) — A clear major- ANP’s election service. “The beginning of the end
ity of people who voted While it was long in doubt of the EU.”
Wednesday in a Dutch if the result would be val- As expected, the vote un-
referendum rejected a id, the sentiment among derscored a deep-root-
far-reaching European those in the nation of 17 ed skepticism about this
Union free trade deal with million who voted was crys- country’s place in Europe.
Ukraine, and with all votes tal clear: According to the The non-binding Dutch
counted it was clear that ANP count, 61.1 percent re- vote came less than three
the threshold of 30 percent jected the EU-Ukraine pact months before British citi-
voter turnout would be met and 38.1 percent voted zens decide in their own
and the result would be for it. The remaining votes referendum whether to
valid. were blank or spoiled. leave the EU altogether.
The turnout was at 32.2 per- “It looks like the Dutch peo- The Netherlands is a found-
cent, broadcasters NOS ple said NO to the Europe- ing member of the EU, a
and RTL reported after all an elite and NO to the trea- trading nation that bene-
First Syrians leave for US under surge resettlement program
KHETAM MALKAWI U.S. Ambassador to Jordan Alice Wells, top left, poses for a pho- good education, and we
Associated Press to with Syrian refugee Ahmad al-Abboud, top center, and his are looking forward to hav-
AMMAN, Jordan (AP) — family at the International Airport of Amman, Jordan, Wednes- ing a good life over there,”
The first Syrian family to be day, April 6, 2016. al-Abboud said.
resettled in the U.S. under They have been living in
a speeded-up “surge op- (AP Photo/Raad Adayleh) Mafraq, north of Amman.
eration” for refugees left Al-Abboud was unable to
Jordan on Wednesday for find work, and the family
Kansas City, Missouri, to was surviving on food cou-
start a new life. Ahmad al- pons.
Abboud, who is being re- “I am ready to integrate
settled with his wife and five in the U.S. and start a new
children, said he is thankful life,” he told The Associat-
to Jordan, where he has ed Press in Amman’s airport
lived for three years after before the family boarded
fleeing Syria’s civil war. But a flight to Kansas City.
the 45-year-old from Homs, Al-Abboud said he wanted
Syria, said he was ready to to learn English and find a
build a better life in the U.S. job to support his family.
“I’m happy. America is Since October, 1,000 Syrian
the country of freedom refugees have moved to
and democracy, there are the U.S. from Jordan. Presi-
jobs opportunities, there is dent Barack Obama has
act as an incentive to Brit-
ish voters to reject the EU in
June. “So it could be today
that it is the start of the end
of the European Union as
we know it today and that
would be very good,” he
said.
Dutch opponents of the
EU-Ukraine association
agreement argued that
its ultimate goal is bring-
ing Kiev into the EU and
argued the bloc shouldn’t
be dealing with Ukraine’s
leadership because of the
widespread corruption in
the country. President Pet-
ro Poroshenko, a candy
magnate who won elec-
tions in 2014, has been ac-
cused, following the leak of
millions of records on off-
shore accounts, of abusing
his office and of tax eva-
sion by moving his business
offshore, possibly depriving
the country of millions of
dollars in taxes.
Poroshenko’s rise to pow-
er began after Ukrainians
rose up against their gov-
ernment in February 2014
because of then-President
Viktor Yanukovych’s refus-
al to sign the association
agreement.
Supporters of the deal
said it is not a membership
stepping stone and would
boost trade and help bat-
tle corruption and improve
human rights in the former
Soviet republic on Europe’s
restive eastern edge. q
set a target of resettling
10,000 Syrian refugees by
Sept. 30.
A resettlement center
opened in Amman in Feb-
ruary to help meet that
goal, and about 600 peo-
ple are interviewed every
day at the center.
The temporary processing
center will run until April 28,
said U.S. Ambassador Alice
Wells, who was at the air-
port to see the al-Abboud
family depart.
Gina Kassem, the regional
refugee coordinator at the
U.S. Embassy in Amman,
said that while the target
of 10,000 applies to Syrian
refugees living around the
world, most will be resettled
from Jordan. q