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UP FRONTMonday 4 April 2016
Netherlands to hold vote on EU-Ukraine deal
MIKE CORDER
Associated Press
THE HAGUE, Netherlands
(AP) — Dutch voters are
going to the polls on
Wednesday — but the top-
ic is Ukraine, not their own
country.
When Ukrainians rose up
against their government
in February 2014, the trig-
ger for their anger was
then-President Viktor Ya-
nukovych’s refusal to sign
an agreement fostering
closer links between his
country and the 28-na-
tion European Union. After
Yanukovych was toppled,
his replacement, Petro Po-
roshenko, signed the As-
sociation Agreement with
theEU, a broad free trade
deal that — supporters say
— also seeks to tackle cor-
ruption and improve hu-
man rights in the troubled
former Soviet republic.
Now, long-simmering anti-
EU sentiment in the Neth-
erlands threatens the deal,
much of which is already
in force. In a non-binding
“advisory referendum” on
Wednesday, the Dutch
can vote for or against
Dutch ratification of the
deal with Ukraine.
While the Ukraine agree-
ment is nominally the tar-
get, the referendum is seen
by many as an opportunity
to protest the EU’s expan-
sion and what they con-
sider its undemocratic de-
Graham in Cairo: US hasn’t changed despite Trump
MARAM MAZEN
Associated Press
CAIRO (AP) — Republi-
can Sen. Lindsey Graham
sought to reassure the Arab
world Sunday over the
prospect of Donald Trump
becoming president, say-
ing in Cairo that Congress
would continue to play a
primary role in foreign poli- fect a Trump presidency
cy, “regardless of what Mr.
Trump says or does.”
“The Congress is going to
be around no matter who
is president,” Graham told
reporters after meeting
with Egyptian President Ab-
del-Fatah el-Sissi as part of to the U.S. and the building
a Republican congressio-
nal delegation touring the
Middle East.
“All of us, regardless of
what Mr. Trump says or
does, we are going to keep
WORLD BRIEFS
A man holds the Ukraine flag as demonstrators for a “YES” vote for Wednesday’s upcoming EU- Armed train marshals
to ride some French
Ukraine referendum gathered in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Sunday, April 3, 2016. The Netherlands routes, and can shoot
is holding a non-binding advisory referendum on an EU-Ukraine “association agreement,” a vote PARIS (AP) — The head of
the French national rail
seen by opponents of the 28-nation bloc as an opportunity to express their anger at what they service says that train mar-
shals, armed and allowed
consider unwanted expansionism and a lack of democratic rights for EU citizens. to use their weapons, will
be patrolling some passen-
(AP Photo/Peter Dejong) ger trains, one of a series of
new security measures.
cision-making processes. support has long been to uphold the ratification. Guillaume Pepy said on
“We, of course, couldn’t mixed in this country of 17 EU Commission President iTele TV on Sunday that
care less about Ukraine,” million, which in 2005 vot- Jean-Claude Juncker says the marshals will be in civil-
history professor Arjan van ed against the bloc’s pro- the stakes are high, saying ian dress, chosen from the
Dixhoorn, one of the lead- posed constitution. that a “No” vote “would SNCF train authority’s 3,000
ers of the euro-skeptical Cit- The committee opposes open the door to a great security agents and trained
izens’ Committee EU that the Dutch government continental crisis.” In recent for the task.
pushed for the referendum, ceding more decision- weeks, Among other measures, a
told the Dutch newspaper making power to EU offi- Ukrainian leaders have vis- team of profilers will survey
NRC Handelsblad. cials in Brussels, calling it an ited the Netherlands and some of the 40,000 train
His organization really fa- “erosion of our sovereignty Dutch lawmakers have station cameras for suspi-
vors a referendum on that we never approved.” flown to Kiev to swing the cious behavior, and secu-
whether the Dutch should The Dutch result is valid vote in favor of the asso- rity portals in some stations
leave the EU — just like the only if Wednesday’s turn- ciation agreement. Porosh- will add arms and explo-
vote Britain is holding on out is over 30 percent. If a enko, while meeting with sives detection.
June 23 — but there is no majority votes against the Dutch lawmakers, called The November Paris at-
way to force such a refer- deal, the government can it “a real road map for the tacks added to security
endum under Dutch law. pass a new law effectively internal transformation” of concerns already preva-
The Netherlands is a found- withdrawing its ratification, Ukraine. lent after a radical tried to
ing member of the EU, but or it can advise parliament carry out an attack on a
train last August that was
aborted by three Ameri-
can travelers.
Fire engulfs Russian
defense ministry’s
building in Moscow
MOSCOW (AP) — A mas-
sive fire raged at a former
headquarters of the Rus-
sian Defense Ministry in
Moscow on Sunday before
it was brought under con-
being who we are, so don’t of the way we view the recipient of U.S. military aid trol several hours later.
let the political scenes at world. It hasn’t,” Graham after Israel. Hundreds of firefighters
home get you too upset,” said. Graham said the delega- and several cranes were
Graham said. “That’s what Graham has endorsed Sen. tion’s main purpose in Egypt seen battling the blaze
I told the president.” Ted Cruz, Trump’s main is to improve and deepen Sunday afternoon after the
Graham’s comments re- Republican rival, despite relations with el-Sissi, and fire broke out hours earlier.
garding the front-runner the fact that Graham has to support the economy to Igor Denisov of the Emer-
for his party’s nomination been a vocal public critic help ensure the stability of gency Situations Ministry
reflect a growing concern of Cruz for years. Speaking Egypt. in Moscow told Russian
in Washington over the ef- to The Daily Show’s Trevor “If Egypt fails, every prob- news agencies that fire-
Noah last month, Graham lem in the Mideast be- fighters “localized” the
could have on U.S. foreign said he was endorsing Cruz comes a hundred times blaze, which had spread
policy and international because he is, “not com- worse,” Graham said. over 3,500 square meters
relations. Trump has stirred pletely crazy.” Graham, along with Sen. (37,670 square feet) by the
controversy both at home Speaking to reporters Sun- John McCain, was vehe- late afternoon. At least one
and abroad with propos- day, Graham said he wants mently opposed to the firefighter was hospitalized.
als that include a blanket the U.S. to increase its mili- July 2013 military ouster of The Defense Ministry
ban on Muslim immigration tary aid to el-Sissi’s govern- elected Islamist President moved to a new head-
ment, which is battling a Mohammed Morsi, led by quarters on the Moskva
of a massive wall along the long-running insurgency in then-Defense Minister el- River in 2014 but still kept
entire U.S.-Mexican border. the northern Sinai by mili- Sissi. The military removed the old building near the
“Don’t let the politics of the tants affiliated with the Is- Morsi of the Muslim Brother- Kremlin.
moment make you believe lamic State group. hood amid mass protests
that America has funda- With $1.3 billion annually, against his one-year rule.
mentally changed in terms Egypt is the second-largest