Cassola to preside Berlin meeting

Arnold Cassola has become the first Maltese to preside the opening of the Congress of the European Federation of Green Parties (EFGP) meeting in Berlin, which is being attended by the representatives of 10 million members of European Green parties.

The Greens, in collaboration with the European Free Alliance, have become the fourth largest political group in the European Parliament.

Dr Cassola, who is the EFGP secretary general and Alternattiva Demokratika spokesperson on EU Affairs, said that various green politicians have or are suffering because of their principles, and these include Colombian presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, who has been kidnapped by the Colombian Revolutionary Army for months now.

"Fortunately, civil society has reacted strongly at such dangerous threats to democracy, and has realised that strong green parties are necessary if we want to have a socially and environmentally just society that respects the basic fundamental rights of each human being. This is the only real democratic way of combating xenophobia. Reacting violently to xenophobic doctrines is totally unacceptable to us greens," he said.