NEWCASTLE, 10/09/05 - Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner does not support the British wish to amend the European Human Rights Treaty to make it easier to expel terrorists or spiritual leaders who foster hatred. Donner claims a change of this sort is "unnecessary and undesirable".

The British home and justice ministers Charles Clarke and Lord Falconer are pressing for an amendment, which requires unanimous agreement. In the United Kingdom, three people threatened with expulsion recently appealed successfully under the human rights treaty to avoid having to return to their country of origin, claiming they would be tortured. "We must sometimes weigh up the interests of an individual against the interests of society as a whole, in the interest of the war on terrorism", Lord Falconer explained in Newcastle where EU ministers were meeting.

In a reaction to the British proposals, however, Donner pointed out that it was usually possible to reach agreements with the countries to which people were sent back specifying that they would not be tortured. This provided an adequate guarantee, in his view, and tampering with the EHRT is not necessary, according to the Dutch minister.?