With the vote of the EU Parliament (446 for, 7 against, 29 abstentions), the Cypriot Androula Vassilou has been appointed the new EU Commissioner for Public Health and Food Safety, replacing her fellow countryman Markos Kyprianou, who has been appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs in Nicosia. Parliament, gathered in its plenary meeting in Brussels, then passed two statements that become its official positions. One asks "that justice be done on the murder of Munir Said Thalib, a well-known Indonesian activist". The Indonesian authorities are urged to take "all the measures they may need to make sure the culprits", "at all levels", will be tried. According to the Assembly, such "murder aimed at intimidating and threatening all the other human rights defenders". The second statement asks that all European TV programs be subtitled for deaf people. Parliament then held a debate on the situation in Lebanon: the MEPs highlighted the problem of democratic stability (the election of the president has been postponed several times; now the poll is due on 25th April), that of the social and economic situation, and the continuation of violence and internal conflicts.
