The European Parliament Committee on Thursday gave the green light to a hearing of Edward Snowden, former technical advisor to the US National Security Agency (NSA), who was the source of revelations about the agency's mass surveillance..
The European Parliament's Civil Liberties Committee approved the hearing with 36 votes in favor, 2 against and 1 abstention.
Mr. Snowden, who has found refuge in Russia, will not travel to either Brussels or Strasbourg, but will speak via an "interactive" video conference.
This was a condition on the part of the European People's Party (EPP) MEPs for the hearing to take place.
Mr. Snowden will be able to be asked questions by MEPs, said Frenchwoman Véronique Mathieu Huillon on behalf of the EPP.
All conditions will be met to "guarantee the safety" of E. Snowden, who risks being sentenced to 30 years in prison in the US for violating the Espionage Act and for stealing state documents, Ms. Whiyon added.
Mr. Snowden and his lawyers have received an invitation from the European Parliament to participate in this interactive video conference, but have not yet responded, a source in the European Parliament said, as reported by the French Agency.
If an agreement is reached, the hearing, which will be open to all MEPs, could be held before the Civil Liberties Committee as early as “the end of February,” according to Ms. Uillon.
When informed of the committee's decision, British Conservative MEP Timothy Kirkhope, who is against a hearing for Mr. Snowden, noted that inviting the former NSA advisor was "highly irresponsible" and that it had dealt a blow to the "credibility of the European Parliament.".
A representative of the US Congress, who was challenged last December by the European Parliament in Brussels, had warned of the "negative consequences" that a hearing of E. Snowden would have on EU-US relations.
"This would be very negative for ties between the US and the EU," said Republican Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Source: planet-greece.blogspot.com
