30. Stresses that there are major corruption risks involved in public procurement procedures and that,
consequently, transparent procurement rules and procedures should be promoted as a key priority;
31. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Commission.
P6_TA(2006)0142
Darfur
European Parliament resolution on Darfur
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to its previous resolutions on the subject, including that of 16 September 2004 on the
Darfur region in Sudan (1), and ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly Resolution ACP-EU 3777/05 of
21 April 2005 on the situation in Sudan (2),
— having regard to the communiqué of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union of 10 March
2006,
— having regard to the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004,
— having regard to the mandate of the African Union Mission in Sudan, which was extended in October
2004,
— having regard to the ongoing peace talks being held in Abuja,
— having regard to the findings of its missions in February 2004 and August/September 2004 and the
findings of the ACP-EU mission of March 2005,
— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas, in his report to the UN Security Council, Jan Pronk stated that killing, rape and abuses of
human rights continue in Darfur, with rape and sexual violence continuing unabated both within andoutside IDP camps,
B. whereas the ceasefire in the region is not being respected, whereas rebels belonging to the Sudanese
Liberation Army (SLA) have increased their ceasefire violations and whereas Justice and Equality Move-ment (JEM) rebels have said that they will ask for self-determination for the region unless a solution tothe conflict can be reached soon,
C. whereas the Government of Sudan continues to actively support the Janjaweed militia, not only by
arming the gangs but also through direct participation in attacks on villages with support vehicles (
3),
and whereas there are eye-witness reports of government helicopter fire (4),
D. whereas the African Union Mission in Sudan has been extended until 30 September 2006, after which
the international presence will be directly guaranteed by the UN,
E. whereas the Government of Sudan has said that such a UN operation would amount to colonialism and
has threatened to leave the African Union if that were to happen,
(1) OJ C 140 E, 9.6.2005, p. 153.
(2) OJ C 272, 3.11.2005, p. 43.
(3) As documented in the African Union Ceasefire Commission's Ceasefire Violation Report number 96/05 on the
alleged GoS attack on Umm Zoor market on 16 July 2005, which concluded that the ceasefire violation was com-mitted by the Janjaweed and Government of Sudan forces.
(
4) As documented in the latest report of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on Sudan,
published on 27 January 2006, pp. 10-11.C 293 E/320 EN 2.12.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Thursday 6 April 2006
F. whereas the AMIS mission's original mandate was to protect the AU observers that were monitoring
violations of the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement; whereas this mandate was extended in October2004 to permit AMIS to protect civilians it encountered ‘under imminent threat and in the immediate
vicinity ’; whereas this mission has never had the protection of civilians at the core of its mandate,
G. whereas the Darfur conflict —and impunity from prosecution —is increasingly affecting the stability
of neighbouring eastern Chad and constitutes a threat to international peace and security,
H. whereas the Government of Sudan prevented Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humani-
tarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, from visiting Darfur on 3 April 2006; whereas accessto Darfur for humanitarian aid and all humanitarian workers is considered to be at its lowest level intwo years,
I. whereas the UN Security Council referred the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court
(ICC) in March 2005, following which an investigation was launched, resulting in the names of51 potential suspects so far being given to the Court in the Hague,
J. whereas the Government of Sudan, in an attempt to avoid Sudanese officials suspected of war crimes
being sent to the ICC, has set up its own special courts in Darfur to deal with war crimes and human
rights violations,
K. whereas, to date, these special courts have not prosecuted any officials, militia members or other indi-
viduals responsible for serious human rights violations in Darfur,
L. whereas on 6 March 2006 a group of four teenage girls was attacked outside Al Shareif camp, the
aggression resulting in the death of the attacker; whereas the police referred the case of the four girlsto the Prosecution Attorney on charges of murder,
M. whereas Russia and China continue to supply arms to the Government of Sudan; whereas both coun-
tries have consistently blocked efforts by the UN Security Council to impose sanctions on Sudan in thelast six months,
1. Deplores the continuation of violence and rape by all sides, and condemns the Government of Sudan's
continued support for the Janjaweed militia (
1);
2. Urges the United Nations Security Council to meet to address the violence in Darfur, which is tanta-
mount to genocide, and to act on its responsibility to protect civilians by drafting a clear mandate under
Chapter VII of the UN Charter, on or before 1 October 2006 (following the expiry of the mandate of theAfrican Union mission in Darfur on 30 September 2006);
3. Calls on the UN Security Council to extend the arms embargo in Darfur throughout Sudan and
support the African Union's efforts in Darfur to reach full operational capacity and to robustly interpretits mandate to protect civilians until the transition to a UN mission;
4. Stresses that the mandate of the AMIS force has primarily been to observe violations of the humani-
tarian ceasefire agreement; criticises the international community for not having acted to protect civilianssooner;
5. Calls upon EU Member States to honour the commitments they have already made to provide military
observers, staff officers and civilian police to increase security in Darfur and to ensure that the current AMIS
mission is adequately funded and equipped to enable it to interpret its limited mandate as broadly as
possible;
(1) As documented in the African Union Ceasefire Commission's Ceasefire Violation Report number 96/05
(see footnote 1 to Recital C) and in the light of the assertion made on 21 March 2006 by the UN Special Envoy to
Darfur, Jan Pronk, that ‘AU commanders on the ground openly speak about continued support to militia by forces
allied to the Government ’.2.12.2006 EN C 293 E/321 Official Journal of the European Union
Thursday 6 April 2006
6. Welcomes the decisions taken by the UN Security Council in March 2006 on a ban on offensive
flights in Darfur; calls for an effectively enforced no-fly zone across Darfur;
7. Calls on the EU, the US and other international actors to take all necessary action to help end impun-
ity by enforcing the Security Council sanctions regime and seeking for this regime to include targetedsanctions against individuals who obstruct the deployment of the UN force and otherwise contribute toabuses of civilians;
8. Calls for the international community to support the ICC's investigation into violations of inter-
national humanitarian and human rights law in Darfur;
9. Joins the UNHCR in calling for an end to forced conscription of Sudanese refugees in Chad; calls for
the implementation of a Chad-Sudan border monitoring force, as provided for in the accord signed by thePresidents of the two countries on 10 February 2006;
10. Strongly criticises the Government of Sudan for preventing Jan Egeland, the UN Under-Secretary-
General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, from visiting Darfur;
11. Calls on the African Union to continue to play a leading role in the Abuja peace talks, and for all
those involved in the talks to work to achieve these ends;
12. Calls on the Government of Sudan to work alongside the NGO community for the benefit of its
people; urges the Government to revise the Organisation of Voluntary and Humanitarian Work Act 2006 tobring it into line with international human rights standards; insists that Sudan's Humanitarian Aid Commis-sion (HAC) facilitate the issuing of visas and travel permits to humanitarian workers and stop the har-assment of international NGOs; criticises the lack of independence of the HAC from the Government ofSudan;
13. Calls on the Government of Sudan to release Ms Amouna Mohamed Ahmed (17), Ms Fayza Ismail
Abaker (16), Ms Houda Ismail Abdel Rahman (17) and Ms Zahra Adam Abdela (17) while their case isinvestigated and considers that these girls should be given appropriate care as victims of attempted rape;
14. Criticises Russian and Chinese efforts to block UN Security Council actions over Darfur; urges the
international community to exert more pressure on these countries in order to prevent these countries'economic interests in oil and arms sales from undermining efforts to bring peace to Darfur;
15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of
Sudan, the UN Security Council, Jan Pronk, Jan Egeland, Kofi Annan and the Heads of Government of theACP countries.
P6_TA(2006)0143
Iraq: Assyrian community, situation in Iraqi prisons
European Parliament resolution on Iraq: the Assyrian community; the situation in Iraqi prisons
The European Parliament ,
— having regard to its resolution of 24 February 2005 on the EU's priorities and recommendations for
the 61st session of the UN Commission on Human Rights in Geneva (14 March to 22 April 2005) (1),
— having regard to its resolution of 28 April 2005 on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World
2004 and the EU's policy on the matter (2),
(1) OJ C 304 E, 1.12.2005, p. 375.
(2) OJ C 45 E, 23.2.2006, p. 107.C 293 E/322 EN 2.12.2006 Official Journal of the European Union
Thursday 6 April 2006