ddrg/super_eurlex huggingface dataset:
B4-0418/97

Resolution on the famine in North Korea

The European Parliament,

A. having regard to the dramatically worsening food shortage in North Korea which has reportedly cost over 100 000 lives since 1995,

B. alarmed that the North Korean Government itself has admitted the deaths of 134 children from starvation,

C. having regard to the flooding which has devastated North Korea in the last two years and which has destroyed large proportions of crops,

D. having regard to the urgent warnings from international organizations such as the UN World Food Programme and the international league of Red Cross and Red Crescent associations that food supplies in North Korea are practically exhausted and the population has been reduced to eating grass and tree bark,

E. having regard to the urgent appeal by the UN to its members for financial and practical support in organizing food aid and the provision of other aid supplies to a total value of US$ 126 million for the North Korean population,

F. having regard to the appeal by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization for the establishment of a US$ 14.3 million aid programme to help North Korea grow more grain, rice and vegetables,

G. whereas an EU financial contribution to the North Korean nuclear programme would simply go into the pockets of US industry, which is collaborating with South Korean firms to build two light-water reactors,

The European Parliament,

1. Underlines that the North Korean Government has its own responsibility for taking the necessary steps to open up the economy and allowing its people to participate in trade and development;

2. Calls on the Commission and Council to take all necessary action forthwith to support the UN in its effort to alleviate the famine in North Korea;

3. Criticizes the attitude of the US and South Korea in making the delivery of major food aid dependent on peace talks;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, and the governments of the Member States, the US, Japan and North and South Korea.
B4-0486 and 0515/97

Resolution on the fate of street children in Moscow

The European Parliament,

A. whereas in Moscow, as in other major cities in the Russian Federation, a considerable number of homeless children finds itself in the streets, while the municipal authorities are withholding any support on the ground that these children do not have the formal documents to prove their right of residence in Moscow,

B. whereas several initiatives have been taken by private individuals and groups from civil society with a view to providing these children with housing, food and, where possible, education,

C. whereas the municipal authorities in Moscow have repeatedly tried to close the 'Island of Hope¨ project claiming that the children concerned had no right to be in Moscow and therefore should not be provided with any support,

D. whereas furthermore on 15 May 1997 elements from within the police and security forces broke into the "Island of Hope¨ building, physically abusing staff members, carrying away children, damaging property and calling for the closure of the entire operation,

The European Parliament,

1. Draws attention to the plight of the many street children in Moscow and other Russian cities, many of whom have no formal documents to prove their right of residence in Moscow and are therefore denied any support by the municipal services under rules dating from the Soviet regime;

2. Welcomes the initiatives coming from civil society, such as the "Island of Hope¨, providing basic services such as housing and food to these destitute children;

3. Is distressed by reports that the municipal authorities in Moscow are trying to close down such initiatives invoking rules dating from the Soviet era, thus effectively depriving these children of any support whatsoever;

4. Is shocked by the ensuing physical attacks on 15 May 1997 by elements from within the police and security forces on the 'Island of Hope¨;

5. Calls upon the municipal authorities in Moscow to allow for humanitarian reasons initiatives emanating from civil society that seek to provide basic services to street children, services the municipality itself in many cases refuses to provide, and calls upon the relevant authorities in Russia to restrain the police and security forces so as to prevent a repetition of the attack on 15 May 1997;

6. Instructs its Delegation for Relations with the Russian Federation to discuss the plight of street children with the Mayor of Moscow during its next stay for the interparliamentary meeting in Moscow;

7. Calls upon the Commission and the Council in the context of their relations with the Russian Federation to suggest a review as a priority matter of those rules from the Soviet era which prevent humanitarian initiatives from civil society;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the President of the Russian Federation, the Russian Duma and the municipal authorities of Moscow.
B4-0726, 0805, 0806, 0810 and 0811/97

Resolution on the political situation in Algeria

The European Parliament,

A. appalled at the escalation of violence in Algeria, which has caused thousands of deaths since 1992, including hundreds in the last two months,

B. noting that the establishment of the national legislative assembly which came to power following the elections on 5 June 1997, in which the country's democratic political forces took part, has neither interrupted nor curbed the brutal violence committed by the terrorists,

C. stressing the need to reach a political solution in order to put an end to the violence in which the country has been plunged for several years,

D. stressing that the barbaric violence of the terrorist organizations over the last few months has struck indiscriminately and has also been directed against the most vulnerable sections of society, children, women and the elderly, and calling on the Algerian government to take severe measures to tackle these terrorist groups, while respecting human rights and fundamental freedoms, in order to guarantee the safety of the population,

E. whereas the Algerian authorities, supported by the results of several elections, now have the political and institutional means at their disposal to allow them to lead the country out of the spiral of violence by means of political dialogue, with the backing of all the political forces who reject the use of violence;

F. whereas, while avoiding any direct interference, the European Union cannot ignore any situation in which human rights are under attack, nor can it ignore events in the Maghreb and the whole of Africa - with particularly regard to Algeria - at a time when it is vital to avert any risk of destabilization in the countries of the region,

The European Parliament,

1. Roundly condemns the terrorist attacks and massacres carried out against the civilian population in Algeria and expresses its solidarity with the Algerian people;

2. Calls on all Algerian political and religious leaders with any hold or influence over the perpetrators of the massacres to undertake to do their utmost to have the violence in Algeria stopped;

3. Calls on the Algerian Government to deepen the dialogue with all the political forces and democratic elements in the country who reject the use of violence, so as to release the country from the tragic situation into which it has plunged and allow the rule of law and respect for human rights, including the freedom of the press and the right to demonstrate, to be reestablished;

4. Calls for an ad hoc delegation to be set up to enable a dialogue to be launched without delay, in both Strasbourg and Algiers, with the new Algerian Parliament on the current critical situation in Algeria;

5. Calls on the Member States of the European Union not to repatriate Algerian nationals residing in their territory whose safety would be endangered if they were compelled to return to Algeria;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the Algerian Government and National Legislative Assembly.
B4-0950/97

Resolution on the detention of Silvia Baraldini, an Italian national, in the United States

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolutions of 17 November 1994 ((OJ C 341, 5.12.1994, p. 173.)) and 15 February 1996 ((OJ C 65, 4.3.1996, p. 164.)) on the detention of Silvia Baraldini, an Italian national, in the United States,

A. concerned at the lack of any response on the part of the US authorities and the failure of an appeal by Mrs Baraldini to the Parole Board of Danbury, Connecticut,

B. alarmed at the deterioration in the physical and mental health of Silvia Baraldini who has served more than 14 years of a 43-year sentence for alleged terrorist crimes although she was not personally involved in murder,

C. whereas, since its last resolution was adopted unanimously, there has been growing public support in the European Union for the transfer of Silvia Baraldini to an Italian prison, in accordance with the Strasbourg Convention, which has been signed and ratified by Italy and the United States,

1. Calls on the President of the United States, Bill Clinton, the Attorney- General, Janet Reno, and the Secretary of State, Madeleine Albright, to take due note of the risk of growing dissatisfaction on the part of European public opinion with the line taken by the Washington administration in this case and therefore to arrange for the immediate transfer of Silvia Baraldini to an Italian prison;

2. Draws attention, pending a decision to this effect by the US Government, to the need for the Italian and US governments to seek a friendly settlement through the Committee on Crime Problems of the Council of Europe, in accordance with Article 23 of the Strasbourg Convention;

3. Points out that Article 5 of the Strasbourg Convention requires prompt acceptance or rejection of requests for the transfer of prisoners;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Italian Government, the President of the United States and the Attorney-General and Secretary of State of the US Government.
B4-0080 and 0102/98

Resolution on the death sentence passed on Karla Faye Tucker in the United States

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the resolution adopted on 3 April 1997 by the United Nations Commission on Human Rights which calls for a moratorium on executions in anticipation of their total abolition,

A. whereas in December 1997 the United States Supreme Court confirmed the death sentence passed on Karla Faye Tucker, a prisoner being held in Texas, and whereas the district court judge has decided that the execution will take place on 3 February 1998,

B. whereas 48 female prisoners are currently being held on death row in the United States, only one woman has been executed since the death penalty was reinstated there in 1976, and a woman was last executed in Texas in 1863,

C. whereas of the 58 US death row prisoners who were under age at the time of committing their crimes, 43% are being held in Texas, and whereas nine minors have been executed in the United States since 1976, five of those executions having taken place in Texas,

D. whereas of the 74 executions that took place in the United States in 1997, 37 were carried out in Texas, and whereas of the 30 executions due to be carried out in the United States by May 1998, 14 will take place in Texas alone, and the remainder in seven other States,

E. whereas the decision to grant a stay of execution to Karla Faye Tucker and commute her sentence now rests with the Texas State Governor, George Bush Jr, who will be called upon to act on the basis of a recommendation by the Mercy Commission,

1. Addresses a formal appeal to the Governor of Texas and the other state authorities concerned to grant a stay of execution to Karla Faye Tucker and commute her sentence;

2. Calls on the institutions, legislatures and governors of states where the death penalty is in force to impose a moratorium on executions;

3. Calls on the US Federal Government to withdraw the reservation to the provision prohibiting the execution of minors, a qualification added by the United States to the Act ratifying the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

4. Calls on the Council and Commission to lend their utmost support to the appeal to the Governor of Texas to commute the sentence or grant a reprieve;

5. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the US Federal Government and the Governor of the State of Texas.
B4-0076 and 0097/98

Resolution on the appointment of an EU special representative for Tibet

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the People's Republic of China and Tibet,

A. whereas it has repeatedly called on the Council and the Commission to draw up a common foreign policy with regard to China and particularly the situation in Tibet,

B. reiterating its concern about the fate of the Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choeky Nyima, and his family,

C. recalling the controversies caused by the EU's first project in Tibet, the Panam Project, which reportedly does not permit NGO access to the region,

D. welcoming the release of the Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng, winner of the Sakharov Prize in 1996,

1. Calls on the Council and Commission to appoint an EU special representative for Tibet responsible for doing everything possible to carry out the Union's demands as regards the civil and political rights situation in Tibet, with a remit to monitor developments there;

2. Calls on the Council and Commission to take the necessary steps to obtain full information about the fate of the Panchen Lama, Gedhun Choeky Nyima, and his family, and to take all possible initiatives to act upon Parliament's repeated requests for the release of the Tibetan Mr Nawang Chophel, as well as Mr Wang Dan and Mr Hada;

3. Welcomes the decision by the Chinese authorities to reopen the human rights dialogue with the European Union and the announcement that China is willing to sign the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;

4. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Government of the People's Republic of China and the Tibetan Government in exile.
B4-0439, 0440, 0441, 0443, 0444, 0445 and 0446/98

Resolution on the Northern Ireland peace agreement of 10 April 1998

The European Parliament,

- having regard to the agreement signed in Belfast on 10 April 1998 by the UK and Irish Governments and political parties,

1. Welcomes this agreement as offering a truly historic opportunity for a new beginning;

2. Welcomes the fact that the signatories are committed to partnership, consent, equality and mutual respect;

3. Acknowledges the contribution of the present and previous Irish and UK governments;

4. Welcomes the positive support to date of the EU for the peace process and asks the Council and the Commission, as a matter of urgency, to consider how this agreement can be supported in practical terms;

5. Strongly endorses the total commitment to the use of exclusively democratic and peaceful means to resolve differences on political issues and to oppose the use or threat of force for any objective;

6. Joins with the signatories in commending this agreement to the people of Ireland, North and South, for their approval;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the UK and Irish Governments.
B4-0496, 0500, 0510 and 0519/98

Resolution on the sale of organs of persons sentenced to death in China

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on China,

- having regard to the Annex to United Nations Economic and Social Council Resolution 1984/50 of 25 May 1994,

A. totally appalled by the report by the China Watch organization and the Fresenius company that the Chinese People's Liberation Army is carrying on a flourishing trade in the organs of persons sentenced to death,

B. whereas these practices constitute a crime and manifestly infringe international conventions on respect for and protection of the dignity of condemned prisoners and the inviolability of their person,

C. whereas various European companies could be implicated in this trafficking,

D. whereas the EU has a duty to respond in the strongest terms to the abuses which have been exposed and whereas it must do everything in its power to put a stop to these inhuman practices forthwith,

E. reiterating its total opposition to capital punishment and its determination to secure abolition of the death penalty in all parts of the world,

1. Calls on the Chinese authorities to do their utmost forthwith to stop these inhuman practices;

2. Instructs its Delegation for relations with the People's Republic of China to raise this issue on the occasion of the next delegation visit in June 1998;

3. Calls on the Council and Commission to take all the steps required to ensure that the United Nations immediately sets up an international committee of inquiry with a view to shedding full light on the networks being used in China and the rest of the world to traffic in and sell organs removed from persons sentenced to death;

4. Asks the Commission and the Council to take the necessary initiatives at international level to ban all illegal and inhumane trade in human organs;

5. Reiterates its total opposition to the death penalty and its determination to persuade the United Nations to declare a world-wide moratorium on executions;

6. Renews its demand that the authorities of the People's Republic of China abolish the death penalty as soon as possible and calls on them, pending complete and final abolition of the death penalty, to publish full details of the executions carried out;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the authorities of the People's Republic of China, and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

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B4-0507, 0517, 0532 and 0543/98

Resolution on Turkey

The European Parliament,

A. whereas, on the morning of 12 May 1998, two men entered Akin Birdal's office and opened fire, injuring him with six bullets,

B. whereas Mr Birdal, the President of Turkey¨s Human Rights Association, is a highly respected human rights activist who has regularly provided information to European delegations, ambassadors and a number of Parliament's own Members,

C. whereas Mr Birdal has faced significant pressure from the Turkish authorities and is currently facing a number of legal proceedings on account of his human rights activities,

D. whereas little has been done to bring to justice the perpetrators of attacks against other members of the Human Rights Association,

E. whereas on 21 April 1998 the Diyarbakir State Security Court sentenced the mayor of Istanbul, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to ten months in jail for "inciting hatred¨ in an alleged anti-secular political speech,

F. whereas Mr Erdogan belonged to the Refah party, which was dissolved by the Constitutional Court in January 1998, and is currently a member of the Fazilet party,

G. whereas legal proceedings have been taken against other members of the party including mayors and businessmen,

The European Parliament,

1. Expresses its shock and outrage at the attack on Akin Birdal, condemns it totally and expresses its solidarity with him and his collaborators in the Human Rights Association of Turkey;

2. Calls on the Turkish authorities to ensure that the material and intellectual authors of this, and other similar crimes, are brought to justice;

3. Concerned that the climate brought about by the existing impunity for those responsible for attacks against other members of human rights organizations and journalists has contributed to such an attack taking place;

4. Calls on the Turkish authorities to take the necessary measures to guarantee Mr Birdal's security and freedom and to cease its persecution of him and his organization;

5. Invites the Turkish authorities to ensure that guarantees are provided for IHD and other human rights NGOs to engage freely in their activities for the defence and promotion of human rights;

6. Calls for a declaration from the EU Presidency on this attack;

7. Expresses its concern at the implications for freedom of political expression of the sentence against Mr Erdogan;

8. Trusts that the Supreme Court of Appeal will reverse the Security Court verdict against Mr Erdogan in line with the position of the state prosecutor;

9. Calls on Turkey¨s government and political parties to implement the necessary legislation for democratization based on freedom of speech and freedom of opinion;

10. Reminds Turkey of its commitments under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the international and regional human rights conventions it has ratified;

11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States, the Government of Turkey and the Turkish Grand National Assembly.

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B4-0817/98

Resolution on the executions carried out in Gaza

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the abolition of the death penalty,

1. Expresses its grave concern and disappointment at the execution by a firing squad of the brothers Ra'ed and Faud Abu Sultan in Gaza on 30 August 1998, the first time that a death sentence has been carried out in Gaza under the Palestinian Authority;

2. Regrets that Palestinian Authority President Arafat did not commute the death sentence to life imprisonment, as is his prerogative;

3. Supports the director of the independent Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Committee, Mr Bassam Eid, and the director of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizens' Rights, Professor Ali Jarbawi, in their criticism regarding both the trial and the execution of the sentence;

4. Reiterates its position that capital punishment, irrespective of the nature of the crime committed, is in itself contrary to human dignity and constitutes a violation of human rights;

5. Calls on the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Legislative Council to amend the criminal law so as to abolish the death penalty;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States and to the Palestinian Authority.

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