B4-1364, 1376, 1389, 1395, 1401 and 1411/95

Resolution on the conflict in Sri Lanka and the need to support the peace process

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Sri Lanka, in particular those of 22 April 1994 ((OJ C 128, 9.5.1994, p. 530.)) and 18 May 1995 ((OJ C 151, 19.6.1995, p. 272.)),

A. deeply concerned at the plight of the civilian population in the Jaffna peninsula, particularly several hundreds of thousands displaced since the Sri Lankan armed forces launched 'Operation Riviresa' on 17 October 1995, to wrest Jaffna Town from rebel LTTE forces,

B. aware that the UN Secretary-General's office has asked the Government of Sri Lanka to allow UN agencies to provide assistance to these civilians and that the Government has invited the International Committee of the Red Cross, the Sri Lankan Red Cross, the Save the Children Fund and other NGOs to assist in providing the people of the Jaffna peninsula with essential food and medical supplies,

C. recalling that the Government of Sri Lanka, democratically elected in August 1994, was involved in peace negotiations with the LTTE when the latter unilaterally broke the ceasefire with a series of attacks on military and civilian targets in April 1995,

D. aware that the administration imposed by the LTTE over the Jaffna peninsula has been based on force rather than on any popular legitimacy,

E. deploring the terrorist attacks launched by the LTTE in other parts of Sri Lanka, including suicide bombings in Colombo and the brutal slaughter of unarmed villagers near the Eastern Province,

F. believing that these attacks are carried out with the deliberate intention of provoking reprisals by the majority Sinhalese population against innocent Tamils,

G. concerned at reports of random arrests of Tamil civilians in Colombo and other abuses of human rights,

H. distressed that many LTTE military casualties in the present conflict have been young teenagers, both boys and girls,

1. Calls on all concerned to do all in their power to protect the civilian population in the Jaffna peninsula and to facilitate the relief effort now under way;

2. Calls on the EU and its Member States to support these relief operations, both through the relevant NGOs and through direct assistance to the Sri Lankan Government's efforts to aid the refugees;

3. Calls on the LTTE to halt its operations against civilian targets in Colombo and other parts of Sri Lanka;

4. Appeals to the conflicting parties to reopen peace negotiations in order to reach a political solution to the conflict and put an end to violence throughout the country;

5. Welcomes the peace proposals announced by President Kumaratunga on 3 August 1995, which contain wide-ranging constitutional reforms, including more extensive devolution to the provinces and a merger of a restructured Northern and Eastern Province, which have been supported by a wide spectrum of democratic political opinion in Sri Lanka, including other parties representative of the Tamil minority, and which are currently before a select committee of the Sri Lankan Parliament;

6. Condemns the forced conscription of children by the LTTE and notes the appeals of church leaders in Jaffna for this practice to end;

7. Calls on the Sri Lankan Government to ensure that the civil rights of the Tamil population are respected and that the perpetrators of any abuses are prosecuted;

8. Calls on the EU Member States to monitor the LTTE offices operating on the territory of the EU and to ensure that their agents respect the law and take no part in terrorist or intimidatory activities;

9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the Government and Parliament of Sri Lanka.