3. CallsontheRussianauthoritiestodismissthechargesagainstAlexandrNikitinbasedonsecretretro-
active decrees;
4. InstructsitsPresidenttoforwardthisresolutiontotheCommission,theCouncil,theGovernmentof
Russia, the Council ofEurope andthe Bellona Foundation.
11. Burundi
B5-0267, 0285, 0293 and 0301/1999
European Parliament resolution on the situation in Burundi
The European Parliament,
Mdash having regard toits earlier resolutionsonthe situation in Burundi,
A. whereas an internal conflict has been raging in Burundi since 1993, in which more than 200000
people have been killed and over 800000 people displaced, the majority of them facing famine anddisease,
B. whereas the conflict entered a new stage in May 1999 as the different militia groups intensified their
military activities in several partsofthe country as well as the capital Bujumbura, towhich the armyrespondedwithclearingoperationsandfurtherregroupingofpeopleinso-calledprotectedcampsinacontroversial attempttoseparate the civilian populationfromthe rebels,
C. appalled by the recent massacre of a large number of civilians in Bujumbura and the murder ofnine
people, including a representative of Unicef and a WFP official, in the province of Rutana, in south-eastBurundi,
D. whereas on 25 October 1999 the UN special rapporteur for human rights in Burundi drew attention
tothecurrenthumanrightsdisasterinthatcountry,inparticular themasssummaryexecutionscom-
mittedbybothmilitiasandsectorsofthearmy,illegalarrests,tortureandunacceptable prisoncondi-
tions,
E. whereas effortstobring stability tothe region mustbe based onjustice andthe prosecution ofthose
responsible forthe ethnic violence,
F. whereaspeacetalksonBurundihavebeenunderwayinneighbouringTanzania,buthavesofarfailed
toreach a comprehensive agreement,
G. expressing concernatthedifficultiesMdashduemainlytotheabsenceofsecurity Mdashwhichmosthumani-
tarian organisationsare experiencing in bringing aid tothe people in need;
1. Condemnstheactsofviolencecommittedagainstciviliansandthemurderofninecivilians,including
a representative ofUnicef anda WFPofficial, in the province ofRutana, in south-eastBurundi;
2. Callsforanindependentinquiry intotheassassinationofUNaidworkersandBurundianciviliansin
the refugee camp in southernBurundi;
3. Urges the Burundian authorities totakeappropriate measures toensure the safety ofthe population
andtocomplywiththeguidelineslaiddownbytheUNspecialrapporteurinordertoimprovetheappal-ling human rights situationin the country;
4. Calls on all parties to the conflict to engage in and conclude the peace process so that the EU can
activelyassist,togetherwithotherinternationalagencies, inbringingaboutpeaceandstabilityinBurundi;C189/238 EN7.7.2000 Official Journal ofthe European Communities
Thursday18 November 1999
5. Asks all the warring parties to show respect for fundamental human rights and to ensure that the
humanitarian organisationshave direct, unrestricted access tothe places where there are refugees anddis-placed persons;
6. CallsonthegovernmentofBurunditopermitthedeploymentofUNand/orOAUmilitaryobservers
for the protection ofaid workersandthe implementation ofhumanitarian aid;
7. Re-emphasises the importance ofholding, under UNandOAU auspices, aninternational conference
on peace, security and stability in the Great Lakes Region, to be attended by all the governments in theregion;
8. InsiststhattheneighbouringcountriescontinuetosupportthepeaceprocessinBurundibyensuring
that their territory isnotusedin any way tothreaten the security ofthe Burundian people;
9. Reiterates itscallforaninternationalembargoontheexportofarmsandmunitionstoBurundi and
theGreatLakesRegion asawhole,andcallsontheCouncilandtheMember Statestohonourtheunder-takings entered into as regards controlling arms exports to the region and preventing the illegal sale ofsuch arms andthe trafficking usedtofundsuch activities;
10. Calls on the international community, and the EU in particular, to step up humanitarian aid to
thosein danger, displaced personsandBurundian refugees;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commissionand Council, the governments
of the Member States and Burundi, Uganda, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania, the UnitedNations,the WFP,Unicef andthe OAU.
12. Rwanda
B5-0276, 0294 and 0300/1999
European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Great Lakes Region with special reference
to Rwanda
The European Parliament,
Mdash recalling its earlier resolutionsonthe situation in Rwanda,
A. whereas on 3 November 1999 the appeals Chamber of the International Criminal Court for Rwanda
decidedtoreleaseJeanBoscoBarayagwiza onatechnicality,despitethefactthathewaschargedwith
six genocide-related crimes,
B. whereas Mr Barayagwiza was a senior official for a Rwandan hate radio which openly incited the
slaughter ofTutsisandmoderateHutus in the country,
C. whereas the Rwandan Government responded by suspending its cooperation with the International
CriminalCourtinArushaandpostponingindefinitely thevisittothecountrybytheChiefProsecutor
ofthe InternationalCriminalCourt, MrsCarla delPonte,
D. whereas thesuspensionofRwanda’scooperationwillseriouslyaffecttheCourt’sabilitytoconductits
trials, since mostofthe witnessescome fromRwanda,
E. whereastheworkoftheInternationalCourtingeneralhasbeencharacterised byexcessivedelaysand
extremely slowinvestigations and proceedings, due among other things to a serious shortage of pro-
secutors and judges, which has resulted in the Court completing only four trials since it was estab-
lished five years ago,
F. whereas the International Court must establish the truth about the genocide which took place in
Rwanda in 1994 andmustbring the instigators andperpetrators ofthe massacres tojustice, soas toput an end tothe current climate ofimpunity;7.7.2000 EN C189/239 Official Journal ofthe European Communities
Thursday18 November 1999