B4-1106, 1127, 1136, 1150, 1161, 1169 and 1202/96

Resolution on Afghanistan

The European Parliament,

- recalling its previous resolutions on Afghanistan and in particular its resolution of 18 January 1996 ((OJ C 32, 5.2.1996, p. 99.)),

- having regard to the Commission declaration of 9 October 1996 on the situation of women in Afghanistan, and particularly its call for international institutions to use all legitimate means at their disposal to ensure that international agreements on human rights are respected in Afghanistan,

A. having regard to the escalation of the civil war in Afghanistan,

B. whereas, when the Taliban forces captured Kabul at the end of September and forced the government to leave the city, another chapter was added to the chronic suffering of the Afghan population,

C. whereas the Talibans, once Kabul was captured, began to commit atrocities in the city, torturing and hanging opponents in public places and desecrating their bodies,

D. whereas the Talibans have been attacking humanitarian workers such as the Delegate of the International Red Cross Committee who was beaten by the Talibans and held in prison,

E. whereas the Talibans established an extreme interpretation of the Sharia in the provinces under their control, implying inhumane forms of punishments such as amputation for theft, decapitation for murder, stoning of women for adultery, with courts sentencing after only a few minutes,

F. whereas foreign films and books have been burnt,

G. whereas the Taliban forces have instigated an absolute discriminatory regime against women excluding them from work and education, from speaking in public as well as reducing their freedom of movement to a minimum by requiring them to be fully covered, including veiled eyes,

H. considering that a large majority of those women in Kabul who are now banned from their work were dependent on their income for their survival,

I. shocked by the murder of former President Muhammed Najibullah and his brother and the violation of the UN headquarters in Kabul, which under international law constitute an extra-territorial area,

J. noting that the international donor community will be considering future aid to Afghanistan in December 1996,

K. noting with alarm reports of up to 1,000 prisoners taken in Kabul by the Taliban militia following house-to-house searches despite the promise of an amnesty for supporters of the government,

L. alarmed by the fresh wave of Afghan refugees, which has further destabilized a region already reeling under the impact of war and violence,

M. stressing the role played by external forces, in particular Pakistan and the USA, in supporting the Taliban offensive,

N. having regard to the Alma-Ata Summit on the situation in Afghanistan, involving Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Russia,

1. Calls on all parties to the conflict to enter into peace negotiations to respect international humanitarian law, to agree on a ceasefire, to seriously consider the proposal to transform Kabul into a demilitarized zone and to seek a resolution to the conflict,

2. Firmly condemns the systematic discrimination practised against Afghan women, the numerous violations of human rights and the forcible indoctrination of the Afghan people since Kabul was taken by the Talibans and recalls that the Talibans have been committing such abuses during the last years;

3. Notes that the repression against women conflicts with the 1979 international UN convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women and the 1966 UN treaty on social and economic rights, both of which were ratified by Afghanistan;

4. Voices its revulsion at the brutal execution of former President Najibullah, and condemns the violation of the United Nations headquarters;

5. Calls on all the international donors, including the EU and its Member States, to refrain from any new aid or cooperation programmes, except emergency aid, until the human rights of men and women are respected by the administration;

6. Calls on the governments of Pakistan, the USA and other countries in the region to stop providing support of any kind to the Taliban and other militias involved in the conflict;

7. Calls on all the member countries of the United Nations not to establish diplomatic relations with the present Kabul authorities;

8. Supports all the political and diplomatic initiatives, especially those of the countries of Central Asia and other countries of the region, seeking to find a peaceful solution to the different problems of the region within the framework of respecting human rights and ending fundamentalism in Afghanistan;

9. Reiterates its demand for an arms embargo; is of the opinion, however, that considering the large amounts of arms present in the country the only efficient measure to halt the war would be an additional embargo on all related equipment;

10. Considers it absolutely essential that a firm, unequivocal and unanimous position should be adopted by the European Union concerning respect for and defence of human rights in Afghanistan;

11. Supports and upholds the Commission's position in condemning in particular the treatment meted out to Afghan women;

12. Calls again on the EU and its Member States to continue to provide and increase their assistance to both the Afghan refugees in Pakistan and Iran and to the displaced people in Afghanistan, especially to the civil population seeking refuge in the northern provinces of the country, the need for which is particularly acute as winter approaches;

13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General and the Governments of Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Iran, India, Tajikistan, Russia, the United States of America, the Afghan Representative to the United Nations and the Talibans.