B4-0575, 0576, 0577, 0578, 0579 and 0580/96

Resolution on Burundi

The European Parliament,

- recalling its earlier resolutions on the situation in Burundi,

A. alarmed by the continuing deterioration of security conditions in Burundi and the recent bout of violence in northern and central Burundi, in particular the massacre of 26 April 1996 in Buhoro,

B. fearing that the insufficient response by the international community to the terrible events that are under way in Burundi might allow a tragedy similar to the one that occurred in 1994 in Rwanda,

C. deploring the refusal by the UN Security Council to create an international force to intervene should the violence escalate, in spite of the renewed appeals by the UN Secretary-General,

D. deploring the fact that most of the undertakings made by the Council in its Carcassonne global action plan have still not yet been implemented,

E. welcoming on the other hand the mediation role of former President Nyerere of Tanzania supported by the OAU, EU and UN,

F. aware, nonetheless, that national reconciliation in Burundi can take effect only with the good will of all Burundians, in particular in the democratic institutions, the army and the population,

G. alarmed by the involvement of Zaire, which is facilitating the reorganization of extremist gangs and the clandestine transit of weapons,

1. Firmly condemns the continued ethnic killings and all other acts of violence that are committed by bands of extremists on both sides and by elements of the army, in an on-going attempt to destabilize the situation and scale up armed confrontation;

2. Reaffirms its support for the President, all democratic forces of Burundi, and the legitimate democratic institutions;

3. Urges all political forces in Burundi, and in particular the army, to stop the escalation of violence and isolate all extremists;

4. Strongly supports the efforts of former President Nyerere, which have led to direct negotiations between the opposing parties; calls on the Council and the Commission to provide political, diplomatic and material assistance to help ensure that this initiative restores peace and stability to Burundi;

5. Calls for the 35-member contingent of human rights observers to Burundi to be deployed without further delay;

6. Denounces the fact that the Council has still not taken action fully on the Carcassonne plan and has not implemented an effective common policy to contribute to solving the crisis in Burundi;

7. Welcomes nevertheless the recent appointment of the EU special envoy to the Great Lakes Region, Mr Aldo Ajello, but also calls on the Commission, Council and Member States to formulate and implement without delay an appropriate prevention strategy in Burundi, according to the guidelines on preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution and peace-keeping in Africa adopted by Council on 4 December 1995;

8. Reiterates its request to the UN Security Council to respond positively to the request from its Secretary-General with regard to the creation of a prevention force for Burundi; calls also on the Burundian authorities to comply strictly with the Security Council's decisions;

9. Calls for the international committee of inquiry to speed up its work and for those responsible for the massacres to be arrested, tried and convicted in order to put a stop to the climate of impunity, which is contributing to the upsurge in violence;

10. Calls on the governments of the neighbouring countries, in particular Zaire, to cease all support - whether financial, logistical, military or political - for the Burundian extremists, and calls on the international community to place pressure on these countries' governments to that end;

11. Urges all the governments of the countries of the region to implement as a matter of urgency Security Council Resolution 1049 of 5 March 1996, which calls upon states to locate and eliminate radio stations which foment violence and hatred, and encourage the activities of the media concerned with reconciliation;

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States and the ACP States, the Government of Burundi and the UN and OAU Secretaries-General.