B4-0331, 0341, 0357, 0378, 0393, 0397 and 0410/96

Resolution on Cuba

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its resolutions on the situation in Cuba, in particular that of 18 January 1996 on the communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the relations between the European Union and Cuba (COM(95)0306 - C4-0298/95) ((Minutes of that Sitting, Part II, Item 5.)),

A. recalling the internationally agreed prohibition of the use of force against civilian aircraft,

B. condemning the shooting down of two civilian aircraft by Cuban military action on 24 February 1996,

C. disturbed by the failure of the United States and the Cuban authorities to implement measures beforehand to prevent such tragic events,

D. reiterating its demand for the full observance, maintenance and promotion of human rights and democratic freedoms in Cuba,

E. condemning the recent arrests of dissidents in Cuba, notably members of 'Concilio Cubano',

F. recalling the numerous resolutions of the United Nations General Assembly, the agreement reached at the Latin American Summit in Bariloche in 1995 and its own resolutions condemning the US embargo against Cuba,

1. Strongly condemns the shooting down of the two civilian aircraft by the Cuban airforce and regrets the death of the four people on board;

2. Welcomes the willingness of the United States and the Republic of Cuba to cooperate with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) in carrying out a prompt investigation into the facts;

3. Repeats that it is only by means of dialogue and reconciliation that the Cubans can solve their problems;

4. Rejects the embargo in accordance with its previous resolutions, since its main impact is not on the government but on the most disadvantaged sections of the population and deplores the approval of the Helms-Burton Bill by the US Congress and its acceptance by President Clinton;

5. Calls upon the European Commission, in cooperation with the countries most affected, to investigate the effects of the extraterritorial provisions of the bill on European business and to give serious consideration to challenging these as a serious infringement of GATT, the rules of the World Trade Organisation and international law;

6. Reiterates the right of European businessmen to develop legal commercial relations, conduct business in Cuba and with Cuban partners and to take advantage of the commercial opportunities as they arise without interference from third parties;

7. Urges the Commission to continue its attempts to develop a dialogue with Cuba with the objectives previously agreed but to emphasise the need for the Cuban authorities to take full cognizance of the guidelines laid down in the Commission's communication and the resolution thereon passed by Parliament as essential for the development of relations; recognizes that actions of this kind may delay the process of normalizing relations between the European Union and Cuba begun at the Madrid European Council;

8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the governments of the Member States, the National Assembly of the People's Republic of Cuba, the President of the Cuban Council of State, the President of the Latin American Parliament, the President of the USA and the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the US Congress.