TEXTS ADOPTED
1. Chechnya
B5-0142, 0149, 0158, 0168 and 0177/1999
Resolution on the war in Chechnya
The European Parliament,
kdash having regard toitsresolutionof16September 1999onthe armedconflictinthe DagestanRepublic
of Russia(1),
kdash havingregardtoitsassent,on30November1995,totheconclusionofanAgreement onPartnership
and Cooperation between the European Communities and their Member States, of the one part,and the Russian Federation, of the other part, and its assent, on 11 June 1997, to the conclusion ofthe Protocol to the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement between the European Communities andtheir Member States and the Russian Federation and to the CommonStrategy of the European Unionon Russia, adopted by the Council in June 1999,
A. having regard tothe Council’sdiplomatic démarcheundertaken on30 September 1999in Moscowon
the situation in Chechnya,
B. desiring to deepen cooperation through the Black Sea Cooperation Council,
C. whereas the European Union is committed to strengthening the strategic partnership with Russia in
termsofeconomicintegration andcooperationwhile maintainingstabilityandsecurity inEuropeandbeyond,
D. stressing the territorial integrity of the Russian Federation and anxious that there should be no delay
in the planned democratic elections to the Duma on 19 December 1999,
E. deeply concerned by the escalation of the conflict in Dagestan and Chechnya, in particular following
the decision by the Russian military authorities to start armed action in the autonomous territory ofthese regions which could be used for political ends,
F. concerned by the worsening situation of at least 100 000 displaced persons seeking sanctuary in
neighbouring Russian republics, especially in the Russian Republic of Ingushetia, after the airstrikesin Chechnya,
G. considering that regional ethnic difficulties in the Caucasus result from the divide-and-rule policies of
the Soviet era and remain unresolved,
H. having regard to the growing geo-strategic dimension to the conflict in the Caucasus, in particular
because of the presence of oil pipelines and significant oil interests,
I. alarmed at statements by the Russian Prime Minister, Mr Putin, who has rejected negotiations with
Mr Maskhadov, Chechnya’s elected President, out of hand and has openly justified the military actionon the grounds of his country’s raw materials interests,
J. having regard toaChechen parliamentdeclarationof30September1999,according towhich onthe
previous day Russian rockets and artillery destroyed numerous residential areas and several drinkingwater reservoirs andinGroznythebombingofachemical plantcausedthedischarge of1000tonnesofammoniaandliquidchlorineintotheriverSunzhaandthence,viatheriverTerek,intotheCaspianSea,
1. Strongly condemns the Russian military intervention in Chechnya and regrets deeply the renewed
loss of life, human injuries and the damage to family, social and economic life as a consequence of vio-lenceinChechnyaandDagestan;callsontheRussianauthoritiestodoeverything possible,buthavingdue
regard forhuman rights, tore-establish the rule oflaw throughout the territory ofthe Russian Federation,
ensuring equality of treatment for all citizens and respect for international principles of human rights andsafeguarding the civilian population;
(1) Minutes of that sitting, Part II, Item 15.C 107/102 EN13.4.2000 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 7 October 1999
2. Strongly condemns all acts of terrorism and military violence committed against Chechen and non-
Chechen civilians, expresses its condolences to those who are bereaved and the suffering, urges the con-flicting parties toact responsibly, refraining fromany use offorce andfromthe targeting of civilians whoare unwittingly part of the conflict, and calls for urgent political dialogue between the conflicting parties;
3. Renews its call for reports by the OSCE on the implementation of the agreement between the Rus-
sianFederationandtheRepublicofChechnya,andonthesocial,economicandpoliticalsituationinDage-stan,callsforsimilarsituationreportsonChechnyaandIngushetia,andcallsontheOSCEtomakerecom-mendations at the forthcoming Summit Meeting in Istanbul;
4. Callsonthe Russian Government and the international community, including the European Commi-
ssion, to make available comprehensive humanitarian aid for civilians who have been bombed out,are refugees or have been expelled and reminds the Russian Government of its still unfulfilled obligationunder the 1996 ceasefire agreement to provide reconstruction aid to Chechnya; insists that the RussianGovernment must bear full responsibility for the reconstruction of the populated areas and infrastructures
destroyedinthepastandintheongoingconflict,andcallsupontheEuropeanHumanitarianAidOfficeto
assessthehumanitarian situationinChechnyaandneighbouring regionsaffectedbythe influxofrefugees,andtopresenttoParliamentaproposalforshort-termhumanitarianaid,drawingonitscumulativeexperi-ence of the region;
5. Calls on the European Commission to put in place immediately a humanitarian assistance pro-
gramme for the displaced population of Chechnya and neighbouring republics, and to this end callsupon Russian and UNHCR officials, in view of the onset of winter, to submit proposals to the EuropeanHumanitarian Aid Office forhumanitarian aid, its transportanddistribution in the republics ofChechnya,Dagestan and Ingushetia;
6. Calls upon the Russian and Chechen authorities to facilitate the work of humanitarian NGOs in the
region of the North Caucasus and in particular in Chechnya;
7. CallsforaNewMillenniumConferenceontheCaucasustobeconvenedwithintheframeworkofthe
BlackSeaCooperationCouncil,incooperationwiththeOSCE,constitutingaregionalroundtablebringingtogether the governments of the Russian Federation, the governments of the neighbouring republics aswell as the governments of states which are members of the Black Sea Cooperation Council, with theaim ofstabilisingandfurther developing the region, and,asafirstpriority, establishing aforumforcoop-eration on the return of displaced persons, the promotion of security and regional economic integration;
8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the OSCE,
the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Conference of Islamic Foreign Ministers, the Russian
State Duma and Federal Council, the authorities in Chechnya, Dagestan and Ingushetia, to the member
states of the Black Sea Cooperation Council and the governments of Afghanistan and Iran.
2. European code on armsexports
B5-0143, 0152, 0157, 0163 and 0175/1999
Resolution on the first annual review of the EU Code of Conduct on the export or transfer of arms
The European Parliament,
kdash havingregardtoitspreviousresolutionsonanEUCodeofConductontheexportortransferofarms,
especially itsresolutionof14May 1998(1)andthe resolutionadoptedbytheACP/EUJointAssembly
on 21 April 1998,
(1) OJ C 167, 1.6.1998, p. 226.13.4.2000 EN C 107/103 Official Journal of the European Communities
Thursday 7 October 1999