European Parliament resolution on the situation in Fiji
Date: 2000-09-08
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Fiji, cooperation policy, coup d'état, democracy

C 135/302

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

7.5.2001

Friday 8 September 2000

TEXTS ADOPTED

1. Situation in Fiji following the coup d’état

B5-0749, 0754, 0758, 0759 and 0760/2000

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Fiji

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its resolution of 6 July 2000 on the situation in Fiji and the Solomon Islands (1),

(cid:1) having regard to the Communication from the Commission to the Council of 24 July 2000 on the
opening of consultations with the Republic of the Fiji Islands under Article 366a of the Lomé Con-
vention (COM(2000) 460),

A.

recalling its condemnation of the suspension of constitutional democratic government in Fiji, follow-
ing the taking hostage of the Prime Minister of Fiji, Mr Mahendra Chaudry, and 40 members of his
Government and of the Parliament of Fiji in May 2000 by George Speight and a group of armed men,

B. whereas Fiji was the scene of a coup d’état in 1987 led by Colonel Rabuka that resulted in the coun-
try’s expulsion from the Commonwealth for 10 years and the departure of thousands of Fijian-Indians,

C. noting that, while Mr Chaudhry is an ethnic Indo-Fijian, 12 of his 18 Cabinet Ministers were ethnic

indigenous Fijians and a clear majority of the elected indigenous Fijian MPs supported his coalition,

D. whereas Fiji’s deposed Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudry has met with Members of the European

Parliament in Brussels since his release,

E.

noting that, on 27 May 2000, the constitutionally appointed President of Fiji, Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara,
had announced the suspension of the House of Representatives for a period of six months, before
stepping aside when the Armed Forces Chief, Commodore Frank Bainamara, assumed executive
power and declared martial law, prior to revoking the Constitution on 30 May 2000,

F. whereas on 3 July 2000 an Interim Civilian Administration was formed in Fiji under a new Prime
Minister Laisenia Qarase; whereas the military continues to retain executive authority and is now
recruiting an extra two hundred soldiers,

G.

aware that the ‘Interim Civilian Administration’ led by the new Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, who
was appointed by the acting President (former Vice-President) Ratu Josefa Iloilo in July, has set in train
a new process of constitutional revision, which could postpone a return to democratic parliamentary
government by several years;

H. whereas tensions continue between indigenous Fijians and Indo-Fijians as Fiji’s two major Indo-Fijian
political parties (cid:1) the Fiji Labour Party (FLP) and National Federation Party (NFP) (cid:1) refuse to take part
in the interim government until the 1997 multi-racial constitution is restored,

I. whereas continued uncertainty over the democratic future of Fiji increases the economic crisis in Fiji

as unemployment rises and inflation looks set to double by the end of the year 2000,

J. whereas Fiji benefits from the second largest quota (165 348 tonnes) under the EU’s sugar protocol
which translates into an estimated financial benefit of around € 55 million, with a further € 35 million
in EU aid coming under the Sixth, Seventh and Eighth EDF National Indicative Programmes,

(1)

‘Texts Adopted’, Item 15.

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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K. highlighting the role played by the ACP-EU Joint Assembly and the European Parliament in seeking a

solution to Fiji’s crisis,

Friday 8 September 2000

L. whereas the Fiji Human Rights Commission estimates that thousands of people still remain displaced

on Fiji’s two main islands, with over 500 Indo-Fijians in a refugee camp in Lautoka,

M. whereas the next Commonwealth Ministerial Action Group Meeting in New York on 15 September
2000 must consider applying further sanctions if Fiji does not provide an internationally acceptable
plan for the restoration of democracy,

1. Welcomes the release of Mahendra Chaudry and the members of his government and the arrest of
George Speight and sixteen aides, along with the decision by Fiji’s Chief Magistrate Salesi Temo to keep
those accused of treason in prison until the next court hearing on 15 September 2000;

2. Welcomes the initiative of the Commission in its Communication to enter into consultations with
the Fijian authorities, in order to assess the situation in detail and, possibly, to remedy it in order to respect
the essential elements referred to in Article 5 of the Lomé Convention;

3.
Urges the Commission in conducting these consultations to take into consideration not only the
position of the ‘Interim Civilian Administration’ but also that of the legitimate and democratically elected
government of Mahendra Chaudry, which enjoyed the support of 58 of the 71 members of the now-
suspended House of Representatives;

4.
Considers that the Commission, the Council and the EU Member States should impress upon the
Fijian authorities the need to respect the deadline set by President Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara for the recall
of Parliament by the end of November 2000;

Urges the Presidency of the Council to maintain its strong position of 25 July 2000 and to set a

5.
deadline for the restoration of political rights for all elements of Fijian society;

6.
Believes that, in view of recent developments, it may be necessary for a high-level international med-
iator (or team of mediators) to be appointed to reconcile the positions of the Armed Forces, the Interim
Civilian Administration and the legitimate People’s Coalition government and that the European Union,
which is Fiji’s largest trade partner and aid donor, could play an important role here, along with the United
Nations and the Commonwealth;

7.
Considers that any further changes to the 1997 Constitution should be undertaken through the pro-
cedures for amendment contained in that Constitution, rather than by re-opening the whole question of
the constitutional settlement so laboriously negotiated in the last revision process and which had been
unanimously adopted by the Great Council of Chiefs and by both Houses of Parliament;

Believes that an exaggerated emphasis on outstanding issues relating to tensions between the indi-
8.
genous Fijian and the Indo-Fijian communities by members of the ‘Interim Civilian Administration’ must
not be allowed to become a pretext for a further lengthy suspension of democratic parliamentary govern-
ment in Fiji;

9.
Considers that, if no real progress has been made towards the restoration of constitutional demo-
cratic government in Fiji by the end of November 2000, the Commission should give urgent consideration
to the imposition of appropriate targeted measures against the present Fijian authorities under Article 366
of the Lomé Convention;

10.
Believes that, if the European Union and other members of the international community do not
take firm action to encourage the restoration of constitutional democratic rule in Fiji, this will encourage
other similar illegal seizures of power in other parts of the Pacific region and elsewhere, a trend which is
already evident;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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7.5.2001

Friday 8 September 2000

Invites the Commission to report again to Parliament before the end of 2000 on developments in

11.
Fiji;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
12.
and parliaments of the Member States and applicant states, the legitimate government of Fiji as well as the
‘Interim Civilian Administration’, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Secretary-General of the
Commonwealth, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and the ACP-EU Joint Assembly.

2. European Year of Lifelong Learning (1996)

A5-0200/2000

European Parliament resolution on the Commission report to the Council, the European Parlia-
ment, the Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions on the implementa-
tion, results and overall assessment of the European Year of Lifelong Learning (1996) submitted
pursuant to Article 8 of European Parliament and Council Decision 2493/95/EC (COM(1999) 447
8 C5-0205/1999 8 1999/2163(COS))

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to the Commission report (COM(1999) 447 (cid:1) C5-0205/1999),

(cid:1) having regard to European Parliament and Council Decision No 2493/95/EC of 23 October 1995

declaring 1996 the European Year of Lifelong Learning (1),

(cid:1) having regard to the conclusions of the Lisbon and Feira European Councils,

(cid:1) having regard to Article 47(1) of its Rules of Procedure,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport and

the opinion of the Committee on Employment and Social Affairs A5-0200/2000),

A. whereas all individuals have a fundamental right to a proper level of education and training in order

to develop their potential and achieve economic, social and cultural integration,

B. whereas the development of lifelong learning should further the fight against the failure at school level

which leads to social marginalisation,

C. whereas training should follow the four main lines of action established by the Luxembourg Extraor-
dinary Council, namely improving employability, developing entrepreneurship, encouraging adaptabil-
ity in businesses and their employees, and strengthening equal opportunities policy,

D. whereas the European year is to involve training for women, particularly immigrant women, as mem-

bers of minority groups with greater needs,

E.

having regard to the present very rapid growth and development of skills and knowledge in all areas,
requiring individuals to adapt constantly to new specialities and demanding the constant adaptation of
educational and training systems,

F. whereas Europe, if it wishes to be competitive, must promote lifelong training for those working on
cutting-edge technologies at the highest academic levels, since they will be responsible for passing on
their knowledge and skills to businesses and training centres,

(1) OJ L 256, 26.10.1995, p. 45.