European Parliament resolution on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire
Date: 2000-11-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Côte d'Ivoire, EU aid, democratisation, election, ethnic conflict, political situation, political violence

8.8.2001

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/333

Thursday 16 November 2000

7. Central American Parliament

B5-0846, 0854, 0859 and 0862/2000

European Parliament resolution on Central America and the Central American Parliament

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Central America and the role of the

Central American Parliament (Parlacen) in the integration process,

A. having regard to the visit to Brussels by a delegation from Parlacen,

B. having regard to the consistent support shown by the European Parliament for the moves towards the
consolidation of democracy and towards regional integration in Central America, and to Parlacen’s
role therein,

1. Welcomes the visit by a delegation from Parlacen, and hopes that this will help to strengthen the
links between the two institutions;

2.

Stresses the importance of an improved dialogue between the European Parliament and Parlacen;

Reiterates its firm support for the moves towards regional integration currently being pursued, with

3.
some difficulty, in Central America;

Confirms its resolve to continue its support for the multiannual programme for bolstering democracy

4.
presented by the President of Parlacen;

5.

Calls on Parlacen to monitor closely the human rights situation in the Central American countries;

6.
Indicates its firm commitment to Parlacen and its role as an essential tool in promoting the process
of Central American integration, and supports an increase in its powers as a means of deepening democ-
racy;

Calls for the necessary funding to be allocated, in order to provide the necessary impetus to the

7.
integration process, and to ensure that it is able to play its rightful role in legitimising this process;

Hopes that Parlacen will be granted the powers it needs to enable it to correctly carry out the impor-

8.
tant task it is called upon to perform in this process of regional integration;

9.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of
the Member States, the parliaments of the countries that comprise Parlacen and the President of Parlacen.

8. Côte d’Ivoire

B5-0847, 0849, 0855, 0860 and 0863/2000

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Côte d’Ivoire

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its previous resolutions on the political situation in Côte d’Ivoire,

A. having regard to alarming information from reliable international sources concerning human rights

violations by the military junta,

B.

shocked by the killing of at least 150 people in the riots that took place after the self-proclamation of
Robert Guei and in the clashes between the RDR and the FPI, the latter allegedly backed by the gen-
darmes,

C. whereas the increasingly bitter debate on Ivorian nationality and the way it has been used by certain

political forces and sections of the media in Côte d’Ivoire has created an explosive situation,

D. whereas the Government has decided to create an international commission of inquiry to establish

responsibility for the deaths of these people,

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Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

8.8.2001

Thursday 16 November 2000

E. whereas the decision by the Supreme Court to exclude from the presidential elections fourteen of the
nineteen candidates greatly damaged the democratic basis of the elections; whereas the state of emer-
gency declared during the electoral process was hardly compatible with the normal exercise of civil
liberties and a healthy democracy,

F. whereas Laurent Gbagbo was confirmed as President of the Republic by the Supreme Court of Côte
d’Ivoire on 26 October 2000 after winning the presidential election of 22 October with 59,36 % of
the vote, with a turnout of 37,76 %,

G. whereas Laurent Gbagbo has ignored calls for new presidential elections open to all,

H. whereas the Government has decided to create a committee of national reconciliation,

I.

noting with relief that the return to calm since 27 October has enabled the curfew to be lifted,

J. whereas all political forces in Côte d’Ivoire have chosen to participate in the process under way of a
return to constitutional legality and civil peace, set to be endorsed by the parliamentary elections of
10 December in which all political parties will be able to participate,

K. noting, together with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, that there now exists the possibility
of putting in place a democratic political process that will enable the Ivorian people to freely elect
their representatives,

L. whereas the army, police and the gendarmerie must serve all citizens,

M. having regard to the geopolitical importance of Côte d’Ivoire for the stability of the region,

Deplores and strongly condemns the political and ethnic violence that occurred after the presidential

1.
elections, and the explosion of xenophobia triggered by the debate on Ivorian nationality;

Calls on all political, military and religious leaders to join together to dispel the spectre of ethnic and

2.
religious divisions;

Calls on the new authorities and the entire range of political forces in Côte d’Ivoire to work together

3.
to achieve the political stabilisation of the country and national reconcilation;

4.
Calls on the Ivorian authorities to take all necessary measures to secure a return to constitutional
legality, together with a restoration of civil peace, respect for human rights and the creation of democratic
institutions;

Calls for a revision of the Constitution to provide future guarantees that no candidate will be

5.
excluded from presidential elections on the grounds of ethnicity;

Hopes that the imperfections of the electoral process can be at least partly corrected after the parlia-
6.
mentary elections on 10 December, and that after these elections the authorities in Côte d’Ivoire will have
an indisputable democratic base that is as large as possible;

Calls for the parliamentary elections scheduled for 10 December to be organised in a transparent and

7.
democratic way, and for all political parties to be able to participate on an equal footing;

8.

Calls for equal access for all political forces to State media (radio and television);

Calls on the Commission to support the organisation of parliamentary elections to ensure that they
9.
are held in accordance with internationally recognised standards and constitute the true expression of the
will of the citizens, the bedrock of the country’s stability;

10.
Considers that, in accordance with the Cotonou Agreement, the holding of free and transparent
parliamentary elections is an essential element for continued cooperation between the European Union
and Côte d’Ivoire;

11.
Calls, should the conditions be met, for the European Union to assist in the creation of a develop-
ment policy aimed at putting an end to the social crisis in urban areas and to tensions related to land in
rural areas;

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 223/335

Thursday 16 November 2000

12. Welcomes the fact that the EU has granted Côte d’Ivoire aid amounting to CFAF 200 million to
help it meet the medical needs of people wounded after the last presidential elections;

13.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Secretary-General of the UN, the Secretary-
General of the OAU, Ecowas, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Assembly, the Council, the Commis-
sion and the Government of Côte d’Ivoire.

9. Human rights: Burma/Myanmar

B5-0850, 0853, 0857, 0861 and 0864/2000

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Burma

The European Parliament,

(cid:1) having regard to its previous resolutions on Burma,

in particular its resolutions of 16 September

1999 (1), 18 May 2000 (2) and 7 September 2000 (3),

(cid:1) having regard to the recent declarations of the EU Presidency on Burma (25 August 2000, 2 September

2000 and 6 October 2000),

(cid:1) having regard to the decision by the EU Foreign Ministers during their meeting on 9 and 10 October
2000 in Luxembourg to extend the common position on Burma for a further six months because the
political situation there has not improved, and welcoming the decision by Switzerland and Liechten-
stein to conform to the EU common position by freezing the assets of senior leaders of the ruling
SPDC junta,

(cid:1) having regard to the report of the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights in Burma, Mr Rajsoomer
Lallah, which was released on 16 October and noted that the human rights situation in Burma is
rapidly deteriorating, and dismayed that he felt compelled to resign,

(cid:1) having regard to the opinion issued by the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on 10 October
on the case of James Mawdsley, which declared his imprisonment to be arbitrary under international
law,

A. welcoming the news of James Mawdsley’s release from Burma on 20 October, but dismayed at reports

that he was subjected to beating in Keng Tung prison during the last month of his detention,

B. welcoming the news that six elderly political prisoners have now been released following a request
made by UN Special Envoy Razali Ismail during his visit to Burma in October, but dismayed that their
release was made conditional upon their signing a statement accepting that they would be taken back
into prison if they continued their pro-democracy activities, and further dismayed at reports that Soe
Thein, a journalist and NLD member who has been detained without trial since May 1996, is critically
ill following a second heart attack,

C. whereas the leader of the National League for Democracy (NLD), Aung San Suu Kyi, and other senior
party members remain under de facto house arrest imposed after they were prevented from travelling
to Mandalay on 21 September, while deputy chairman Tin Oo remains in detention at a military base
north of Rangoon,

D. whereas the elected parliament of Burma, which is now represented by the Committee Representing

the People’s Parliament (CRPP), has still not been permitted to convene,

E. whereas reliable sources estimate that there are currently up to 3 000 political prisoners in Burma and
that many of these prisoners are subjected to hard labour and torture and are being denied medical
attention,

(1) OJ C 54, 25.2.2000, p. 111.
(2)
‘Texts Adopted’, Item 21.
(3)
‘Texts Adopted’, Item 15.