European Parliament resolution on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and notably in Banja Luka
Date: 2001-05-17
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Bosnia and Herzegovina, ethnic conflict, peacekeeping, political violence, public safety

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Official Journal of the European Communities

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7.2.2002

Thursday 17 May 2001

4.
Urges the Algerian authorities to refrain from any repressive measures against the population of
Kabylia, to stop all violence, to bring to justice those responsible for killing members of the civilian popu-
lation, and to take urgent measures to ensure public safety;

Expresses its deep concern over the proposal to amend the articles of the penal code relating to the

5.
press, and insists that freedom of action for associations must be guaranteed;

Urges the Algerian authorities to adopt the necessary reforms to enable the Berber people to fully

6.
enjoy its cultural and linguistic rights;

7.
Calls on the Commission to continue the negotiation of the new EU-Algeria agreement in order to
stress the importance of an effective improvement of the human rights situation and of social and econ-
omic reforms;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Government

8.
of Algeria.

12. Situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, particularly Banja Luka

B5-0357, 0362, 0369, 0375 and 0385/2001

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina and notably in Banja Luka

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) recalling its resolution of 15 March 2001 on the incidents at the FRY/Kosovo-FYROM border and the

situation in the region (1),

(cid:129) having regard to the general framework agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina of November

1995 and its annexes (Dayton Agreement),

(cid:129) having regard to the stability pact adopted on 10 June 1999 in Cologne,

(cid:129) having regard to the Zagreb Summit final declaration of 24 November 2000,

(cid:129) having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2666/2000 of 5 December 2000 on assistance for
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Former Yugos-
lav Republic of Macedonia (2),

(cid:129) having regard to the statements by the Presidency of the European Union of 7 May and by Commis-

sioner Patten of 8 May 2001 on the violence in Banja Luka,

A. whereas stability and the consolidation of democracy and its multi-ethnic institutions in Bosnia-Her-

zegovina are key factors for the stability and pacification of South-East Europe,

B.

extremely alarmed about the violent attacks by Serb nationalists against the rebuilding of the mosques
in Banja Luka and Trebinje and the possible effects these incidents could have on the further return of
refugees to the region, on multi-ethnic cohabitation and the stabilisation of sustainable peace in
Republika Srpska and in all of Bosnia-Herzegovina,

C. whereas, during these incidents, several Muslim refugees were injured, cars and buses set on fire and

delegates from the international community were forced to shelter in buildings in the locality,

(1)
(cid:145)Texts Adopted(cid:146), Item 5.
(2) OJ L 306, 7.12.2000, p. 1.

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D.

E.

considering that the government of Republika Srpska could have been much more active with regard
to the return of Bosniac and Croat refugees, which has been comparatively very slow in this region;
recalling at the same time that Croatia also has to facilitate the return of Serb refugees,

recalling that the 500 year-old Ferhadija Mosque in Banja Luka, a masterpiece of Islamic culture, was
destroyed by Serb nationalists in 1993 at a time when there was no war in Banja Luka but there was
ethnic cleansing of Muslims and Croats in this part of Bosnia-Herzegovina,

F.

concerned that the authorities in Republika Srpska have not been able to guarantee the security of all
its citizens and their freedom of religious expression as they should under the Dayton Agreement,

G. deploring attempts by certain Bosnian Croat leaders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to destroy the Federation

and to create a separate State in violation of the Dayton Agreement,

H.

recalls that since January 2001 Bosniacs, Serbs and Croats are laid down in the Constitution as the
constitutive peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina,

Condemns the attacks by Serb nationalists during a peaceful ceremony when Muslim citizens, in the
1.
presence of representatives of the international community as well as of religious communities, were laying
the foundation stone for the reconstruction of the Ferhadija Mosque in Banja Luka, as well as a similar
incident that occurred in Trebinje;

Considers that these incidents as well as other incidents within the Federation constitute a major set-

2.
back for multi-ethnic co-habitation five years after the signing of the Dayton Agreement;

Calls on the authorities of the Republika Srpska to investigate this appalling breakdown of law and

3.
order and ensure that the perpetrators of this violence are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law;

4.
Calls on the authorities of the Republika Sprska to cooperate fully with the International Criminal
Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, and in particular to arrest former President Radovan Karadjic and
former Bosnian Serb general Ratko Mladic, as requested in the UN Commission on Human Rights on
18 April 2001;

5.
Urges the authorities of the Republika Srpska to accelerate the return of Bosniacs and Croats to their
homes in order to realise the idea of three constitutive peoples of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its entities, as
laid down in the Constitution;

6.
Urges therefore also Croatia to facilitate the return of Serb refugees, in particular by adopting a law
on property, which will make possible the return of property to Serb citizens and by also creating and
guaranteeing local and regional conditions for a definitive return of refugees;

7.
Urges all those holding responsibility within the Bosniac-Croat Federation, and in particular the
Bosnian-Croat authorities, to respect the Dayton Agreement and to intensify their efforts to build a
multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society in the region;

8.
Urges the Commission, within the CARDS programme, to select, increase and strengthen the assist-
ance to those communities in Bosnia-Herzegovina committed to the re-integration of refugees and the
reconciliation of the parties and envisages the possibility of stopping the payment of EU funds to the
Republika Srpska authorities, if they do not take the necessary action to re-establish confidence among
the Bosniac and Croat minorities and to guarantee peaceful co-habitation in that region;

9.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to work closely with the OSCE, other international organi-
sations and local institutions to fully implement the Dayton agreements, so that Bosnia-Herzegovina will
progress more rapidly towards a stabilisation and association agreement;

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Supports the High Representative in his firm commitment to the principle of multi-ethnic tolerance

10.
and cooperation;

Calls on SFOR to respond appropriately to incidents of violence, such as those in Banja Luka and

11.
Trebinje, as it has been mandated to do under Annex I of the Dayton Peace Agreement;

12.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission and the Council, the High
Representative for Bosnia-Herzegovina, the Presidency of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the authorities of the
Bosniac-Croat Federation, the Republika Sprska, the Croatian Republic and the Secretary-General of NATO.

13. Human rights: Ethiopia

B5-0360, 0363, 0370, 0376, 0386 and 0396/2001

European Parliament resolution on human rights violations in Ethiopia

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to its previous resolutions on human rights violations in Ethiopia,

A. having regard to the demands of Ethiopian students for academic freedom, freedom of assembly,

freedom of speech, the right to form unions and the right to publish a students(cid:146) newspaper,

B. whereas these demands enjoy wide support among young people in Ethiopia,

C. having regard to the decision of the university authorities to do away with the Student Council,

D. whereas virtually the entire student body has been boycotting lectures since 10 April 2001 in protest

against the presence of the armed forces on their campuses,

E.

having regard to the police brutality towards students on 12, 17 and 18 April 2001 in clashes which,
according to informed sources, left between 31 and 41 people dead and hundreds injured, including
women and children, and led to thousands of arrests and millions of dollars(cid:146) worth of damage,

F. whereas hundreds of students are still in prison, and risk torture and ill-treatment,

G. whereas 110 opposition politicians have also been arrested and are being kept in solitary confinement,
notably Lidetu Ayalew, Secretary-General of the Ethiopian Democratic Party, the journalist Seifu
Mekonen, and sixty newspaper vendors from Addis Ababa,

H. having regard to the arrest of Professor Mesfin Woldemariam, founder and former President of the
(cid:145)Ethiopian Human Rights Council(cid:146), the country(cid:146)s first independent human rights organisation, and
Dr Berhanu Nega, President of the non-governmental Ethiopian Economic Association, and eminent
human rights activist,

I.

J.

K.

having regard to the Ethiopian Parliament(cid:146)s decision to consider the students(cid:146) grievances,

concerned at the deterioration in the political situation and the violations of human rights,

concerned at the assassination of Kinfe Gebremedhin, head of the federal security and immigration
authority,

L. whereas Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world,

M. whereas the excessive use of force to put an end to student protests may weaken the rule of law,
damage Ethiopia(cid:146)s image abroad and detract from the efforts of the international community to estab-
lish lasting regional stability based on good governance; whereas, however, infiltration of peaceful
demonstrations with a view to provoking violence and looting must also be condemned,