European Parliament resolution on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 2001-07-05
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Democratic Republic of the Congo, civil war, committee of inquiry, exploitation of resources, natural resources

C 65 E/376

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

14.3.2002

Thursday 5 July 2001

2.
Supports and welcomes the steps taken by the Tanzanian Government so far with regard to the
Burundian refugees on its territory and recognises that the solution to the problem of refugees and dis-
placed persons depends on the parties involved in the conflict in Burundi and their ability to engage in
dialogue, in the interests of bringing the war to an end;

3.
Agrees with a number of NGOs who consider the Burundian Government to be exaggerating when it
accuses Tanzania of allowing militias to prepare military actions in the refugee camps with a view to
carrying them out in Burundi;

Expresses solidarity with all those who are working to bring peace to Burundi and stability to the

4.
Great Lakes region;

Encourages the mediator in the peace process in Burundi, Mr Nelson Mandela, to continue his efforts
5.
to gather all those involved in the conflict around one table and welcomes the convening of a summit
meeting in Tanzania next month, to which the nineteen signatories to the Arusha Agreements have been
invited;

Calls on the Commission, the Member States and the governments of the Great Lakes region to take
6.
the measures they deem appropriate to assist the Tanzanian Government in its task of helping the Burun-
dian refugees;

Points out that the UNHCR has issued a statement to the effect that at present the Burundian refu-

7.
gees in Tanzania cannot be repatriated owing to the situation still prevailing in Burundi;

8.
Calls on the Commission and the Council to take all diplomatic steps possible vis-(cid:224)-vis the Tanzanian
Government to ensure that the Burundian refugees in Tanzania are not repatriated until the political
situation in Burundi changes;

9.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the heads of gov-
ernments of Tanzania and Burundi, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the signatories to the
Arusha Agreeements.

22. Illegal exploitation of natural resources in Democratic Republic of Congo

B5-0485, 0492, 0502, 0510 and 0517/2001

European Parliament resolution on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic
Republic of Congo

The European Parliament,

(cid:129) having regard to its previous resolutions on the Congo and the Great Lakes region,

(cid:129) having regard to the report of the panel of experts of 12 April 2001 on the illegal exploitation of

natural resources and other forms of wealth in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),

(cid:129) whereas the UN report did not include the exploitation and looting of natural resources and other

forms of wealth by foreign armies in government-controlled territories,

(cid:129) whereas this report concludes that the main reasons for the conflict in the DRC are now access to five
vital mineral resources (cid:129) colombo tantalite (coltan), cobalt, diamonds, copper and gold and the con-
trol of and trade in these minerals,

(cid:129) whereas aeronautical, computer, telecommunications and armaments industries support the mining of

coltan because of its high resistance to high and low temperature,

(cid:129) whereas the UN report considers that these activities go beyond what can be qualified as (cid:145)illegal

exploitation(cid:146) and amount to (cid:145)systematic looting(cid:146),

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Official Journal of the European Communities

C 65 E/377

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A. whereas the overwhelming majority of the Congolese people are living in abject poverty although the

country has vast natural resources,

B. whereas since independence the vast majority of the population has not benefited from the exploi-

tation of these natural resources,

C. whereas rebel groups and foreign armies are involved, according to this report, in large-scale looting

of the DRC(cid:146)s natural resources,

D. whereas plundering, looting, racketeering and criminal cartels are commonplace,

E. whereas the revenue from this looting is used to fund the war effort and is resulting in the personal

enrichment of senior echelons of the military and politicians in several African countries,

F. whereas some western companies have benefited from the looting by importing these natural

resources and using them in their activities without verifying the original sources,

G. whereas, according to the UN report, two Member States of the European Union are among the three

most important final destinations of this looting,

H. whereas there is a clear link between this exploitation and the continued conflict, as this looting helps

finance armies and fuels the war,

I. whereas the cessation of this illegal exploitation will help bring about an end to hostilities,

J. whereas the illegal exploitation has had devastating effects on the Congolese people and on the

country(cid:146)s flora, fauna and natural parks,

K. whereas it is essential for the development and rebuilding of the DRC that the country can exploit its

mineral resources itself in a sustainable, transparent and properly administered manner,

L. whereas all nations and organisations involved in the so-called (cid:145)Kimberley Process(cid:146) to curb the illegal

trade in diamonds must redouble efforts to stop such trading,

M. whereas the only viable solution to the three-year old civil war in the DRC remains the full imple-

mentation of the 1999 Lusaka Agreement,

N. whereas the Lusaka Agreement is also the basis for inter-Congolese dialogue with a view to establish-

ing peace, democracy and the rule of law,

Reaffirms its commitment to the sovereignty of the DRC,

1.
resources, and the integrity of its territory;

including sovereignty over its natural

Strongly condemns the systematic and large-scale looting of the natural resources and wealth of the

2.
DRC;

3.

Urges all states, companies and persons involved to stop this looting forthwith;

Calls on the World Bank and the IMF to stop shoring up the budgets of the parties to the conflict

4.
until the end of hostilities;

5.
Calls on the governments named in the report to give full consideration to the panel(cid:146)s findings; calls
on the governments named in the report and other nations that have troops in the DRC to conduct their
own inquiries and take immediate steps to end illegal exploitation of the natural resources by their
nationals or others under their control;

6.
Calls on the Council to take into consideration the recommendations made by the panel of experts,
in particular the sanctions to be applied to the parties to the conflict and firms involved in the illegal
exploitation of the natural resources of the DRC;

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Thursday 5 July 2001

7. Welcomes the decision of the UN Security Council to extend the panel(cid:146)s mandate and stresses the
importance of an addendum to the UN report that should provide an update of relevant data, an analysis
of further information, a response to the reactions on the report, and an assessment of whether progress
has been made;

Strongly condemns the murder of the six staff of the ICRC and urges all parties to the conflict to

8.
ensure full and secure access to vulnerable populations;

9.

Supports the UN(cid:146)s deployment of MONUC observers and liaison officers;

Urges all countries involved in the war in the DRC to withdraw their troops from the territory of

10.
the DRC, in accordance with the Lusaka Agreement;

11. Welcomes the announcement of the start of the inter-Congolese dialogue provided for in the Lusaka
Agreement;

Considers that the participation of civil society and non-armed political forces in the inter-Con-
12.
golese dialogue is an important factor in establishing a lasting peace, participatory democracy and sustain-
able development in the process of construction of the country;

Urges the Kabila government to embark upon the reconciliation and democratisation process with-

13.
out delay, in order to enable the European Union to fully resume structural aid to the Congo;

Calls on the Council and the Commission to take all appropriate measures to tackle the humani-

14.
tarian crisis;

15.
Supports the Belgian Presidency initiative to give the DRC a priority status on its agenda and urges
the European Council to encourage the inter-Congolese dialogue in order to create effective governance
and the re-establishment of the rule of law;

Calls on the European Union to respond favourably to any request from the Congolese authorities

16.
seeking to ensure nuclear safety (extraction, exploitation, reprocessing) in the territory of the DRC;

17.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the United Nations
Organisation, the OAU, the Government of the DRC and the governments of Congo, Angola, Chad, Kenya,
Namibia, Zimbabwe, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Gabon and the Central African Republic, the World
Bank, the IMF and the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.

23. Earthquake in Peru

B5-0493, 0503, 0518, 0519 and 0520/2001

European Parliament resolution on the earthquake of 23 June 2001 in Peru

The European Parliament,

A.

shocked at the dramatic emergency in Peru, caused by the earthquake of 23 June 2001, the devastat-
ing effects of which have left more than one hundred people dead and more than one thousand
injured, destroyed more than 10 000 homes and left more than 40 000 people homeless in the
provinces of Arequipa, Moquegua and Tacna,

B. whereas the earthquake destroyed part of the economic infrastructure and structures of the provinces

affected and also caused serious damage in the north of Chile and Bolivia,

C. whereas tremors are still occurring throughout the region, affecting Peru, Chile and Bolivia, and the

total cost of the damage has not yet been assessed,