European Parliament resolution on the impact of Hurricane Michelle on Central America
Date: 2001-11-15
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, cooperation agreement (EU), cooperation policy, emergency aid, humanitarian aid, natural disaster

13.6.2002

EN

Official Journal of the European Communities

C 140 E/585

Thursday 15 November 2001

Condemns the indiscriminate killing of civilians in Benue by elements of the Nigerian army and

1.
deplores the human suffering caused by ongoing conflicts in this country;

2.
Calls on the Nigerian authorities to conduct a rapid, impartial and effective investigation into these
incidents and to restore international confidence in Nigeria’s democracy and prevent further massacres by
the military;

3.
Notes that Nigeria’s Vice-President Atiku Abubakar described the massacre in Benue as ‘most repre-
hensible and most regrettable’ and that President Olusegun Obasanjo warned ‘these disturbances have
threatened the core values that bind us together as a civilised nation’;

4.
Draws attention to President Olusegun Obasanjo’s move to establish a 14-member National Security
Commission to investigate the causes of the continued ethnic and religious conflicts in Nigeria and awaits
the Commission’s findings;

Notes the Nigerian Lower Chamber’s vote to investigate the massacre of hundreds of civilians and its

5.
demand for a judicial inquiry;

6.
Urges the Nigerian Government to restore a climate of confidence between the communities, in
accordance with the country’s constitution, and to support efforts by civil society and groups like the
ACF to broker peace between the warring Tiv and Jukun communities;

Condemns all forms of religious intolerance and, in particular, the setting on fire of several mosques,
7.
expresses its concern that fundamentalist interpretation and implementation of the Sharia Law in some
Nigerian states may be contrary to respect for basic human rights and calls on the Federal Government of
Nigeria to ensure full respect for the constitution and the rule of law;

Condemns in particular the northern Nigerian Islamic court’s selective justice that sentenced Ms Safiya
8.
Hussaini-Tungar-Tudu to death by stoning after finding her guilty of adultery, while the male adulterer was
acquitted;

Urges the Commission and Member States to provide humanitarian assistance to the internally dis-

9.
placed people living in Nigeria’s refugee camps;

10.
Considers that the Nigerian army is ill-suited to restoring civil order and urges the Commission and
Member States to help provide technical assistance to train the Nigerian police to cope with communal
conflict and enable it to deal with these specific conflicts with due respect for the rule of law;

11.
Calls on the European Union to improve the dialogue with Nigeria, with a view to strengthening
the existing processes in Nigeria towards the consolidation of democracy, social and economic justice and
respect for human rights and religious freedoms;

12.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Co-Presidents
of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the African Union, and the government and parliament of
Nigeria.

17. Disasters: Effects of hurricane ‘Michelle’ in Nicaragua, Cuba and Honduras

B5-0714, 0721, 0727, 0733 and 0738/2001

European Parliament resolution on the impact of Hurricane ‘Michelle’ on Central America

The European Parliament,

= having regard to its previous resolutions on the natural disasters that have hit Central America, and in
particular its resolution of 19 November 1998 on the situation in Central America and action by the
European Union (1),

= having regard to Regional Programme for the Reconstruction of Central America,

(1) OJ C 379, 7.12.1998, p. 272.

C 140 E/586

Official Journal of the European Communities

EN

13.6.2002

Thursday 15 November 2001

A. mindful of the havoc wrought by Hurricane ‘Michelle’ as it swept through Honduras, Nicaragua and

Cuba, leaving people dead, missing or displaced and causing extensive material damage,

B. whereas these three particularly poor countries are now confronted with an emergency as regards
hygiene, food and access to drinking water and to basic services such as hospitals and schools for
their populations,

C. whereas, in spite of this being the worst disaster to hit Cuba in 50 years, the authorities there have
been able to limit the hurricane’s impact by means of preventive measures and a well-implemented
emergency plan,

D. whereas the coincidental timing of a visit by a European Parliament delegation to Honduras and

Nicaragua has made it possible to assess the hurricane’s impact there at first hand,

E. whereas Hurricane ‘Iris’ swept through neighbouring Belize on 8 October 2001, causing further dev-

astation in that area,

Expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims and those affected by this disaster, and shares

1.
the pain felt by the peoples of Honduras, Nicaragua and Cuba;

2. Welcomes the Commission’s rapid response in providing assistance to these countries through its
humanitarian aid office (ECHO);

3.
Calls on the Commission to assess the damage in Honduras and Nicaragua, to take that damage into
account in implementing the Regional Programme for the Reconstruction of Central America, and to
increase the relevant budgetary allocations accordingly;

4.
Regrets the fact that the lack of a cooperation agreement with Cuba prevents the European Union
from helping to alleviate the impact of this disaster there through anything other than humanitarian aid; in
this regard reiterates its belief in the need for a cooperation agreement with Cuba that is compatible with
the European Union doctrine on cooperation, respect for human rights and democracy;

5. Welcomes the gesture made by the United States Government in offering humanitarian aid, and
urges it to accede to Cuba’s request to be allowed to purchase supplies and medicines from the United
States for the humanitarian disaster relief effort, in spite of the existing embargo;

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

6.
presidents and legislative bodies of the republics of Honduras, Nicaragua and Cuba.

18. Disasters: Floods in Algeria

B5-0715, 0722, 0728 and 0737/2001

European Parliament resolution on the floods in Algeria

The European Parliament,

= having regard to the Barcelona Declaration,

A. mindful of the disastrous rainstorms which have struck Algeria in the past few days, leaving more
than 500 people dead and many others injured and causing major damage to infrastructure and hous-
ing, notably in and around the capital,

B.

deeply shocked by the high number of victims these floods have claimed,