European Parliament resolution on the Darfur region in the Sudan
Date: 2004-09-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Sudan, cease-fire, civil war, democratisation, establishment of peace, human rights, humanitarian aid, international relations, the EU's international role

9.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 140 E/153

Thursday 16 September 2004

Calls on the Belarus authorities to release immediately Valery Levonevsky, Alexander Vasilyev and

7.
Mikhail Larinich and all other imprisoned political opponents of the regime;

8. Welcomes the decision of the UN Commission on Human Rights to appoint a Special Rapporteur on
the human rights situation in Belarus and the objective of developing a human rights education programme
for all sectors of society;

Calls on the Belarus authorities to respect trade union rights, and in particular the right of association

9.
guaranteed under the ILO conventions ratified by Belarus;

Emphasises once again that the further development of EU relations with Belarus will continue to

10.
depend on the progress made towards democratisation and reform in the country;

Calls on the EU Council Presidency to press the Belarus authorities to allow a delegation from the
11.
European Parliament to be sent to Belarus to observe the elections on 17 October 2004 and to create the
conditions for independent observation;

Urges the Commission to make the most of the current spontaneous ‘people to people’ exchange
12.
programmes between Belarusian communities of Chernobyl children and some municipalities in EU
Member States; calls, in this connection, for the creation of a dedicated framework through which to sup-
port those Belarus municipalities sincerely committed to democratic values;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Parliaments and
13.
Governments of the Member States, the Government and the Parliament of Belarus, and the Parliamentary
Assemblies of the OSCE and the Council of Europe.

P6_TA(2004)0012

Humanitarian situation in Sudan

European Parliament resolution on the Darfur region in the Sudan

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the ACP-EC Partnership Agreement signed in Cotonou on 23 June 2000 (1),

— having regard to the Constitution of the Republic of the Sudan adopted on 30 June 1998,

— having regard to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted on 16 December

1966, ratified by the Republic of the Sudan on 18 June 1986,

— having regard to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights adopted on

16 December 1966, ratified by the Republic of the Sudan on 18 June 1986,

— having regard to the Convention on the Rights of the Child adopted on 20 November 1989, ratified by

the Republic of the Sudan on 2 September 1990,

— having regard to the International Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination

adopted on 21 December 1965, ratified by the Republic of the Sudan on 20 April 1977,

— having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights adopted on 27 June 1981 and

ratified by the Republic of the Sudan on 18 February 1986,

— having regard to the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide adopted

on 9 December 1948,

— having regard to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court adopted on 12 September 2003,

(1) OJ L 317, 15.12.2000, p. 3.

C 140 E/154

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

9.6.2005

Thursday 16 September 2004

— having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1547 (2004), adopted on 11 June 2004, and 1556
(2004), adopted on 30 July 2004, on the Report of the Secretary-General on the Sudan, and to Resol-
ution 1502 (2003) of 26 August 2003 on the protection of United Nations personnel, associated
personnel and humanitarian personnel in conflict zones,

— having regard to the Darfur Plan of Action agreed between the UN and the Government of the Sudan

on 5 August 2004,

— having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General of 1 September 2004,

— having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 131/2004 of 26 January 2004 concerning certain restric-

tive measures in respect of Sudan (1),

— having regard to the Protocol between the Government of the Sudan and the Sudanese People's Liber-

ation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) of 26 May 2004,

— having regard to the Humanitarian Ceasefire Agreement signed in N'djamena in Chad on 8 April 2004
and the Agreement on the Modalities for the establishment of the Ceasefire Commission and the
Deployment of Observers in the Darfur, agreed in Addis Ababa on 28 May 2004, under the auspices
of the African Union,

— having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas it sent a delegation to Khartoum and the region of Darfur in the Sudan, as well as to Abéché

in Chad, from 2 to 7 September 2004,

B. whereas the region of Darfur has suffered persistent underdevelopment and economic and political

marginalisation,

C. whereas in February 2003 a rebellion, led by the Sudanese Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and
Equality Movement (JEM), began in Darfur against the government and, as a counter-measure, the
government started to arm civilians from certain nomadic tribes and to use air strikes; whereas fighting,
including attacks on civilians and indiscriminate bombing, resulted in at least 30 000 killings, more
than one million internally displaced people (IDP) within the Sudan and more than 200 000 refugees
in Chad,

D. whereas there have been claims that the Eritrean Government has been helping to train and arm the

SLA and JEM,

E. whereas, despite the ceasefire signed on 8 April 2004, the Government of the Sudan continued to
support militias and so-called ‘Popular Defence Forces’ despite their killing of civilians, the use of sexual
violence against women, looting and general harassment,

F. whereas government forces continued to use aircraft such as rocket helicopters and Antonov or MIG
planes, in breach of the ceasefire agreement, to support the militias fighting on the ground and to
terrorise civilians in villages and IDP camps by flying at low altitude and even shooting; whereas its
delegation was able to see the results of two recent impacts of helicopter rockets on the ground close to
the village of Gallab, North Darfur, in an SLA-controlled area,

G. whereas the refugees and IDPs its delegation met in Chad said that they all belonged to non-Arab tribes,

an observation confirmed by reports of INGOs working on the ground,

H. whereas, under Article II of the Genocide Convention, genocide is defined as any of the following acts
committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group:
killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliber-
ately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in
whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; forcibly transferring
children of the group to another group,

(1) OJ L 21, 28.1.2004, p. 1.

9.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 140 E/155

Thursday 16 September 2004

I. whereas the Government of the Sudan justifies new movement and increased deployment of troops by
claiming that the UN action plan allows it to create ‘safe areas’, but these troop movements are in fact a
breach of the Ceasefire Agreement,

J. whereas the Government of the Sudan has recently imported MIG air planes and is maintaining inor-
dinately high military expenditure, to the detriment of investment in social services and humanitarian
aid,

K. whereas it emerged from the meetings between its delegation and the Ceasefire Commission that a
substantial increase in ceasefire observers is needed rather than an increase in the observers' military
protectors,

L. whereas the EU has mobilised financial resources for humanitarian assistance, the political process and
the observer mission in Darfur to a total of EUR 287,8 million: EUR 107 million from Community
funds and EUR 180,8 million in bilateral contributions provided by the Member States,

M. whereas the African Union has played a very positive role in trying to put an end to the conflict, and

obtaining a ceasefire agreement and an agreement on humanitarian issues, still to be signed,

N. whereas although access for aid in Government-controlled areas is generally improving, notably
through the easing of a number of administrative obstacles, a high percentage of the population in
Darfur, especially in rebel-held areas, cannot be reached by humanitarian workers because of absence
of security, lack of guarantees, lack of logistic capacity and heavy rains,

O. whereas the refugees and IDPs met by its delegation in Chad mistrust the Sudanese authorities and are

afraid to return as long as their security is not guaranteed,

P. whereas traditional mechanisms for the resolution of conflicts between tribes are not appropriate in the

context of the atrocities which have been committed in Darfur,

Q. whereas traditional native mechanisms are no longer in place as they once used to be, which prevents
conflict resolution from taking place, because the Government of the Sudan has replaced these mech-
anisms with its own rule,

R. whereas procedures devised by the Government of the Sudan for women who are victims of sexual

violence in Darfur are inadequate,

1.
Condemns the Government of the Sudan for its deliberate support in Darfur of the targeting of
civilians from certain communities — in villages and also later in centres for displaced persons — which
includes killings, the use of sexual violence against women, looting and general harassment;

2.
Considers that the governance of the Sudan has, for decades, been characterised by persistent mis-
management, by underdevelopment and by the economic and political marginalisation of certain commun-
ities and regions and that this situation is at the root of the conflict in Darfur, as is the undemocratic nature
of the present regime;

3.

Calls for a political solution rather that a military one as the only way to put an end to the conflict;

4.
Calls therefore on the Government of the Sudan, the SLM/A and the JEM to engage more actively in
the Abuja (Nigeria) peace process under the auspices of the African Union, and to respect strictly the Cease-
fire Agreement;

5.
Draws attention to the political importance of the Naivasha (Kenya) peace process between the Gov-
ernment of the Sudan and the SPLM/A in bringing to an end one of the longest-running conflicts in Africa,
which has claimed almost two million lives and displaced four million people; urges the Government of the
Sudan, therefore, to move to finalise this peace agreement on the basis of the substantial progress already
made;

C 140 E/156

Official Journal of the European Union

EN

9.6.2005

Thursday 16 September 2004

Calls for a coordination of the Abuja and Naivasha processes,

6.
leading eventually to a global and
inclusive agreement, under the auspices of the international community, providing for democracy as well
as sharing of power and resources throughout the Sudan;

7.
Congratulates the Commission and Council on having been in the forefront of international action in
facing up to the crisis in Darfur, especially in brokering the Ceasefire Agreement, participating in the AU-led
ceasefire monitoring mission, providing humanitarian aid and developing a political process to resolve the
conflict;

Stresses the need for the rapid disbursement of the EU funding for the humanitarian assistance oper-

8.
ation and for the African Union;

9. Welcomes the appointment of a Special Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations
for the Sudan to monitor the situation in Darfur, as called for in Parliament's resolution of 31 March 2004
on the Sudan (1);

10.
Asks the UN and the African Union to coordinate their plans better in order to avoid a situation
where the establishment of so called ‘safe areas’ under the UN action plan could allow movements of
Government troops, thus jeopardising the Ceasefire Agreement; and believes that any movement of troops
is in any case to be considered as a breach of the Ceasefire Agreement;

11.
Calls on the UN to ensure that, when any future plans or measures for Darfur are drawn up, all
parties to the conflict are consulted, including the SLA/M and JEM, and also to ensure consultation and
coordination with the Ceasefire Commission;

Calls for a substantial increase in the number of ceasefire observers as a first step towards enhancing

12.
the monitoring capacity of the AU Ceasefire Commission;

Calls on the Council and Commission to reinforce the military and civilian staff of the African Union
13.
in Addis Ababa — including the recruitment and training of planning officers and the improvement of the
chain of command — and its liaison office in Khartoum;

14.

Calls on the Government of the Sudan to ground all military aircraft in Darfur immediately;

15.
Calls upon the Government of the Sudan to immediately release all prisoners of conscience, including
those opposition members and human rights activists who were identified in a letter the European Parlia-
ment delegation handed to the Minister of the Interior;

16.
Urges the Sudanese authorities to end impunity and to bring to justice immediately the planners and
perpetrators of crimes against humanity, war crimes and human rights violations, which can be construed as
tantamount to genocide; considers that, should the Sudan fail to exercise its sovereign jurisdiction, the
international community will have to find a way of ensuring they are brought to justice, including those
responsible in the present Sudanese regime; calls on the Council and the Member States to request the
United Nations Security Council to exercise its referral powers pursuant to Article 13(b) of the Rome Statute
of the International Criminal Court;

17.
Calls on the Government of the Sudan to repeal Article 48 of the Criminal Law, to ensure that
women who have been raped are able to receive treatment before or upon reporting of the incident and
to ensure that every effort is made to train police in sexual and gender-based violence issues;

18.
Calls on the UN Security Council to consider a global arms embargo on the Sudan and other tar-
geted sanctions against those responsible for massive abuses of human rights and other atrocities and to
ensure that any such sanctions do not add to the suffering of the population of Sudan;

Calls on the Government of the Sudan to agree to increase the number of human rights monitors

19.
from UNHCHR;

(1) P5_TA(2004)0225.

9.6.2005

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 140 E/157

Thursday 16 September 2004

20.
Calls on the Government of the Sudan to agree to the establishment of an international human
rights commission which can independently assess the crimes committed in the Darfur region since April
2003;

21.
Calls for consideration to be given to the establishment of an international police force to increase
protection and security for civilians at risk and with a view to advising and supporting the Sudanese police
and to restoring civilians' confidence and sense of security;

Asks the Government of the Sudan to further speed up its issuing of visas for humanitarian aid

22.
workers travelling to Khartoum and beyond;

23.
Condemns the kidnapping and holding by the SLA of six aid workers from 28 August until 6 Sept-
ember and calls upon all armed groups in the region to stop targeting those involved in humanitarian work
and to allow them to do their duty without fear of intimidation;

24. Welcomes the agreement between the UNHCR and the Chadian Government to deploy policemen
around the refugee camps in Chad in order to ensure their security;

25.
Calls on the EU Member States to coordinate their offers of support to the African Union rather than
acting bilaterally in order to lessen the bureaucratic burden on the African Union at a time of such heavy
pressure;

26.
Calls on all parties involved in the conflict to refrain from the recruitment and use of child soldiers
under the age of 18, and calls on the Sudanese authorities to protect displaced children, especially unac-
companied minors, as laid down in the relevant Conventions;

Urges the Government of Eritrea to refrain from providing any direct or indirect support to those

27.
involved in the conflict in Darfur;

Calls on the Governments of Chad, Libya and the Central African Republic to control the trade in

28.
small arms in the region more closely;

29.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government of
the Sudan, the African Union, the Governments of the EU Member States, the United States of America,
Norway, Chad, Libya, Eritrea, Egypt and China, the UN Secretary-General, the Co-Presidents of the ACP-EU
Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the ACP Council.

P6_TA(2004)0013

Situation in Iraq

The European Parliament,

European Parliament resolution on the situation in Iraq

— having regard to its previous resolutions of 16 May 2002 on the situation in Iraq eleven years after the
Gulf War (1) and 30 January 2003 on the situation in Iraq (2), its recommendation of 24 September
2003 on the situation in Iraq (3) and Decision 2004/155/EC of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 18 December 2003 on the mobilisation of the flexibility instrument in favour of the reha-
bilitation and reconstruction of Iraq according to point 24 of the interinstitutional Agreement of 6 May
1999 (4),

(1) OJ C 180 E, 31.7.2003, p. 499.
(2) OJ C 39 E, 13.2.2004, p. 67.
(3) OJ C 77 E, 26.3.2004, p. 226.
(4) OJ L 54, 23.2.2004, p. 1.