European Parliament resolution on Kashmir
Date: 2005-11-17
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: India, Pakistan, cooperation policy, earthquake, emergency aid, humanitarian aid, settlement of disputes

18.11.2006

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

C 280 E/469

Thursday 17 November 2005

7. Welcomes the highly critical reactions of the international community, fully supports the United
Nations Security Council declaration condemning the statement by the Iranian President and supports the
United Nations Secretary-General's reminding Iran of its obligations under the United Nations Charter;

8. Welcomes as an example the statement by the Central Council of Muslims in Germany that every
nation has to respect international law and the rights of other States and welcomes the reaction of world-
wide public opinion, in particular people of Iranian origin, who have demonstrated their outrage at the
Iranian President's statements;

9. Welcomes the position of several senior Palestinian officials and representatives in condemning Presi-
dent Ahmadinejad's view and in favour of the peaceful coexistence of a Palestinian and an Israeli State;

Underlines that the statements by President Ahmadinejad cause concern about Iran's role in the
10.
region and its future intentions; in this context, calls on Iran to refrain from any support for international
terrorist groups;

11.
Reiterates its call on the Iranian authorities to play a proactive and positive role in the broader region
of the Middle East and considers in this context that an agreement on the nuclear issue should encourage all
parties concerned to promote security and peace for all people;

12.
Calls on the Council and the Commission to act in line with the conclusions of the General Affairs
Council of 7 November 2005 and Parliament's resolution of 13 October 2005 in order to reach a diplo-
matic solution to the concerns over Iran's nuclear programme and to maintain this position in any further
developments of the Comprehensive Dialogue;

13.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
and parliaments of the Member States, the governments and parliaments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and
Israel, the Director General of the IAEA and the UN Secretary-General.

P6_TA(2005)0442

Access to humanitarian aid in Kashmir

European Parliament resolution on Kashmir

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions reaffirming the rights of victims of natural disasters to humani-

tarian aid,

— having regard to the report of the European Parliament ad hoc delegation visits to Kashmir, from 8 to

11 December 2003 and from 20 to 24 June 2004,

— having regard to the report by the Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) of 1 August 2005 on

the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction,

— having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 18 October

2005,

— having regard to the statement by the Council Presidency of 27 October 2005 at Hampton Court on

the South Asian Earthquake,

— having regard to declaration of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) summit

in Dhaka of 12 and 13 November 2005,

— having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

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A. whereas a magnitude MW 7,6 earthquake occurred on 8 October 2005, causing an enormous amount
of damage and serious casualties over an area of 30 000 km2 in the region of Kashmir, the North-West
Frontier Province of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India,

B. whereas the earthquake killed or seriously injured more than 200 000 people, and millions of people
have been left homeless, facing extreme weather conditions and all kinds of serious illnesses; whereas
both figures may still rise dramatically in the face of the incoming Himalayan winter; and whereas more
than 1,8 million people are now homeless in Kashmir (85 % of the population in the Pakistan-admin-
istered capital of Muzaffarabad) alone,

C. whereas the levels of human and economic devastation are unprecedented in the history of the sub-
continent, with hundreds of towns and villages, most roads and bridges, public infrastructure and
communications completely destroyed, particularly around Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-admin-
istered Kashmir,

D. whereas the UN has warned that there may not be enough resources available worldwide, such as

winterised tents, to deal with a catastrophe on this scale,

E. whereas the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank have estimated that the total cost of the
humanitarian relief operation, rehabilitation and reconstruction will amount to USD 5,2 billion, of
which USD 2 billion has been pledged by donors,

F. whereas the United Nations (UN) reported on 11 November 2005 that it had only received USD 98,5
million and had USD 38 million in unconfirmed pledges after the launch of a flash appeal for
USD 550 million on 26 October 2005 to cover relief efforts for the next six months,

G. whereas the EU and its Member States, besides notable financial assistance, have also contributed heli-
copters, aircraft and engineers to the relief effort carried out by the Pakistani authorities and the inter-
national community,

H. whereas the governments of India and Pakistan have agreed to open five crossing points, starting on

7 November 2005, on the Line of Control (LoC) in Kashmir,

I. whereas India and Pakistan have been engaged in a continuous dialogue since the beginning of 2004 in

order to put an end to some of their disputes,

Expresses its sincere condolences, sympathy and solidarity to all those affected by the earthquake that

1.
struck South Asia on 8 October 2005;

Remains seriously concerned about the situation of survivors, especially the people living in high-
2.
country settlements cut off by landslides, who can only be reached by a fleet of relief helicopters; alarmed
about reports that people in some of the hardest-hit areas have received little if any aid;

3.
Stresses that the worst-hit areas have become inaccessible, as roads and communication systems are
largely destroyed, and underlines the tragic consequences that will result from a continued delay in the
delivery of humanitarian aid to remote mountainous areas;

4. Welcomes the joint relief effort by the government of Pakistan and the international community,
including the assistance from Member States and NATO; is aware of the enormous efforts that have to be
made before the harsh mountain winter sets in; welcomes the aid package of EUR 93,6 million proposed by
the Commission and the pledges made by Member States and other donors; urges donors to pledge more
funds and commit themselves to the funds they have already pledged;

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Thursday 17 November 2005

5.
Is aware of the logistical problems faced by the aid workers and the urgent need for more helicopters,
winterised shelter, sanitation facilities, medical care, water and food; fully supports relief operations such as
‘Winter Race’, which has been launched by the International Organisation for Migration and the Inter-
national Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to deliver 10 000 shelter repair kits to high-
altitude villages;

6.
Calls for increased coordination between the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the
European Community Humanitarian Aid Department (ECHO), non-governmental organisations and the
governments of Pakistan and India to ensure that the aid currently provided by the European Union is
rapidly deployed to Kashmir;

Fully supports requests for immediate funding of emergency aid; urges donors to contribute to the
7.
USD 550 million requested by the UN without delay; reminds donors of the additional USD 580 million
pledged during the donor conference of 26 October 2005; requests the Commission to indicate as soon as
possible whether the EU will be able to make further funds available within the global transfer or under
other mechanisms, particularly in view of the reconstruction needs from 2006 onwards;

8.
Expresses its serious concern about the severe budget constraints faced by the Commission as far as
humanitarian aid is concerned and stresses that most of the remaining operational reserve of ECHO has
been used up by other recent major emergencies;

9.
Urges the Commission to revisit the Scheme of Generalised Tariff Preferences (GSP Plus Scheme) and
to implement the model approved by the European Parliament on 9 March 2005 (1); encourages the Com-
mission to give effect to those and other appropriate measures on an expedited basis, as per the timetabling
of the GSP Plus Scheme following the South Asian Tsunami;

10. Welcomes the decision taken at the SAARC summit of 12 and 13 November 2005 to cooperate in
the field of disaster management and to coordinate efforts in this respect by setting up a preparedness and
disaster management centre in India;

11. Welcomes the agreement between the governments of India and Pakistan on the opening of crossing
points on the LoC; is convinced that the opening of crossing points is of vital importance to the people of
Kashmir and the relief operation; expresses its hope that the agreement can be implemented without too
many administrative problems for the people of Kashmir using the crossing points; welcomes the opening
of five crossing points for the exchange of goods; asks the authorities of both countries to allow crossing by
civilians; supports the call by the UN World Food Programme to open other points for crossing the LoC
and to allow the movement of trucks in order to support the relief operation for hundreds of thousands of
people in remote valleys and on high mountains in Kashmir;

12. Welcomes the fact that ‘cricket diplomacy’ led to the holding of a summit in New Delhi between the
Indian Prime Minister and the President of Pakistan on 17 April 2005; welcomes the fact that both parties
are making progress in consolidating confidence-building measures through gradual bilateral normalisation
which could lead to a political settlement of the Kashmir border question;

13. Welcomes the signs of progress in Indo-Pakistani bilateral talks on Kashmir, and other mutual dis-
plays of flexibility, such as the recently launched bus service between the two — Indian and Pakistani —
parts of the territory, or the visits by the Indian Minister of Foreign Affairs to Pakistan and the President of
Pakistan to India;

14. Welcomes the Indian Prime Minister's declaration, supported by the Presidentof Pakistan, that the
Siachen Glacier in Kashmir should be regarded as a ‘Mountain of Peace’ and as a new symbol on the path
to full reconciliation between India and Pakistan on Kashmir, and calls on the EU to support this positive
move in order to achieve, as soon as possible, a definitive agreement between the parties, inter alia on
redeployment and withdrawal of military forces in the area;

(1) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0066.

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15.
Expresses its hope that the terrible catastrophe, which struck the Kashmiri people hardest of all, may
bear the positive fruit of bringing the survivors closer to peace, free movement and prosperity in the near
future; applauds the governments of India and Pakistan for recent first steps towards reconciliation, which
for the first time included the Kashmiris directly in the process, and very much hopes that this is the
beginning of a steady process towards peace; calls therefore on the Indian and Pakistani governments to
continue with the process that should, while involving the population concerned, lead to a peaceful settle-
ment of the Kashmir issue;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments
16.
and parliaments of India and Pakistan, the Secretary-General of the SAARC, the NATO Secretary-General
and the UN Secretary-General.

P6_TA(2005)0443

Philippines (the sentencing to death of Francisco Larrañaga, an EU citizen)

European Parliament resolution on the Philippines

The European Parliament,

— having regard to Article 3 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

— having regard to the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or

Punishment of 1984, as ratified by the Philippines on 18 June 1986,

— having regard to the Guidelines on EU policy towards third countries on the death penalty adopted by

the General Affairs Council on 29 June 1998,

— having regard to the Commission Communication of 8 May 2001 on the European Union's role in
promoting human rights and democratisation in third countries (COM(2001)0252), which identifies
the abolition of the death penalty as one of the thematic priorities for assistance under the European
Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights,

— having regard to the letters addressed on 10 May 2004 and 6 June 2005 by the former and current
Presidents of the European Parliament, Pat Cox and Josep Borrell, to the President of the Philippines,
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, asking for a review of the trial of Francisco Larrañaga,

— having regard to its previous resolutions calling for the abolition of the death penalty and for a mora-
torium on executions in the meantime, and particularly its resolution of 18 December 2003 on ‘Philip-
pines: end of the moratorium on the death penalty’ (1),

— having regard to its resolution of 28 April 2005 on the Annual Report on Human Rights in the World

2004 and the EU's policy on the matter (2),

— having regard to Rule 115 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas former Philippines President Estrada implemented a moratorium on the death penalty in March

2000,

B. whereas current President Macapagal-Arroyo announced the lifting of this moratorium as of 1 January

2004,

C. whereas, since the death penalty was restored, in 1993 more than 1916 people have been sentenced to
death in the Philippines, and there have been seven executions; whereas at least 18 minors are still
under sentence of death for crimes committed when they were under 18, although it is laid down
clearly in the law of the Philippines that minors cannot be sentenced to death or executed,

(1) OJ C 91 E, 15.4.2004, p. 691.
(2) Texts Adopted, P6_TA(2005)0150.