European Parliament resolution on Kazakhstan
Date: 2006-03-16
Institutions: European Parliament
Subjects: Kazakhstan, cooperation agreement (EU), democratisation, human rights, political prisoner, political violence, terrorism

C 291 E/416

EN

Official Journal of the European Union

30.11.2006

Thursday, 16 March 2006

8. Welcomes the constructive cooperation between the different political parties in the Moldovan Parlia-
ment; recognises the importance of the reforms regarding the independence of the judiciary, the intelligence
services, legislation on elections and the Court of Auditors; calls for the reinforcement of Moldova's judicial
capacity; underlines the importance of the implementation of these and other reforms without delay;

9.
Is convinced that reforms in Moldova will be successful only when they are carried out with respect for
the rule of law and fundamental freedoms; urges all the parties concerned, including members of civil
society, to work together to foster the further development of the country's democracy;

10. Welcomes the implementation of the Joint Declaration on Customs of the Ukrainian and Moldovan
Prime Ministers of 30 December 2005; calls on economic agents in the Transnistrian region of Moldova to
register with the relevant authorities in Chisinau in order to promote the unimpeded flow of goods across
the border; calls on the self-proclaimed Transnistrian authorities not to block such registration;

11. Welcomes the deployment of the EUBAM to Moldova and Ukraine, which may contribute to wider
efforts to find a viable and sustainable solution to the Transnistria conflict; stresses that better border
controls are an essential element in bringing the conflict to an end, including by limiting the arms trade;

12. Calls on the Commission, the Council and the EUSR for Moldova to make every effort to prevent any
escalation of the present border crisis;

13.
Takes note of the positive, though in certain respects critical, declaration by the Moldovan Parliament
on the Ukrainian initiative to settle the Transnistria conflict; calls on all the parties involved to fully engage
themselves in the 5 + 2 negotiations in which Moldova, the Transnistrian region of Moldova, Russia,
Ukraine and the OSCE are participating with the EU and the United States of America as observers, and to
come to a political settlement of the Transnistria conflict;

14. Calls on Russia immediately to discontinue its support for the Transnistrian regime, to reaffirm its
commitment to Moldova's territorial integrity as defined by the Moldovan Constitution and unconditionally
to withdraw its troops, including their heavy weaponry and munitions; stresses that, under the decision
taken at the 1999 OSCE Summit in Istanbul, the troops should have been withdrawn by the end of 2002;
calls on the Council to include this item on the agenda of the next EU-Russia summit;

15.
Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government and
Parliament of Moldova, the Government of Romania, the Government of Ukraine, the Government of the
Russian Federation, the Government of the United States of America, the Secretary-General of the OSCE and
the Secretary-General of the Council of Europe.

P6_TA(2006)0100

Kazakhstan

European Parliament resolution on Kazakhstan

The European Parliament,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on Kazakhstan,

— having regard to the European Union's Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA) with Kazakhstan,

which was signed on 23 January 1995 and entered into force on 1 July 1999,

— having regard to the EU statement of 16 February 2006 on the death of Mr Altynbek Sarsenbayev in

Kazakhstan,

— having regard to the Commission's Central Asia Strategy Paper 2002-2006,

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— having regard to the conclusions of the fourth meeting of the EU-Kazakhstan Cooperation Council,

Thursday, 16 March 2006

— having regard to the official results of the presidential elections of 4 December 2005,

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

A. whereas Mr Altynbek Sarsenbayev, a prominent politician and the co-chairman of the True Ak Zhol
opposition party, was brutally murdered on 13 February 2006, together with his bodyguard and driver,

B. whereas, on 12 November 2005, another opposition leader, Nurkadilov Zamanbek, was found shot dead
in unexplained circumstances after he had accused the government of corruption; whereas the official
investigation concluded that he had committed suicide,

C. whereas twelve opposition activists, as well as a number of journalists, were jailed for five to fifteen days
or fined for holding a rally on 26 February 2006 in memory of the slain opposition leader, Altynbek
Sarsenbayev,

D. whereas the Secretary-General of the Senate was arrested for the killing of Mr Sarsenbayev, together with
five members of the state security services, and charged with kidnapping and killing, prompting the
resignation of the head of the state security agency,

E. whereas Kazakhstan is a key ally in the fight against international terrorism and religious fundament-

alism, and whereas it wishes to chair the OSCE from 2009,

F.

stressing that respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law is a fundamental element of the
EU-Kazakhstan Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, upon which the development of future relations
will be based,

1. Condemns the murder of Mr Altynbek Sarsenbayev, and extends its condolences to the family of the
victim;

Expresses its great concern at the fact that over a period of three months two prominent opposition

2.
politicians were killed;

3. Calls on the Kazakhstan authorities to carry out the ongoing investigation into the circumstances of the
death of Mr Altynbek Sarsenbayev and the two persons who accompanied him in a full, independent and
transparent manner;

4. Welcomes President Nazarbayev's statement of 21 February 2006 condemning the murders and
promising severe punishment for those involved;

5. Welcomes the release of Mr Galymzhan Zhakianov from his internal exile;

6. Condemns the jailing of opposition activists and journalists for five to fifteen days for taking part in the
peaceful rally following the death of Mr Altynbek Sarsenbayev;

7. Urges the Kazakhstan government to honour its commitments under the Partnership and Cooperation
Agreement, in particular to respect democracy, the principles of international law and human rights and
move towards democratisation, the provision of guarantees of greater freedom for citizens and liberalisation;
reiterates the importance it places on cooperation between Kazakhstan and the EU in the economic, political
and cultural fields;

8. Calls on the Council and Commission to place the issue of respect for human rights at the core of the
next Cooperation Council meeting, linking progress in this field to the further implementation of the Part-
nership and Cooperation Agreement, and to strengthen the TACIS democracy programmes for Kazakhstan,
aiming, in particular, at strengthening and developing democratic institutions, independent media and the
fight against corruption; calls for the inclusion of these topics in the agenda for the next meeting of the
EU-Kazakhstan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, which is due to take place on 29 and 30 May 2006;

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Thursday, 16 March 2006

Stresses that respect for the principles of democracy, the rule of law and human rights, as clearly laid

9.
down in the PCA, is a prerequisite if Kazakhstan is to fulfil its intention to chair the OSCE from 2009;

Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-
the Council of Europe, and the

the EU Special Representative for Central Asia,

the OSCE,

10.
General,
Government and President of Kazakhstan.

P6_TA(2006)0101

Impunity in Africa and in particular the case of Hissène Habré

European Parliament resolution on impunity in Africa and in particular the case of Hissène Habré

The European Parliament,

— having regard to the Treaty on the International Criminal Court,

— having regard to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1638 requiring the UN Mission in Liberia
to apprehend and detain former President Taylor in the event of his return to Liberia and to transfer him
or facilitate his transfer to Sierra Leone for prosecution before the Special Court for Sierra Leone,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on Chad and Liberia, in particular that of 24 February 2005 on

the extradition of Charles Taylor, (1)

— having regard to the 38th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and People's Rights

held in Banjul, The Gambia, from 21 November to 5 December 2005,

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

A. recalling the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and stressing that it has been 50 years
since the United Nations first recognised the need to establish an international criminal court to prose-
cute those suspected of crimes such as genocide,

B. whereas Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General, has stated that amnesties for gross human rights viola-
tions remain unacceptable to, and cannot be recognised by, the UN unless they exclude genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes,

C. noting with concern the numerous human rights abuses in parts of the African continent and that the
perpetrators of these crimes are rarely brought to justice, while the victims are frequently denied an
effective remedy,

D. whereas international law clearly states that war criminals must be tried at all times and that States are

obliged to extradite people suspected of having committed war crimes,

E. noting that the Constitutive Act of the African Union, at Article 4(o), expressly condemns and rejects

impunity,

F. welcoming the declarations by the African Union against impunity and taking the view that the union
will enhance its credibility by demonstrating its determination to take practical measures against impu-
nity for human rights violations,

(1) OJ C 304 E, 1.12.2005, p. 408.