Brussels, 08/08/2000 (Agence Europe) - On 7 August the French Presidency made the following declaration on behalf of the EU:
"The EU deeply deplores the violent events which took place in Lima on 28 July 2000 and resulted in the death of six Peruvian citizens. The EU condemns any manifestation of violence and enjoins all sectors of Peruvian political life to seek common ground for agreement and reconciliation by peaceful means and in mutual respect. The EU appeals to the Peruvian authorities responsible to conduct an in-depth inquiry, with all the necessary guarantees of independence and impartiality, in order to shed light on the events and to impose the appropriate sanctions. The EU reaffirms its support for the efforts made in the framework of the OAS to help consolidate democracy in Peru. It hopes that all sectors of political life will be able to show their maturity and constructive willingness to begin to implement, as soon as possible, the timetable proposed by the high-level mission of the OAS for strengthening public institutions and democracy coexistence in Peru. The EU calls upon the government of Peru to implement the democratic principals referred to in the Rio declaration, which forms the basis for the partnership between the EU and Latin America. The Central and Eastern Countries associated with the EU, the associated countries Cyprus, Malta and Turkey, and the EFTA countries members of the EEA, align themselves with this declaration".