Strasbourg, 19/06/2002 (Agence Europe) - After the emergency debate held on Thursday, the EP adopted resolutions on several countries:
Democratic Republic of Congo: The EP is in favour of setting up a UN international committee of inquiry on the recent massacres in Kisangani, and calls for demilitarisation in Kisangani, the reopening of the Congo river, the re-establishment of the DRC unit and the stationing of a "troops curtain" in the eastern part of DRC, set in place by the international community to stabilise the country's borders. It regrets that different opposition parties refused to sign the agreement of 19 April and welcomes the deployment of UN troops entrusted with the task of facilitating monitoring of the ceasefire. It calls for the next phase in the operation to be launched as soon as possible, a phase that comprises the deployment of more troops to begin the voluntary disarmament programme. The Council and the Commission are invited to cooperate with the international organisations such as the WFP and the UNDP to elaborate a joint action plan to rebuild the DRC and to ensure that sufficient financial resources are earmarked for this process, once peace has been restored.
Equatorial Guinea: The Parliament deplores the sentencing of 68 opposition leaders to terms of imprisonment after "political trials considered internationally as unfair". It calls for the trials to be cancelled and demands the immediate release of all political prisoners and their families. It also condemns the acts of torture and harassment of the opposition by Teodoro Obian's regime. The Parliament calls for the application of the democratic clause (Articles 96 and 97 of the Cotonou Agreement) if a real process of democratisation is not initiated.
Belarus: Parliament deplores the lack of cooperation of the authorities of Belarus with the OSCE, the EU and other international organisations. It regrets the decision of Belarus' authorities not to grant a visa to the newly appointed Head of the steering and monitoring group (AMG) of the OSCE, Eberhard Heyken, as well as the expulsion of the former Heads of Mission, Messrs Rivollier and Carpenter. It calls on the Commission to envisage the closure of its Tacis office in Belarus if the AMG cannot resume its activities.
Syria: Parliament invites the Syrian authorities to seriously take into account concerns expressed about the life of Advocate Riad Turk and calls on the EU to intervene for his release as well as for respect of the rule of law and human rights. The Commission is also invited to strengthen the MEDA programmes for democracy in Syria by supporting the emergence of a real civil society and independent NGO projects.
Malaysia: The Parliament calls on the government of Malaysia to respect the right to freedom of association and expression and to abolish the laws authorising detention without trial. It invites the EU to raise these issues during the next Asia-Europe and ASEAN-EU meetings. The UN Commission on Human Rights is invited to send a mission to the country.
Nepal: Parliament calls on Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba to reestablish dialogue between the democratic parties and Maoist rebels and to order an independent inquiry into the assassination of over 500 Maoists in Lisne Lek in May. The Council is invited to explore every means possible for mediation, including, eventually, the appointment of an EU representative for Nepal.
The Parliament also adopted a resolution on the death penalty. It calls on the EU to make abolition of the death penalty a priority in its relations with Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.