Addis Abeba, 19/02/2004 (Agence Europe) - The ACP/EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly (JPA) ended on Thursday with the adoption of five resolutions on: - conflict resolution and prevention; - the sustainable solution to be found at the WTO for problems concerning primary farm products from ACP countries on the global market (see yesterday's EUROPE, p.15); - the need, within ACP/EU cooperation, to mobilise means to combat diseases related to poverty and to promote reproductive health (access to contraception, care for women after abortions, and prevention against mother and infant mortality); - the "development" dimension of the future economic partnership agreements between the EU and integrated ACP regions (EUROPE of 18 February, p.12); - and the need to repair and prevent harm caused by cyclones in the Pacific, Indian Ocean and Caribbean, mainly through implementation of the Kyoto Protocol.
The emergency debate on the situation in Haiti, fuelled by a declaration from Louis H. Straker, Deputy Prime Minister of St Vincente and the Grenadines, who presides the External and Community Relations Council of the Caricom, did not give rise to a resolution. However, it did allow parliamentarians to unanimously support the Caricom initiative and to call for intervention from the international community to prevent the forceful overthrow of President Aristide's constitutional government.
After work, Ramdien Sardjoe, President of the parliament of Suriname and ACP Assembly Co-president, stressed when speaking to the press that resolutions had been adopted on behalf of over one billion people. He was delighted that the JPA in its new structure is "working well" by focusing its work on a limited number of hot topical issues. The border conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea was tackled on the basis of a report by the official joint mission of the JPA from 22 to 26 January in Eritrea. It will be consolidated during the next session in The Hague, from 22 to 25 November, Mr Sardjoe specified. Glenys Kinnock, European Co-President of the JPA, welcomed this session devoted to combating poverty, and the spirit of compromise which has allowed tension to be overcome in order to reach an unanimous position on economic partnership agreements (any reference to refusing to liberalise public services and the Singapore issues in talks was abolished to satisfy the EPP-ED, but the resolution on poverty-related diseases reintroduces this refusal not only for regional negotiations but also in the context of the General Agreement on the Trade in Services at the WTO, to the great satisfaction of the GUE and Greens/EFA Groups, and ACP parliamentarians). The resolution, Ms Kinnock said, places emphasis on cotton, given the failed WTO talks in Cancun and the anger of African countries toward unfair subsidies granted to cotton from South Carolina and its devastating effect on their export revenue. She went on to say that the resolution also covers reform of the sugar regime which could have a disastrous impact on the lives of millions of farmers, and on the need to offer producer countries like Ethiopia the possibility of processing, giving added value to the product. She also welcomed the "discussions opened" with the Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi and the President of the African Union, Alpha Konare, whose "vision" is shared by the JPA. "We wish to find ways to cooperate with the pan-African parliament once the Union is enlarged", she said. In answer to questions on the follow-up to be given to the debate on Haiti, Ms Kinnock announced that the two co-presidents of the JPA plan to write to Kofi Anan to ask him for UN intervention. "The situation is growing worse", she said, "and we cannot be complacent. It is our responsibility. It is our duty to take action".