Strasbourg, 22/11/2004 (Agence Europe) - The adoption by five political groups (EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA and the GUE/NGL) from the European Parliament on Thursday, of a common resolution, effectively condemns the acts of violence, xenophobia and pillage in the Ivory Coast. It also calls on the Ivory Coast government to bring the violence to an end and its perpetrators to justice. Parliament calls on all parties in the conflict to: 1) put an immediate end to military action and other hostile acts; 2) stop targeting and attacking civilians, particularly humanitarian aid workers of all ethnic, national and religious groups; 3) condemn and combat incitement to hatred and violence. It calls on the country's government and representatives from "Forces nouvelles" to implement the Accra III agreement and take all necessary measures to re-establish the rule of law and respect for human rights.
Parliament is "pleased that after the position taken by Heads of African countries meeting in Abuja on 12 November, the Security Council decided to impose an immediate arms embargo and, in the event of the parties not respecting the agreements, made plans to freeze the financial assets of those in breach of the agreement and restrict travel abroad for all those threatening the national peace and reconciliation process". The position taken also demanded that radio programmes inciting hatred, intolerance and violence were closed. Parliament also welcomes the mediation provided by Thabo Mbeki, who declared on Wednesday in Strasbourg that he was confident that the arms embargo would be applied accordingly, because of the position taken by Heads of state in the region at the Abuja summit (on Mr Mdeki's visit see EUROPE 17 November p 6). Parliament congratulates the "the African Union in finding a political settlement to the Ivory Coast crisis and has provided it with assurances of its full support, as well as the support from ECOWAS to find, together with the UN, a swift and sustainable solution to the current crisis". It regrets that the current peace keeping forces (6000 French out of 10000 troops) do not have a sufficient multinational component. Parliament "calls on members of the EU to get actively involved in supporting the peace keeping mission overseen by the UN and France and deplores the fact that operation 'Licorne' consists exclusively of French troops and does not have a European component".
Parliament calls on the European Union and international community to increase humanitarian aid to Ivory Coast and hopes that conditions will allow for more numerous operations "which are desperately awaited". It calls on the Council to plan, in this context, consultations between the EU and Ivory Coast, on the basis of Articles 9 and 96 of the Cotonou Agreement.
During the debate, French Green Marie-Hélène Aubert welcomed the arms embargo but highlighted the need for long term action. She said that the EU had to revise its African policy. Czech Communist Jaromir Kohlicek stated that the EU should support the deployment of African forces to stabilise the country. German Christian Democrat Bernd Posselt explained that the reference to operation "Licorne" was not against France but that the country needed to get other Member States on board. Commissioner Jan Figel pointed to the violence which had led to more than 8000 Europeans leaving the country (most of them French), the incitement to hatred on the radio and television, as well as acts of sabotage of international radio transmitters and the failure of the electricity supply in the north of the country. He gave his support to the European Commission and Thabo Mdeki's mediation, as well as to sanctions by the Security Council.