Strasbourg, 25/02/2005 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday, the Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution calling for the “immediate resignation” of Fauré Gnassingbé, son of the late President Eyadema who died on 5 February this year, and his replacement by Fambaré Ouattara Natchaba, President of the National Assembly to ensure there is a caretaker government before organising elections. According to the Togolese Constitution, elections should be held in two months. The EP approves the sanctions imposed by ECOWAS, including Togo's exclusion from the organisation, and calls for “targeted sanctions against the authors of the coup d'état”. They are pleased to note the declarations by the president of the African Union Commission, Alpha Oumar Konaré, whereby the “African Union cannot support seizure of power by force”. French Socialist Catherine Trautmann urged during the debate for a “strong and demanding position from the Parliament” and a “return to the sovereignty of the Togolese people”, and hoped there would be “measures taken on the provision of weapons and financing transfers outside Togo”.
Commissioner Viviane Reding recalled that EU cooperation has been suspended since 1992 and regretted that the recent events have “brought back into question the hope of normalised relations”. She considers that cooperation can only be resumed when “free and transparent legislative elections are held, in addition to presidential elections at this time”. The Commission can envisage “support” for the organisation of such elections, she said. (See yesterday's EUROPE, p.9, for the position of the ACPs, and of 24 February, p.7, for that of the EU).