Strasbourg, 15/02/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Parliament expresses grave concern at the humanitarian situation in Darfur where massacres and human rights violations continue unrelentingly despite the peace agreement of 5 May 2006. It calls on the United Nations to set a clear date for deployment of a peacekeeping force “even in the absence of consent or agreement from the Sudanese Government”. MEPs call on the EU and on the other international players to apply sanctions “that target any side, including the government, that violates the ceasefire or attacks civilians, peacekeepers or humanitarian operations”.
These are the two main demands set out in a very firm resolution adopted by the plenary session on 15 February in Strasbourg.
On the subject of the future peacekeeping force supported by the United Nations, the Parliament stresses the need to “to secure humanitarian aid corridors without any further delay to support the increasingly isolated and suffering population in the region”. MEPs take the view that the unilateral fixing of a date for deployment is in line with its “responsibility to protect”, adopted by the UN, and “basing its action on the failure of the Government of Sudan to protect its population in Darfur from war crimes and crimes against humanity. The responsibility to ensure protection is therefore incumbent upon other parties. For the Parliament, there is no doubt that the Sudanese government does not ensure protection of its population in Darfur against war crimes and crimes against humanity, and does not provide humanitarian aid to the population.
The Parliament calls on the governments of EU member states, the Council and Commission to “assume their responsibilities and make every possible effort to provide effective protection for the people of Darfur from a humanitarian disaster”. The Parliament takes the view that targeted economic sanctions, including travel bans, the freeze of assets and the threat of an oil embargo would make it possible to put an end to the impunity that is increasingly affecting the stability of the whole of Central Africa and which represents a threat for international peace and security.
The Parliament also invites the EU and the international community to convene further peace talks in order to improve the Abuja peace agreement and to make it acceptable to all parties. (an)