European Parliament resolution on human rights violations in connection with the Chad/Cameroon oil and pipeline project
24. 10. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 304/211 Thursday 20 January 2000 11. Human rights: Chad/Cameroon B5-0078, 0081 and 0088/2000 European Parliament resolution on human rights violations in connection with the Chad/Camer- oon oil and pipeline project The European Parliament, having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Chad and in particular its resolution of 18 June 1998 (1) on the Chad/Cameroon oil and pipeline project and the human rights violations which occurred during the period from October 1997 to March 1998, A. whereas Cameroon has made progress in key areas of macro-economic management and private-sec- tor development but according to Transparency International corruption still flourishes, B. whereas the Chad/Cameroon oil extraction and pipeline project, which is led by an International Con- sortium, is still awaiting World Bank approval, C. whereas the environmental impact assessment of the project has been re-done, at the request of the World Bank, D. whereas the World Bank’s priority in Chad and Cameroon is to help reduce poverty, build a basis for sustained growth and provide a unique opportunity to improve the development prospects of Chad and Cameroon, E. whereas the International Consortium has publicly declared that it will not proceed with this project without World Bank involvement, F. welcoming the recent support of the World Bank, in its Comprehensive Development Framework, for the participation of civil society and for democratic pluralism in its recipient countries, which should be taken into account in the Chad/Cameroon case, G. whereas the European Investment Bank is planning to support the pipeline project with € 44 million under the Lomé Convention, H. whereas Chad is one of the world’s poorest countries and whereas it is estimated that this project will increase the GNP of Chad by up to 10 %, I. having regard to the letter signed by 115 environment, development, human rights and religious organisations from 29 countries that calls upon the World Bank to suspend its participation in the Chad/Cameroon oil and pipeline project until respect for human rights and compliance with World Bank environmental and other policies can be fully guaranteed, and the appeal signed by 128 local environment, human rights, women, trade union and development NGOs calling on the World Bank to impose a moratorium of at least two years, Expresses its deep concern about the human rights situation in both countries and the destabilising 1. impact the project could have on both Chad and Cameroon; 2. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to exert pressure on the Government of Chad in order to strengthen the rule of law in the country and to bring to a halt the human rights violations, notably against the opponents of the pipeline project; Urges the Chadian Government to respect democratic discussions on the situation in the country as 3. well as on the planned oil project in the Doba region; (1) OJ C 210, 6. 7. 1998, p. 210. C 304/212 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 24. 10. 2000 Thursday 20 January 2000 Calls on the Chad Government and the International Consortium not to proceed with the oil extrac- 4. tion project should the World Bank assessment be negative; Strongly recommends that the EIB not contribute to financing the project with the planned 5. € 44 million of credits to Cameroon and Chad under the Lomé Convention unless it considers that the social and environmental concerns have been met; Calls on the Chad and Cameroon Governments and the International Consortium, in the event of a 6. positive assessment by the World Bank, to provide among others the following guarantees: protection of indigenous peoples and adequate compensation for displaced local populations with strict respect for human rights, the most stringent environmental protection rules, including oil-spill prevention, pipeline routing, air quality, disease control and accident prevention, local re-investment of an adequate share of the revenues from the project; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the governments of the Member 7. States, the Chad and Cameroon Governments and Parliaments and the World Bank. 12. Situation in the Moluccan Islands (Indonesia) B5-0034, 0054, 0059, 0071 and 0073/2000 European Parliament resolution on the Moluccan Islands in Indonesia The European Parliament, having regard to its previous resolutions on Indonesia, having regard to its resolution on the Moluccan Islands of 7 October 1999 (1), having regard to the EU Presidency’s statements on behalf of the EU on Indonesia in July and September 1999, having regard to Council Regulation (EC) No 2158/1999 of 11 October 1999 concerning a ban on the supply to Indonesia of equipment which might be used for internal repression, A. whereas its resolution of October 1999 referred to the worsening situation on the Moluccas where between November 1998 and September 1999 several hundred people had died and tens of thousands of people had fled their homes, B. whereas the new Indonesian Government seems to sincerely wish to promote democracy and respect for human rights in the whole of the country and has already taken concrete steps in that direction, C. whereas, regrettably, despite this, the situation on the Moluccas has deteriorated further, with several thousand lives lost around the turn of the century, many thousands of people injured and once again tens of thousands of people fleeing to neighbouring islands and seeking refuge in refugee camps, D. whereas this conflict has economic, ethnic and religious components which arise from the long-term effects of the transmigration policy of the former Suharto regime as well as from general economic neglect of the region, both of which add to the conflicts between the original Christian population group and a growing Muslim population group, including many immigrants, (1) Texts adopted at that sitting, Item 4