European Parliament resolution on Pakistan's declaration of emergency
C 189/240 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 7. 7. 2000 Thursday 18 November 1999 Deplores the decision of the International Court to release Mr Barayagwiza on technical 1. grounds, which risks heavily undermining the credibility of the Tribunal; legal Calls on the International Court to review its decision, taking into account the gravity of the charges 2. brought against Mr Barayagwiza, and in particular to reverse its ruling that Mr Barayagwiza cannot be tried again in the Court on the charges for which he was originally indicted; Firmly believes that there can never be immunity from prosecution over genocide charges and calls 3. on the International Court to review its requirements for retrials to avoid such a situation arising again in the future; Calls on the Rwandan Government to review its decision and to cooperate fully with the Interna- 4. tional Criminal Court in Arusha; 5. Calls on the United Nations Secretary-General and the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court to take appropriate action as a matter of urgency to ensure that the International Criminal Court is able to perform the task set for it and establish without further delay the truth about the 1994 genocide; 6. Calls on the UN and the EU to evaluate the work done so far by the International Court, so that an assessment can be made to determine if additional resources are required, with time limitation, for the Court to conclude the investigations and the trials of the genocide suspects; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the International 7. Criminal Court for Rwanda, the UN and OAU Secretaries-General, and the Government of Rwanda. 13. Pakistan B5-0269, 0277, 0278, 0286 and 0296/1999 European Parliament resolution on Pakistan’s declaration of emergency The European Parliament, 5 having regard to its previous resolutions on Pakistan, conflicts between Pakistan and India and matters of general concern in South Asia, A. whereas the Pakistan military, led by army chief General Pervez Musharraf, overthrew and suspended constitutional structures on 12 October 1999, issued a Proclamation of Emergency and detained and deposed the Prime Minister in charge, Mr Nawaz Sharif, B. whereas recent elected governments in Pakistan have failed to take steps to tackle corruption, to stop grave human rights abuses and the practice of bonded labour, preventing economic development and social progress, and to provide security in the country, C. whereas the economic situation of the country has been deteriorating constantly and its financial situation has reached the point where restructuring of external debt has become inevitable, D. whereas the Pakistan army has been supporting the hardline fundamentalist Taliban regime in Afgha- nistan, E. whereas fundamentalist militants, supported also by the Taliban, are active in Pakistan and pose a serious threat to the stability of the country and to respect for human rights, in particular those of women and religious minorities, 7. 7. 2000 EN Official Journal of the European Communities C 189/241 Thursday 18 November 1999 F. noting that General Musharraf announced that the Pakistani military would unilaterally de-militarise the border with India by withdrawing all forces moved to the borders in the recent past, but did not mention any de-escalation along the contested Line of Control in Kashmir, G. whereas EU support for economic reform in Pakistan depends on a positive attitude towards democ- racy and respect for constitutional rights; Recalls in this context the common values reflecting democratic principles shared by the EU, and 1. therefore strongly condemns the coup d’état by the Pakistani military and endorses the declaration of the EU summit of Tampere and the position taken by the Council; 2. Welcomes the European Union Fact-Finding mission to Pakistan led by the EU Presidency; 3. Urges the Pakistani military government to reinstall democracy and a legitimate parliamentary pro- cess by urgently re-establishing the rule of law, transferring power to a civilian caretaker government and announcing a detailed timetable for new elections; 4. Underlines the important role Pakistan plays in promoting regional stability, and calls on the military junta to stop all forms of support to the Taliban regime, in line with the sanctions imposed by the UN Security Council against Afghanistan, and to provide security and equal treatment for women and religious minorities; 5. Calls on the new authorities to upgrade dialogue with India and to resolve the tensions in the sub- continent by peaceful means; reiterates its call on Pakistan and India to adhere to the global non-prolifera- tion regime and to sign the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT); Urges the Pakistan authorities not to attempt to stage a show trial of former Prime Minister Sharif 6. and insists that any trial must be open and fair; Calls on the Council to further postpone signing the Cooperation Agreement and review the future 7. of EU-Pakistan assistance in the light of the re-establishment of constitutional order; 8. Stresses that the fight against corruption in the country should be a priority for Pakistan and that international financial cooperation with Pakistan should be made subject to actual progress in this sector; Calls on the Commission to actively support special aid programmes to improve the conditions of 9. children and women, to support access to micro-credit and to support local human rights NGOs and civil society groups; Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Pakistani 10. Authority currently in power, SAARC and the United Nations. 14. Rights of the Child B5-0256, 0257, 0258, 0264, 0265 and 0266/1999 European Parliament resolution on the 10th anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child The European Parliament, A. noting that 20 November 1999 is the tenth anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and that all the EU Member States have ratified the Convention,