(Reports of the plenary session of June 1991 in Strasbourg)

Thursday, 13 June - Concerned about the recent upheavals in Ethiopia following the fall of the Mengistu regime last month and the plight of an estimated seven million people who are facing starvation, Parliament wants the Commission and the EC Foreign Ministers to take immediate steps to influence events and play a mediating role to encourage a solution involving all political groups.

Both Margaret Daly (Somerset and Dorset West, ED) and Winnie Ewing (Highlands and Islands, RBW) felt it was quite outrageous that certain Ethiopian groups, who had also fought for freedom, had been excluded from the negotiations. Mrs Daly warned the USA not to accept this if they wanted to see peace, while Mrs Ewing believed that the USA could not be regarded as an honest broker because of previous actions in blocking aid. Instead, both MEPs urged the Community to take an initiative given that it was the largest donor of aid to Ethiopia and was well respected by the Ethiopian people.

Commissioner Abel Matutes confirmed that another 150,000 tonnes of food had been allocated to Ethiopia which would bring the EC's overall commitment for this year to 400,000 tonnes. Emergency medical aid was also available and he confirmed that aid was being distributed according to plan. He added that support would continue to be given on the basis of the commitment given by the provisional government to respect progressive moves to dd