B4-0829, 0841, 0853, 0861, 0873, 0876 and 0889/97

Resolution on famine in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea)

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on North Korea, in particular that of 15 May 1997 on the famine in North Korea,

A. whereas North Korea is now facing its third consecutive year of harvest failure, creating a shortfall of millions of tonnes of rice and maize and whereas this situation could continue in future years without help in rebuilding the economy,

B. concerned in particular by the plight of young children, the elderly and those in labour camps, and shocked by reports that tens of thousands of children have suffered from severe malnutrition,

C. whereas the Government of North Korea has made it virtually impossible to gain access to impartial information on the scale of this famine and its consequences,

D. deeply concerned that with this further disastrous harvest there are real fears that present stocks of food risk running out with the prospect of mass starvation on an unprecedented scale without a major coordinated programme of humanitarian aid,

E. aware of the increasing number of electricity black outs, the collapse of industrial production and the approach of winter with temperatures of -30C, along with evidence of extensive deforestation which threatens the regional environment,

F. whereas the dramatic consequences of the famine in North Korea are also due to the policy of the current regime and not only to natural disasters,

G. having regard to the lack of willingness of the Pyongyang regime to start any serious economic or political reforms,

H. having regard to the appeal made by the FAO for an emergency aid programme,

I. aware of the humanitarian work of international NGOs and UN agencies,

J. aware that the EU has, this year, been the largest aid donor to North Korea,

K. whereas the North Korean government has hampered monitoring of food aid distribution,

1. Condemns the North Korean government for preventing a full assessment of the food crisis and for hampering the monitoring of aid distribution, and calls on it to make possible an objective assessment of the current situation, as well as the monitoring of aid given;

2. Calls for access to the territory to be opened up to journalists immediately and without restriction;

3. Urges the Commission to implement in consultation with other bodies an urgent upgrading of its humanitarian aid effort through the multilateral FAO programme and through bilateral aid taking the necessary precautions to ensure that this aid actually reaches the people who need it;

4. Invites the Commission to consider a long-term aid programme linked to progress in economic and agrarian policy reforms and asks the Commission to urgently consider providing assistance alongside the work already being undertaken by the UNDP to improve agricultural productivity;

5. Furthermore, urges the Government of North Korea to participate in the Four Party talks which would positively encourage the international communitys efforts to provide humanitarian aid to North Korea;

6. Calls on its Bureau to consider the sending of a delegation to North Korea to help establish in more detail the needs of the people;

7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the Republic of Korea, the United States, the People's Republic of China and Japan.