RESOLUTION A3-0192/92
Resolution on the rights of the Kurdish people
The European Parliament,
-having regard to the motion for a resolution by Mr Langer on the rights of the Kurdish people (B3-1961/90),
-having regard to the report of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights in Iraq to the UN Commission on Human Rights made in February 1992,
-having regard to Resolutions 612 and 688 of the UN Security Council,
-having regard to its resolutions of:
(a)14 April 1988 on the use of chemical weapons in the Iran - Iraq WarOJ No. C 122, 9.5.1988, p. 122,
(b)15 September 1988 on the cease-fire between Iran and IraqOJ No. C 262, 10.10.1988, p. 123, and on the Iraqi offensive against the KurdsOJ No. C 262, 10.10.1988, p. 124,
(c)17 November 1988 on the massacre of the KurdsOJ No. C 326, 13.12.1988, p. 208,
(d)25 May 1989 on the threat to the Kurds in IraqOJ No. C 158, 26.6.1989, p. 204,
(e)17 May 1990 on human rights in TurkeyOJ No. C 149, 18.6.1990, p. 136,
(f)14 March 1991 on the situation of the KurdsOJ No. C 106, 22.4.1991, p. 120,
(g)18 April 1991 on the situation of the KurdsOJ No. C 129, 20.5.1991, p. 140,
(h)16 May 1991 on the situation of the Kurdish refugeesOJ No. C 158, 17.6.1991, p. 247,
(i)11 July 1991 on Iraq's failure to respect the UN resolutionsOJ No. C 240, 16.9.1991, p. 173,
(j)21 November 1991 on the humanitarian situation in IraqOJ No. C 326, 16.12.1991, p. 183,
(k)12 March 1992 of the situation of the Kurds in IraqMinutes of that date, Part II, Item 9,
(l)9 April 1992 on the situation of the Kurds in TurkeyMinutes of that date, Part II, Item 1,
-having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security (A3-0192/92),
A.having regard to the tragic history of the Kurdish people in the Middle East since the break-up of the Ottoman Empire,
B.whereas over 25 million Kurds are divided among four states in the region: Iraq, Iran, Syria and Turkey, and also in smaller numbers in some republics of the former USSR,
C.whereas the former European colonial powers bear a considerable degree of responsibility for the plight of the Kurdish people today,
D.appalled by the sufferings of the Kurdish people of Iraq due to their oppression by the regime of President Saddam Hussein, which has led to thousands of deaths, often after torture, of men, women and children,
E.recalling the successful military intervention, in the spring of 1991, of a number of Member States and the USA acting under Resolution 688 of the Security Council, to establish 'safe havens' for the Kurds,
F.welcoming the fact that on 19 May 1992 the first democratic elections were held in Iraqi Kurdistan in which the Kurds, Christian Assyrians, Turkomans and other people living in the region were able to take part freely and fully,
G.believing that, while the Kurds are denied individual human rights and minority rights in Iran, Syria and Turkey, they are threatened with genocide in Iraq,
H.stressing that if the Iraqi Government is permitted to perpetrate genocide, hopes of a civilized 'new world order' will be seen to be illusory,
I.concerned at the still desperate plight of the people living in Iraqi Kurdistan owing to poor supplies, difficult climatic conditions, a shortage of medicines and housing, and the many deaths and serious injuries caused by mines,
J.recognizing that it is up to the Western democracies, including Member States, to shoulder the responsibilities incurred in Iraq and in neighbouring states as a result of the Gulf War,
K.recognizing that the irresponsible mass sales of weapons by Member States and others to Iraq and other Middle Eastern states seriously added to the dangers to peace and to the destructiveness of wars in the region,
L.recognizing that the irresponsible mass sales to Iraq and other Middle Eastern states by industries, including some based in Member States, of chemicals and other products which could be used for the development of weapons of mass destruction are putting at risk the lives of millions of people,
M.whereas the UNHCR emergency aid for Kurdish refugees in northern Iraq has come to an end, but it has now been continued by UNICEF,
N.deploring the murder of Kurdish civilians both by the Turkish armed forces and by the terrorists of the PKK,
O.condemning the assassination of the Iranian Kurdish leader Mr Ghazamlou in Vienna in 1990 and the use of terror against Kurds at the behest of the Iranian authorities,
P.whereas the Turkish Government has still not lifted its suspension of Articles 5, 6, 8, 10, 11 and 13 of the European Convention on Human Rights,
Q.disappointed that the new Turkish Government's announcements of democratization, respect for human rights and recognition of the reality of the Kurdish problem have not yet been put into practice and that, rather than the situation improving, death squads, special units and counter-guerrilla groups are murdering, abducting and causing to disappear innocent people; whereas violence and terror in the region are on the increase,
R.recognizing that Iranians and Turks made great efforts to help Kurds fleeing from Iraq, most of whom have now returned to Kurdish-controlled Iraq, but concerned by the plight of the Iraqi Kurds remaining in refugee camps in Turkey or still in Iran,
S.drawing attention to the particular problem of the 500 000 Kurds from other parts of Iraq who have sought refuge in the Kurdish-controlled areas and are without shelter,
T.dismayed at the inadequate aid for the refugees from Iraq, some of whom have been living in Turkey and Iran for years, and at the refusal of the Community to take in such refugees,
U.believing that it is highly desirable to achieve substantial improvements in the conditions and collective and individual rights of Kurds in all their homelands, as speedily as possible, without automatically linking these to the concept of establishing an independent Kurdish state,
V.convinced that permanent security for the Kurdish population in Iraq, Iran and Turkey and in Syria can only be achieved through a recognition of their cultural, social and political rights,
W.insisting that it is, however, imperative that individual human rights and rights to cultural and democratic self-expression and to autonomy within existing states, if this is the wish of a majority, should be fully established,
Iraq
1.Condemns the continued armed attacks on and economic blockade of the Kurds of Iraq by Saddam Hussein and his apparatus of terror, which are flagrant violations of Resolution 688 of the Security Council;
2.Calls on the Twelve to take initiatives, acting under the authority of UN Security Council resolutions, to provide military protection for the Kurds within Iraqi territory, capable of restraining the forces of Saddam Hussein if they attack the Kurds and of ensuring that the blockade of the Kurds is ineffective, and recognizes that a key role in ensuring this is the provision of protection from air attack;
3.Calls on the United Nations, the Community and the Member States at all political levels actively to support the demands by Kurds in Iraq for autonomy and to guarantee their rights internationally;
4.Insists that the UN mandate under Resolution 688 of the Security Council, for the establishment of safe havens for the Kurds, must be maintained until the blockade of the Kurds by Saddam Hussein is ended, his power to attack the Kurds is removed and peace is established in the area;
5.Insists that UN agencies and NGOs providing humanitarian aid to the Kurds and Shiites in Iraq working under the Memorandum of Understanding must be able to continue their activities after 30 June 1992 and that the pressure exerted on them by the Iraqi authorities should be brought to an end;
6.Requests the full cooperation of Turkey and Iran to ensure the free and rapid transit across their frontiers with Iraq of humanitarian supplies;
7.Calls on the Community and its Member States to do all in their power both to provide more humanitarian aid for Kurds both in Iraq and in the refugee camps in Iran and Turkey or taking refuge in neighbouring countries and to afford assistance in reconstruction and the restoration of agriculture and the economy;
8.Believes that priority should be given to providing the Kurds with shelter and fuel where required against climate extremes and to ensuring the supply of drinking water as well as food and medical supplies; supports in particular aid organizations and programmes which seek to promote self-reliance and genuinely contribute to the reconstruction of destroyed villages and their infrastructures, such as wells, schools, medical care centres, and help re-establish agricultural production as the basis for an independent development of the region;
9.Calls on the coalition forces which fought the war in Kuwait to help clear mines from the regions mined by Saddam Hussein;
10.Calls on the Commission to investigate which European firms have delivered mines to Iraq and to consider to what extent these firms can be made to contribute towards compensating the victims;
11.Welcomes the holding of elections in Kurdistan, in the region controlled by the Kurdish democratic parties;
12.Calls on the Kurdish leaders to face up to their responsibilities by respecting the results of the elections, in order to meet the challenge of Saddam Hussein and to progress towards autonomy for their region;
Turkey, Iran and Syria
13.Condemns the attacks by Turkish armed forces on Kurdish settlements both in Anatolia and in Iraq and PKK terrorism against both Kurds and Turks;
14.Condemns the bombing by the Turkish air force of Kurdish villages in Anatolia and Iraq on account of the danger to the civilian population;
15.Considers that the economic and cultural measures taken so far by the Turkish Government in its pursuit of a settlement to the Kurdish problem are insufficient; declares that only a political dialogue between the Turkish Government and the elected representatives of the Kurdish people can bring about a solution to the Kurdish problem in Turkey provided that the Turkish Government remains genuinely willing to negotiate; calls on the new Turkish Government to take a step forward in its policy of positive cooperation and respect for the cultural identity of the Kurds living in Turkey in accordance with the European Convention on Human Rights and the Declaration on Minorities and welcomes its plan to relieve the poverty of south-east Anatolia and its proposals for democratic and legal reforms;
16.Calls on the Turkish government and parliament to remove from current legislation any direct or indirect provision (in the constitution, laws or codes) which discriminates against persons, groups or associations because of their language or ethnic origins;
17.Considers that the cultural diversity of the Kurdish people must be respected and that the guarantee of their specific rights should include the right to speak, write, publish and testify in courts of law in the Kurdish language and to be educated in that language;
18.Considers it essential that appropriate economic measures be devised for the benefit of the Kurdish population, designed to improve the economic and social development of the region of Anatolia;
19.Condemns the recent increase in terrorist attacks which can only jeopardize the reforms which are so much needed in the interests of the Kurds;
20.Calls on the associations of Turkish Kurds living abroad to refrain from acts of violence, to give their full support to the human rights policy and to be open to cooperation;
21.Instructs its Subcommittee on Human Rights and the EC-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, meeting within the framework of the Association Agreement, to follow closely the protection of the human rights of the Kurds in Turkey since any abuse of these rights would be bound to affect adversely relations between the EC and Turkey;
22.Urges the Community and its Member States to be vigilant in observing whether the human rights, both collective and individual, of Kurds are respected in Iran and Syria and insists that the development of the Community's relations with these countries must depend, inter alia, on their treatment of their Kurdish citizens;
23.Calls on Syria to end its strategy of systematic 'Arabization', to lift the state of emergency in Kurdish areas, to embark on democratization, hold free and democratic elections, and to release immediately its political prisoners, many of whom are Kurdish children and young people;
Measures in the European Community
24.Recognizes the duty of Member States to provide asylum to Kurds fleeing from persecution;
25.Calls on the Member States to grant Kurdish immigrants in the Community their cultural rights, promote the use of their language, facilitate the broadcasting of radio and television programmes in the Kurdish language and remove the obstacles preventing Kurdish parents from giving their children Kurdish names;
26.Calls on the Kurdish exile organizations to make clear their rejection of the use of force in all countries where Kurds are not subjected to physical attacks and to abandon intimidation of fellow Kurds whose ideas differ from their own;
27.Insists on the urgent need for the European Community and its Member States, if possible in cooperation with other countries, to develop and enforce a joint policy for the control of international arms sales and of the export of materials which could be used for the production of weapons of mass destruction;
28.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission the Council, European Political Cooperation, the governments of Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey and the United States, the Parliament of Iraqi Kurdistan recently elected by universal suffrage, the government of national unity which will result from the elections and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
