Resolution on the situation in Somalia

The European Parliament,

A.having regard to the tragic situation in Somalia where war and drought have led to a complete breakdown of society, where 2 000 to 3 000 people are dying each day and where about three-quarters of the population could die of hunger during the next six months,

B.noting the call by aid agencies for substantial increases in deliveries of food aid and conscious of the severe difficulties of security and logistics associated with the deliveries of food to the Somali people,

C.whereas this exceptional situation calls for the creative use of available resources,

D.having regard to the declaration by the Committee on Development calling for immediate intervention by UN troops to put an end to the sporadic fighting by armed gangs and guarantee the security of humanitarian aid and the NGOs,

E.welcoming the recent agreement to deploy 3 500 UN security personnel throughout the country, and urging the combatant groups in Somalia to cooperate fully with UN civilian and military personnel to facilitate the delivery of all food supplies intended for civilians, but noting that non-governmental organizations present in Somalia estimate that a force of 10 000 troops is needed,

F.deploring the slow response to the appeals made by NGOs already in the country, which Parliament has been supporting for several months, and the failure of some of the UN agencies concerned to cooperate effectively,

G.recognizing the devoted efforts of relief workers of the International Committee of the Red Cross and of many NGOs, who, at great risk, continue to try to save lives,

H.conscious of the great strains imposed on neighbouring countries by the influx of Somali refugees, especially on Ethiopia, which is itself struggling to recover from a prolonged civil war and has received hundreds of thousands, and on Kenya, whose northern provinces are ravaged and which has also received hundreds of thousands,

I.having regard to the news that toxic waste has reportedly been dumped in Somalia by an Italian company, which would be disastrous for the people and the environment,

J.having regard to the urgent appeal by the non-governmental organizations that emergency aid be coordinated with long-term development in this country,

1.Condemns the loss of life in Somalia and calls on the parties involved to end all hostilities immediately and cooperate with the UN and NGO personnel to facilitate the safe delivery of aid supplies;

2.Calls for the dispatch of massive emergency aid to be organized in order to meet the needs of the people in Somalia and the neighbouring countries through effective coordination between all the countries and the international donor organizations;

3.Welcomes the decision of the Council, taken within the framework of the UN, to provide military protection for humanitarian aid so as to ensure that it reaches the people in need;

4.Calls on the EC to support the idea of setting up UN protection corridors through Somalia so that supplies of food can reach the most needy without interference from the internal politics of warring factions in Somalia;

5.Calls on the Council to ensure that the mission of the Troika is followed by the consultations needed to find peaceful political solutions to the situation, which would entail negotiations between the warring parties, by using the special political relationship of the ACP-EEC and promoting an active role for the OAU and other regional organizations;

6.Insists that it is the duty of all agencies to work together to save lives and to have a proper sense of priorities;

7.Points out that the funds still reserved for Somalia under Lomé II and III are of the order of ECU 100 million;

8.Calls on the Council to seek ways of releasing all these funds for emergency aid to this country;

9.Urges the Council to allow use to be made of the Lomé IV emergency aid funds for Somalia, even though the country has been unable to ratify that agreement because it does not have a legitimate government;

10.Calls on the Commission to act with great care when implementing the emergency aid for Somalia and to cooperate with aid organizations already in the country which have been successful in continuing their work between warring armed groups and in particular those organizations which are able to reach rural areas;

11.Calls on the EEC to support the sending of special aid to the Somali refugees in neighbouring countries and for special aid to be sent to these countries as well;

12.Condemns vigorously the export of toxic waste by companies from Community countries to Somalia, in contravention of the Lomé Convention, and calls on the Italian Government to take the necessary steps to ensure that the waste is recovered and shipped to the country of origin to be dealt with there;

13.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the governments of the Member States.