RESOLUTION A3-0081/93

Resolution on the situation in Cambodia

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its resolution of 23 November 1989 on Cambodia,

-having regard to its resolution of 10 October 1990 on the situation in Cambodia,

-having regard to its resolution of 12 September 1991 on the situation in South-East Asia,

-having regard to its resolution of 17 December 1992 on the injuries and loss of life caused by mines,

-having regard to the report of the ad hoc delegation consisting of Claude Cheysson, Jean-Louis Bourlanges and Karel De Gucht, which undertook a fact-finding mission to Cambodia on behalf of the European Parliament from 2 to 9 December 1992,

-having regard to Rule 121 of its Rules of Procedure,

-having regard to the report of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security and the opinion of the Committee on Development and Cooperation (A3-0081/93),

A.saluting the memory of the victims of the appalling campaign of mass killings carried out in Cambodia in the recent past,

B.whereas the Paris agreements of 23 October 1991 provided a suitable basis for a comprehensive settlement accompanied by the necessary international guarantees, which would enable peace to be restored in Cambodia, thus bringing to an end 23 years of civil war, genocide and foreign occupation,

C.whereas a year has already gone by since the agreements were signed and whereas, just a few months before the elections scheduled for May 1993, the failure by the military to abide by the peace agreements raises fears concerning the smooth running of the elections and the peace process as a whole, as noted in UN Security Council Resolution 792 of 27 November 1992,

D.whereas the Khmer Rouge have refused to allow their troops, estimated to number some 10 000) to be disarmed, which has made it impossible for them to be demobilized and assigned to camps, although some 50 000 of the estimated 200 000 soldiers belonging to the other factions have grouped together in camps; and whereas the many other violations have prevented transition to Stage II of the peace plan which had been scheduled for 13 June 1992 under the Paris agreements,

E.whereas, through their failure to observe the Paris Agreements and their warlike actions, the Khmer Rouge have shown that they have not abandoned the idea of regaining power by brutal methods and thereby emphasized the real, abiding danger that the country would then be plunged back into horror,

F.whereas the general climate of insecurity thus prevailing in Cambodia will prevent the May 1993 general elections from being held in desirable conditions of political neutrality,

G.whereas the obstruction of the peace process mapped out by the Paris Agreements is forcing UNTAC to play a more direct, more controversial and therefore more exposed role than planned in restoring the minimum level of security and neutrality if democratic elections are to be held,

H.whereas UNTAC has obtained excellent results in certain areas, as demonstrated by the fact that more than 4 million people out of an estimated total of 4.5 million electors have put their names on the electoral rolls and 320 000 people out of an estimated total of 350 000 refugees have been repatriated,

I.whereas the Security Council decided on 27 November 1992 to go ahead with the general elections in May 1993,

J.whereas the people will be deprived of the right to vote in the areas to which UNTAC does not have free access as a result of obstruction by the Khmer Rouge,

K.whereas, over the last twenty years, many Cambodians have been forced by war and repression to leave their country and take up residence outside Khmer territory, and whereas these people have not, however, lost their nationality in a country where the tradition of jus sanguinis is very strong,

L.whereas the Security Council has recommended that a presidential election should be held in addition to the general election in May 1993,

M.whereas the Khmer Rouge derive substantial revenue from the cross-border trade in which they engage from the territories under their control, i.e. the export to Thailand of wood, precious stones and minerals, at a rate and in disgraceful conditions which are the cause of a genuine environmental disaster,

N.concerned that human rights should be respected, especially once UNTAC has completed its mission in the country, and aware of the need for the achievements in this field to be protected,

O.having regard to the injuries and loss of life caused in Cambodia by mines, which has led to the maiming of 36 000 people, the majority civilians and, in particular, children,

P.deploring the neglect and the pillaging suffered by the historic sites at Angkor,

Q.whereas the partial failure to implement the Paris Agreements is imposing fresh responsibilities on the international community and making it imperative that the UN should not withdraw from Cambodia until such time as a Khmer national security force has replaced the armed forces of the rival factions,

1.Pays tribute to the UN Secretary-General's special representative and his support for UNTAC, a major UN operation in the world;

2.Pays homage to the moderating, stabilizing role played by Prince Norodom Sihanouk as President of the Cambodian Supreme National Council;

3.Considers that a presidential election should be arranged in conjunction with the general elections, so as to ensure stability and security during the transitional period before and after the elections;

4.Is concerned at the acts of violence that fractions which have agreed to take part in the general elections have committed against their rivals, particularly the operations carried out by groups claiming allegiance to the People's Party (the party supported by the Phnom Penh Government);

5.Condemns in the strongest possible terms the attitude of the Khmer Rouge, who refuse to implement the Paris agreements of October 1991 and, in particular, to lay down their arms and, consequently, to demobilize their troops and assign them to camps, and also the ceasefire violations, obstacles to the work of NGOs, attacks against UNTAC workers and the ban on UNTAC, denying it access to the areas under Khmer Rouge control, thus preventing the people in such areas from taking part in the elections;

6.Regrets the fact that no administrative arrangements have been made by UNTAC and the Supreme National Council to enable Khmer people living outside Cambodia, and particularly in Europe, to register as voters;

7.Notes that the impossibility of implementing the provisions concerning disarmament, assignment to camps and demobilization means that peace and security will not be guaranteed in Cambodia at the time of the elections and that, as a result, the international community will retain a significant responsibility in this respect after the presidential and general elections;

8.Calls on the United Nations to take all the technical, financial and human measures needed to enable UNTAC to enforce the provisions of the Paris agreements providing for the disarmament, assignment to camps and demobilization of the rival forces;

9.Calls on the United Nations not to abandon Cambodia to its fate following the elections in spring 1993 and, accordingly, to leave a security force in place until such time as the military threat from the Khmer Rouge has been eliminated, thereby enabling the new Cambodian democracy to take root;

10.Welcomes, therefore, the interest shown by the UN Security Council in its resolution of 27 November 1992 in security in Cambodia following the elections, and recommends that a Khmer security apparatus be set up and taken in hand at the earliest opportunity by the UN Secretary-General's representative, this apparatus being designed to replace without delay the armed forces of the rival factions in order to guarantee the unity, territorial integrity and security of Cambodia;

11.Calls on the United Nations immediately to start preparing a policy for economic development in Cambodia by making the best possible use of the considerable sums currently spent in Cambodia outside the country's economic and monetary systems and without benefit to the people, and by including the economic aid pledged at the Tokyo Conference in June 1992, together with other aid, both bi- and multilateral, and also the revenue from exports when these are finally brought under control; recommends that this be dealt with at the economic conference referred to in Security Council Resolution 792; calls for this social and economic development aid to be administered in cooperation with the local population and the NGOs working in Cambodia, and stresses that it must not disrupt local markets and damage the environment;

12.Notes with satisfaction the food aid, aid for refugees and emergency aid granted by the Community via non-governmental organizations, but urges that the Commission be represented in Phnom Penh - as frequently called for by Parliament - and that the Community be present at international meetings concerned with Cambodia's future - which is not currently the case;

13.Welcomes UN Security Council Decision 792, which follows on from the recommendation of 22 September 1992 by the Cambodian Supreme National Council that a moratorium be imposed on the export of wood, and calls on the countries involved in such trade, particularly Thailand, to observe such a ban;

14.Calls on the Cambodian Supreme National Council, and on the Security Council, to impose a similar moratorium on the export of minerals and precious stones and also calls on the countries involved, particularly Thailand, to observe such an embargo;

15.Calls on UNTAC to ensure that these two decisions are respected through the establishment in Cambodia of checkpoints along the frontier with Thailand and, if necessary, to use force to do so;

16.Calls once again for a five-year European moratorium on the sale, transfer and expert of anti-personnel mines and any related military assistance;

17.Recalls its request to the Member States which are members of the Security Council to take steps to ensure that mine clearance is deemed to be a matter of the greatest urgency;

18.Decides to send a delegation of observers to the general elections to be held in May 1993;

19.Calls on the UN Human Rights Commission to appoint a rapporteur on human rights in Cambodia, to enable achievements in this area to be safeguarded in their entirety following the departure of UNTAC, and to make the international community aware of the problem;

20.Calls on the Community and the Member State governments to give particular attention to preservation of the historic sites at Angkor, which are already included on the list of cultural artefacts with special world value drawn up by UNESCO in connection with the Convention on World Heritage;

21.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the President of the Cambodian Supreme National Council, the UN Secretary-General's special representative in Phnom Penh, and the Government of Thailand.