RESOLUTION B3-0526

The European Parliament,

A.reaffirming its support for the spirit and the letter of the Peace Accords of Chapultepec which represent the only way to enable the people of El Salvador to live together peacefully,

B.mindful of the report by the 'Truth Commission' on human rights violations in El Salvador during the period 1980 to 1991,

C.whereas a knowledge of the truth of what happened during this period is essential in ensuring a return to normal life for the people of El Salvador,

D.deeply concerned by the fact that some of those affected by the report do not appear to be willing to heed its recommendations,

E.whereas the Legislative Assembly of El Salvador has passed a General Amnesty Act which was not supported by all the groups in the Assembly,

1.Recognizes the efforts being made by the people of El Salvador who, despite their sufferings, are showing that they have the ability and the maturity to go on with the peace process;

2.Calls on all parties with responsibilities for the peace process to intensify their efforts to achieve national reconciliation by renouncing any attempt to take revenge;

3.States that the General Amnesty Act should under no circumstances be interpreted or used to hinder full implementation of the 'recommendations' contained in the report by the 'Truth Commission', which should be implemented in full as soon as possible;

4.Calls on the Salvadorean Government to implement immediately all the recommendations contained in the report by the Truth Commission, particularly the rapid and urgent reform of the judiciary, a detailed inquiry into the 'death squads', the end of impunity and a programme of moral and material rehabilitation for victims of human rights violations and their families;

5.Recognizes the important role played in the peace process by all the political forces and particularly the President, Mr Cristiani, who has direct responsibility for ensuring that the process continues and is brought to a conclusion as laid down in the Peace Accords, for which he will continue to have Parliament's support;

6.Urges the Salvadorean authorities to put the structural reforms referred to in the report into effect in order to give El Salvador a modern democratic institutional framework which guarantees the rule of law;

7.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the President of the Republic of El Salvador and the members of the Truth Commission.