B3-0283, 0306, 0307, 0311, 0337 and 0358/94

Resolution on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina

The European Parliament,

-recalling its previous resolutions on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina, especially those of 20 January and 10 February 1994,

A.insisting on the urgent importance of extending the ceasefire in Sarajevo to other parts of Bosnia-Herzegovina,

B.insisting on the need to restore public services in Sarajevo and to end the siege of the city,

C.emphasizing the need to respect the rights of the legal government of Bosnia-Herzegovina,

D.recalling that, on 6 March 1994, the first political demonstration for some time was held in Sarajevo, giving voice to the desire to maintain the unity of Bosnia-Herzegovina and its capital,

E.having regard to the sixth periodic report on the human rights situation in the territory of the former Yugoslavia submitted to the United Nations on 21 February 1994 by the special rapporteur, Tadeusz Mazowiecki,

F.drawing attention to the evidently salutary effect of NATO action against Serb aircraft, which had violated the no-fly zone over Bosnia,

G.aware however that military aggression and atrocities continue to be perpetrated in Bosnia-Herzegovina by Croats as well as by Serbs,

1.Calls on the EU and its Member States to do all in their power to make Security Council Resolution 900 effective, not only in Sarajevo, but in Maglaj, Mostar and Vitez, which are already supposed to be protected under Resolutions 824 and 836;

2.Calls on the Council and the United Nations to ensure that the Serb militia immediately stop their attacks on other population centres such as Srebrenica, Zepa, Tuzla and Bihac;

3.Calls, however, for every effort to be made to guarantee supplies of humanitarian aid thanks, in particular, to the reopening of Tuzla airport;

4.Calls on the EU and its Member States as well as on other members of the UN to make additional efforts to send troop reinforcements to monitor the ceasefire;

5.Hopes that the agreement between Croats and the Bosnian Government will be extended to the Bosnian Serbs in order to preserve a multi-ethnic society on the territory of Bosnia-Herzegovina;

6.Warns the Croatian Government that the continued presence of its forces in Bosnia-Herzegovina will lead to sanctions being taken against it;

7.Considers that a genuine democratic and non-violent campaign of free information should be launched in all the territories the former Yugoslavia in order to bolster the still fragile prospects for peace and reconciliation;

8.Calls on the Commission and the Council to find and make immediately available the budget funds needed - very modest compared to the costs of war and its aftermath - to provide the necessary material assistance to support democracy and freedom of expression and insists that these funds should not be used to offset the damage caused by the embargo; therefore, applauds and demands support for the work of these organizations in the former Yugoslavia and abroad, notably the European Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Editors;

9.Calls on all Member States to accept, support and give proper recognition to deserters and those who have refused to fight in the war in former Yugoslavia, thereby reducing the numbers involved in the fighting; condemns all cooperation aimed at sending such persons back to their country of origin, especially in Kosovo;

10.Welcomes the initiative, now almost in place, for a 'European aid convoy' by various European civil organizations (including Workers' Aid and Citizens for Citizens) and considers that the European Union should offer them its support and protection;

11.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the Member States of the Security Council, the Governments of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro and Serbia, the Secretaries General of the UN, NATO and the CSCE and the co-chairmen of the Geneva Conference.