B3-0454, 0467, 0479, 0487 and 0489/94

Resolution on the situation in Bosnia-Herzegovina

The European Parliament,

A.having regard to the desperate situation in the city of Gorazde which was declared a 'safe area' by the UN and which is being subjected to continuous bombardment by the Bosnian Serb forces,

B.whereas there is now a clear danger that the completion of ethnic cleansing and the redrawing of borders in Bosnia-Herzegovina has therefore come a decisive step nearer,

C.shocked by the failure of the UN politically and of NATO militarily to enforce the Security Council's resolution guaranteeing Gorazde as a 'safe area',

D.recognizing the heavy responsibility of Member States of the EU in failing to provide the military means requested by the UNPROFOR commander to ensure the security of the 'safe areas' and to stop the aggression and so uphold the authority of the UN in Bosnia-Herzegovina,

E.recognizing that the hesitations and inconsistency of the US Administration and the EU Council have greatly weakened the position of the UN and of the Union,

F.whereas military observers from the UN forces in and around Gorazde have been abducted by Bosnian Serb troops and about 200 UNPROFOR troops and UN aid staff are being held hostage,

G.whereas new attacks have been launched against the towns of Tuzla and Sarajevo, and attempts have been made by Bosnian Serb troops to recapture the heavy artillery placed under UN control since the beginning of February,

H.stressing that the defeat of the forces supporting the principles of international law and collective security can only encourage aggression in the future,

I.whereas humanitarian aid convoys have been prevented from reaching the suffering people in Bosnia-Herzegovina,

J.recalling its previous resolutions demanding an end to aggression in former Yugoslavia,

1.Condemns the attack by Serbian extremist forces on the Gorazde enclave, which has already led to several hundred deaths and constitutes a flagrant breach of UN Security Council Resolutions 824 and 836 concerning the so-called 'safe areas';

2.Stresses the ongoing need, in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, to prevent the partition of the sovereign state of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the expulsion of its original inhabitants from their home areas;

3.Expresses once again, its demand that every effort be made to give full protection to the people in the 'safe areas' and to ensure unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to these areas;

4.Notes that the request to NATO to give air support to the UN troops in and around Gorazde was made on the basis of a request by the UN commanders in Bosnia-Herzegovina to give protection to the UN troops and relief workers from attacks launched by Bosnian Serb troops; therefore endorses this request, as it complies with the conditions and procedures laid down by the UN Security Council and by NATO;

5.Warns that the failure to take effective action to stop the aggressors in Bosnia-Herzegovina will set a precedent which may well lead to the spread of armed conflict to other parts of Europe and to the collapse of the system of collective security developed since 1945;

6.Appeals therefore to all Member States to assist UNPROFOR in carrying out its mission by providing the necessary men, material and finance to meet its requirements and by supporting the measures the UNPROFOR commanders regard as essential to stop the Serb attacks made in violation of repeated promises;

7.Appeals to all parties to agree, organize and respect an immediate cease-fire, a return to the positions taken before the start of the attacks against Gorazde and the re-establishment of Gorazde as a 'safe area';

8.Appeals to the US administration to make absolutely clear its determination to support the enforcement of UN resolutions on Bosnia-Herzegovina;

9.Welcomes and encourages the Government of the Russian Federation in its efforts to exert maximum pressure on the Bosnian Serb leaders and the government in Belgrade to end a war which is imposing an increasingly heavy burden on the Serb people;

10.Condemns the actions of Bosnian Serb troops in taking UN troops and relief workers hostage and calls on the UN and the EU Council to increase the pressure on the Republic of Serbia in order to stop supplies to the Bosnian Serb troops and to compel those troops to release all hostages;

11.Urges all parties to resume the negotiations for a peaceful solution to the conflict and calls on the European Union, the United States, the Russian Federation and the UN to convene a peace conference on a new basis, bringing in new democratic partners, which will rule out any partition of Bosnia-Herzegovina on ethnic lines and any recognition of war gains, and which will seek to achieve a peaceful solution for all parts of the former Yugoslavia and provide international support for the democrats and those working for peace in the region;

12.Insists that economic sanctions against Serbia must be maintained until a binding written peace agreement has been reached and implemented;

13.Considers that only the mobilization of the democratic forces in the countries of Europe can convince the Member States of the Union and the UN to use all necessary means, military action included, to prevent further massacres and save Europe from other acts of 'ethnic cleansing';

14.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the President of the Russian Federation, the President of the United States, the de jure governments of all the republics of former Yugoslavia and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.