B4-0132, 0139, 0150 and 0152/94

Resolution on the situation in Cuba

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on Cuba and its resolution of 16 September 1993 on the embargo against Cuba and the Torricelli Act,

A.deeply disturbed by the deteriorating conditions of life in Cuba, as a result of which many people have sought to leave the island, often in primitive and dangerous craft, and have been confined in US bases in Guantánamo and elsewhere,

B.having regard to the sudden decision of the US Government to reverse its policy of actively encouraging immigration from Cuba,

C.recognizing the effects of the economic and financial blockade, unilaterally maintained for 33 years by the United States, although the Torricelli Act is contrary to international law and has been rejected by the international community,

D.aware that the best way to encourage the development of a free, democratic and constitutional system in Cuba is to foster commercial links and intensify political dialogue between Cuba and the international community,

E.believing in the right of the Cuban people to uphold their independence and safeguard such positive achievements as racial equality, free education, the elimination of illiteracy and the maintenance of a publicly provided health service, which has resulted in low infant mortality and much improved life expectancy,

F.having regard to the European Union's responsibility for finding peaceful solutions to international problems,

G.mindful of the fact that Cuba was a founding member of the Association of Caribbean States (ACS), the world's fourth largest economic organization which came into being on 24 July 1994 in Cartagena (Colombia),

1.Calls on the US Administration and Congress to annul the Torricelli Act and to reinstate full economic, trade and financial relations with the Republic of Cuba in order to avoid a social explosion and unforeseen consequences;

2.Calls on the United States to find a solution as soon as possible to deal with the situation of refugees interned in camps in Panama and Guantánamo;

3.Appeals to the Government of Cuba to introduce political changes to deepen democracy and increase respect for human rights and to engage in dialogue with all political parties and citizens' organizations in order to instal a democratic system based on justice and respect for civil liberty and to encourage national reconciliation; welcomes the dialogue already started in Madrid between the Cuban authorities and leaders of opposition movements and urges both parties to continue it;

4.Reiterates its belief that the Republic of Cuba should be included in the regional cooperation programme financed by the EU in the Caribbean and Latin American regions;

5.Calls on the Commission and the Council to help relieve tension in the Caribbean in the short term by granting trade concessions (in the form of credits and tariff preferences) and to enter into immediate negotiations with the Cuban Government on a framework cooperation agreement;

6.Asks the EU to mediate politically between the United States and Cuba with the aim of setting up a group to promote dialogue between the governments in question to solve the problems resulting from the economic blockade of Cuba imposed by the United States;

7.Expresses its satisfaction at the granting of ECU 9 994 500 of humanitarian aid by the Commission to the Cuban people in implementation of a plan of assistance for 1994 and calls on the EU and the Member States to increase humanitarian aid and political, economic, trade and cultural cooperation with Cuba;

8.Urges that the humanitarian organizations be allowed to distribute aid directly;

9.Requests that Cuba be covered by the EP Delegation for Relations with the Countries of Central America and Mexico in order to strengthen parliamentary dialogue between the EP and the Cuban National Assembly;

10.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, the US Government and the Government of Cuba.