B4-0050, 0066, 0070, 0071, 0081, 0111 and 0115/95

Resolution on the need for European controls on the export or transfer of arms

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its call for a code of conduct on arms exports in its resolution of 24 March 1994 on disarmament, arms export controls and the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction,

-having regard to the Treaty on European Union, and particularly its provisions on the common foreign and security policy,

-having regard to the sometimes conflicting arms export policies pursued by the Union's various Member States,

A.having regard to the European Council's declaration of July 1991 which expressed alarm at the stockpiling of conventional weapons in certain regions of the world and led to the embracing of eight criteria on which to base arms export control policies,

B.having regard to the European Community discussions at the Edinburgh European Council in December 1992 on the UK 'Report on joint action and the development of the common foreign and security policy in the field of security' and the opportunity for further developments on a common policy on arms export controls under the Treaty on European Union and through the adoption of principles governing conventional arms transfers,

C.whereas the Member States export massive quantities of arms to oppressive regimes which use them against their own people,

D.whereas Britain has recently decided to sell Hawk jet fighters to Indonesia, France is increasing its arms deliveries to Algeria and Germany continues to deliver arms to Turkey;

E.having regard to the large number of armed conflicts in various parts of the world, which are not only undermining human rights but also adversely affecting economic and social development,

F.whereas during four recent deployments of European Union troops - in Rwanda, Bosnia, Somalia and Iraq - armed forces faced conventional weapons that had been provided or financed by Member States of the European Union,

G.whereas approximately 40 million people, over 75 per cent of them civilians, died as a result of civil and international wars fought with conventional weapons during the 45 years of the cold war and many more were maimed,

H.deeply shocked at the lack of coherence of European States' policies on arms control,

I.concerned at the destabilizing effect of conflict on the human and economic development of Third World countries,

J.recognizing the serious obstacles that conflict presents to the execution of European Union development cooperation programmes,

1.Calls on all Member States and in particular the Government of the United Kingdom to stop the sale of weapons to Indonesia;

2.Calls on the European Union to implement immediately a coherent and comprehensive arms control policy on the Union level and to consider how to introduce it into the Common Foreign and Security Policy in the run-up to the Intergovernmental Conference in 1996, especially with a view to abolishing Article 223;

3.Urges the Member States and the Union to implement the European Council's declarations in June 1991 and 1992 in which eight criteria were adopted to control the exports of arms and dual use technology;

4.Wishes the possibility of setting up a European Agency for the control of arms exports to be investigated;

5.Urges the European Member States and the Union to work together with the competent international authorities to establish an international code of conduct on the control of arms transfers and exports;

6.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the UN General Assembly.