B4-0978 and 1036/95

Resolution on the situation in Mexico

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the conflict in Chiapas (Mexico),

A.concerned at the Mexican Government's expulsion of three Catholic priests: Rodolfo Izal, Joren Riebe and Jorge Barón, parish priests of the diocese of San Cristóbal de las Casas in the state of Chiapas,

B.alarmed at the serious incidents in the state of Guerrero in which seventeen people were killed and an unspecified number were injured, which increased the violence in the region and also led to casualties among the police,

C.mindful of all the victims of violence and intolerance,

1.Reaffirms that it is necessary to continue with dialogue and the quest for solutions to the problems affecting a large proportion of the population in various states in Mexico and that only on the basis of dialogue and understanding will peaceful coexistence be achieved in the regions affected by these social conflicts;

2.Calls on the Mexican Government to ensure that the investigation started throws light on the events in Guerrero so as to bring the guilty parties to justice;

3.Calls on the Mexican Government, with the greatest respect for the decisions of a sovereign state, to reconsider the situation of the parish priests who were recently expelled;

4.Backs the efforts made to settle the Chiapas conflict on the basis of dialogue and a quest for solutions to the social problems, with the aim of achieving a just and lasting peace;

5.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission and the Mexican Government.