B4-1104, 1105, 1106, 1110, 1111, 1119, 1137, 1138, 1152, 1165 and 1178/95

Resolution on the situation in the Great Lakes region of Africa and particularly in Burundi and Rwanda

The European Parliament,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Rwanda,

-having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Burundi, especially that of 6 April 1995,

-having regard to the Carcassonne declaration on Burundi by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union,

-having regard to the Council's common positions of 24 March 1995 and 1 June 1995 on Burundi,

-having regard to the declaration by the European Council meeting in Cannes on 26 and 27 June 1995,

A.whereas it is the duty of the international community to help create legitimate, democratic institutions in the Great Lakes region, which will guarantee peace and national reconciliation in the various countries of this region,

B.greatly alarmed by the situation in Rwanda and Burundi,

WITH REGARD TO BURUNDI

C.recalling the Council's formal undertaking to take preventive action to halt the rise in violence in Burundi,

D.welcoming the adoption by the United Nations Security Council of Resolution 1012/95 of 28 August 1995 setting up an international commission of inquiry into the assassination of President Melchior Ndadaye and the other serious acts of violence that followed,

E.welcoming the appointment of the special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations to prepare the Regional Conference on the peace, stability and development of the Great Lakes countries,

F.aware of the pressure exerted on and daily attempts made to destabilize and intimidate the President and the Prime Minister,

G.condemning the brutality of police operations conducted in the Kamenge area of Bujumbura and in the north west of the country,

WITH REGARD TO RWANDA

H.concerned, similarly, at the climate of insecurity prevailing in Rwanda, which is heightened by the difficult situation and the fact that crimes go unpunished, and maintained to a great extent by the uncontrolled supply of arms against an insufficiently regulated international background,

I.having regard to the massacres carried out at Kinama by soldiers of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, which caused the deaths of more than 100 civilians and injuries to around 15,

J.deeply concerned about the resurgence of tension reflected in the resignation of the Rwandan Prime Minister, Faustin Twagiramungu, and four other members of the Government,

K.noting the lifting on 17 August 1995 of the international embargo on supplies of arms and ammunition to Rwanda,

L.concerned at the persistent powerhold of the militias of the former Rwandan Government in the camps and their continuous rearming and training with a view to waging a revenge war on the Rwandan Government,

M.deploring the forced repatriation of approximately 15 000 Rwandan refugees recently undertaken by Zaire and also regretting Zaire's refusal to allow the deployment of UN observers to monitor respect for the arms embargo in the refugee camps,

N.having regard to reports of arms supplies to militias of the former Rwandan Government and the FAR (Rwandan Armed Forces),

O.welcoming the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1013/95 of 7 September 1995, which set up as matter of urgency an international committee of inquiry into allegations that former Rwandan government forces were receiving military training and illicitly procured arms with a view to destabilizing Rwanda,

1.Condemns the acts of violence by all extremists in Burundi and Rwanda, wherever they are from, who are continuing to prey upon the inhabitants and hinder the process of national reconciliation and the repatriation of the refugees;

2.Calls on the Council to act swiftly to provide the basis and the necessary financial support for a global policy for this region of Africa;

3.Calls for the introduction of a specific budget heading for measures to prevent the outbreak of conflict in the Great Lakes area of Africa;

WITH REGARD TO BURUNDI

4.Calls for the armed militias to be disbanded and supports the efforts of the Head of State and the Head of Government to restore peace to Burundi;

5.Reaffirms its full support for the legitimate democratic institutions of Burundi, in particular the Presidency of the Republic, the Government and the parliament, and for all those using appropriate means to bring about the reconciliation of the people of Burundi;

6.Reiterates that national reconciliation can only be achieved by abiding in full by the Convention of Government signed on 10 September 1994, as stated in the joint declaration signed on 30 March 1995 by Burundi's Head of State and Head of Government;

7.Emphasizes the importance of the 'national debate' already envisaged in the Government Convention for reactivating the process of national reconciliation and democratic dialogue;

8.Supports the efforts of the OAU to re-establish constructive political dialogue among the various political forces in Burundi;

9.Calls on the Council to implement without further delay the general plan of action which it formulated at Carcassonne;

10.Restates its full support for the UN special representative in Burundi, Mr Ould Abdallah;

11.Calls on the Council and Member States to cooperate fully with the Burundian authorities, in the framework set out in United Nations Resolution 1012/95, in bringing to justice those responsible for the assassination of President Ndadaye and the perpetrators of the ensuing violence, and in promoting national reconciliation in Burundi;

12.Urges the Council also to implement speedily the other actions envisaged in the common position of 24 March, in particular as regards the despatch of human rights experts under the aegis of the UNHCR, and assistance in restoring the rule of law and the training of magistrates;

13.Calls on the Commission to reply as swiftly as possible to the repeated requests by the Government of Burundi concerning humanitarian aid and the necessary instruments for technical and financial cooperation;

14.Calls on the governments of the countries in the region, especially Zaire and Uganda, to end all financial, logistical, military and political aid to the Burundian extremists;

WITH REGARD TO RWANDA

15.Severely condemns those countries which knowingly continue to supply arms to the groups intent on destabilizing Rwanda;

16.Calls on the Government of Rwanda, the governments of the other countries in the region, the Member States and the Council to cooperate fully with the United Nations commission and to assist in identifying the parties that are helping the former Rwandan government forces to acquire arms illegally or are supporting them in this activity;

17.Repeats its request for the work of the international tribunal to be completed, this being an essential prerequisite for a return to civil peace;

18.Calls on the Government of Rwanda to speed up the screening of returning refugees in the detention centres and to improve the appalling jail conditions that prevail throughout the country, in particular in Kigali;

19.Calls on the Rwandan Government to initiate talks with all parties concerned with a view to launching a democratic process of national reconciliation;

20.Calls on the international community, and the EU in particular, to step up financial and technical assistance to Rwanda, especially in the fields of justice and security, this being a major prerequisite for the return of the refugees;

21.Calls on all countries, especially those in the region, to cooperate fully with the judges of the international tribunal set up by the UN to investigate crimes against humanity in Rwanda and to permit all necessary investigations in their territory;

22.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Secretaries-General of the UN and OAU and the governments of Burundi, Rwanda, Zaire, Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya.