B4-1518, 1537, 1543 and 1562/95

Resolution on the situation in Burundi

The European Parliament,

-recalling its previous resolutions on the situation in Burundi,

A.alarmed by the persistent instability in Burundi that resulted on 6 December 1995 in violent clashes around Bujumbura between Hutu militias and the army that left 28 dead,

B.concerned at the reports of the massacre of numerous civilians in the provinces and in isolated mountainous regions,

C.fearing that the continued provocations of extremists on both sides and the intransigent response of the army might trigger off a new wave of ethnic killing following that of 1993 which left 50 000 dead,

D.deploring the fact that the participants in the Cairo Conference on the region of the Great Lakes did not take any specific decisions on resolving the current explosive situation in the country,

E.expressing the deepest regret at the fact that, despite the manifest tension, no-one has yet been appointed to succeed Mr Ould Abdallah, the United Nations Secretary-General's Personal Representative,

F.concerned for the safety of the members of non-governmental organizations, which are being increasingly targeted by the extremists,

1.Firmly condemns the continued ethnic killings and all other acts of violence that are committed by bands of extremists on both sides and by elements of the army in an ongoing attempt to destabilise the situation and increase ethnic confrontation;

2.Reaffirms its full support for the lawfully established institutions in Burundi, in particular for the President of the Republic and democratic forces as a whole;

3.Calls on all parties concerned to take all necessary steps to prevent the escalation of violence;

4.Calls for the international committee of inquiry to speed up its work and for those responsible for the massacres to be arrested, tried and convicted in order to put a stop to the climate of impunity, which is contributing to the upsurge in violence;

5.Calls on the United Nations to appoint and dispatch a Special Representative as soon as possible and to supply him with a stronger support team in view of the current situation;

6.Calls on the Commission, Council and Member States to formulate and implement without delay a workable prevention strategy in Burundi, according to the guidelines on preventive diplomacy, conflict resolution and peace-keeping in Africa adopted by the Council on 4 December 1995;

7.Urges the Council, in particular, to enter an item on Burundi on the agenda for the Madrid European Council and implement the Global Action Plan established at Carcassonne as a matter of urgency;

8.Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the Government of Burundi and the UN and OAU Secretaries-General.