Joint motion for a
resolution on situation in Sri Lanka
EU's 'ban LTTE' resolution
The European Parliament,
- having regard to the armed conflict which has torn Sri Lanka since
1983, taking over 60,000 lives and causing the displacement of more than
800,000 people,
- having regard to its previous resolutions of 18 May 2000, 14 March
2002 and 20 November 2003 on Sri Lanka, and of 13 January 2005 on EU aid
after the tsunami disaster,
- having regard to the Oslo Declaration of December 2002, in which
the Sri Lankan Government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
agreed to try to find a federal solution within a united Sri Lanka,
- having regard to the Tokyo Declaration on Reconstruction and
Development of 10 June 2003, which linked donor support to progress in
the peace process, insisting on compliance with the Ceasefire Agreement,
participation of the Muslim minority in the talks, promotion and
protection of human rights, gender equality and progress towards a final
political settlement,
- having regard to the support given by the EU and the wider
international community in reply to the devastating tsunami of 26
December 2004,
- having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
Violence
A. whereas the conflict in Sri Lanka has killed over 60,000
people, displaced one million and held back the island's growth and
economic development, resulting in a miserable situation for so many
people across Sri Lanka, whose lives have been devastated by the tsunami
and who now have to suffer from renewed violence,
B. whereas there have been countless attacks in the Jaffna
peninsula, Trincomalee and Batticaloa and the officially registered
ceasefire breaches run into thousands, most of them committed by the
LTTE,
C. whereas tensions have been deliberately exacerbated by the
attempted assassination of Lieutenant General Sarath Fonseka, the Sri
Lankan Army Commander, on 25 April 2006, the assassinations of Sri
Lankan Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar last August and Joseph
Pararajasingham, MP, in December, and the attack on the Batticaloa
district office of the SLMM on 13 January 2006 in a deliberate attempt
to undermine the Ceasefire Agreement,
Attacks
D. whereas on 11 May the LTTE attacked a vessel carrying 710
unarmed members of the security forces on their way back after home
leave, with members of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) on board
and flying the SLMM flag, which was escorted by navy gun boats, sinking
one of them and killing 18 of the crew members,
E. whereas over 300 people have died in attacks and violence
this year in Sri Lanka,
F. whereas international monitors say that the recent violence
is the most serious threat to the 2002 ceasefire brokered by Norwegian
mediators, previously weakened by a large number of reported ceasefire
breaches, including armed ambushes, abductions, intimidation, killings,
torture and recruitment of children as soldiers,
G. whereas after the first round held in Geneva in February,
the peace talks have been suspended indefinitely after the LTTE pulled
out again of a second round in April, jeopardising the opportunity for
political progress,
H. whereas any restoration of the peace process should seek
the involvement of a wide range of communities and political
organisations in Sri Lanka, including Northern Muslim representatives,
I. whereas human rights organisations have not been able to
effectively investigate human rights abuses, and the SLMM does not have
the mandate independently to investigate these breaches,
1. Strongly welcomed the move by the Government of Sri Lanka
and the LTTE to return to the negotiating table in February, and
condemns, therefore, the LTTE's unilateral refusal to participate in the
second round of negotiations in Geneva that were scheduled for April
2006;
Peace talks
2. Urgently calls on the LTTE to resume peace negotiations
with the Government of Sri Lanka without delay, to be prepared to
decommission its weapons and to set the stage for a final political
settlement of the conflict;
3. Severely condemns the renewed campaign of attacks by the
LTTE, the high level of human rights violations committed by both sides
and the constant breaches of the ceasefire agreement;
4. Deplores the gross violations of the Ceasefire Agreement by
the LTTE through actions at sea, in particular the attack of 11 May on
the Sri Lankan naval force, which resulted in many casualties and put
SLMM monitors in grave danger;
5. Calls on the parties to the Ceasefire Agreement to ensure
the security of the SLMM which is an unarmed body invited by both the
Government and the LTTE to monitor the Ceasefire Agreement, in order to
allow the mission to fulfil its mandate, and commends the contributing
countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, for their
invaluable work;
6. Calls on both the LTTE and the Government of Sri Lanka to
refrain from further actions liable to jeopardise the peace process, and
in particular attacks on civilians;
Abuse of children
7. Expresses its condemnation of the appalling abuse of
children through the recruitment of child soldiers, which is a war
crime, and calls on all rebel groups and notably the LTTE to stop this
practice, to release those it holds and to make a declaration of
principle not to recruit any children in the future; urges the
Government of Sri Lanka to put into place legal measures to prevent and
criminalise the practice;
8. Recognises that the LTTE does not represent all the Tamil
people of Sri Lanka and calls on the LTTE to allow for political
pluralism and alternate democratic voices in the northern and eastern
parts of Sri Lanka which would secure the interests of all peoples and
communities;
9. Strongly condemns the particular repression against Tamil
language press and Tamil organisations, and calls for a thorough
investigation into the murders of Mayilvaganam Nimalarajan and
Dharmeratnam Sivaram, as well as the two employees of the newspaper 'Uthayan';
10. Recognises that Sri Lanka's recent election as a member of
the UN Human Rights Council places an obligation on the government to
manifest its commitment to uphold the highest standards in the promotion
and protection of human rights;
11. Calls on the Commission and the Government of Sri Lanka to
ensure the reactivation of Sri Lanka's Human Rights Commission and
stresses the need for an effective independent investigation into all
alleged human rights violations by security forces or armed groups,
bringing the perpetrators to justice in accordance with international
fair trial standards, and insists that all parties should subscribe to
comprehensive human rights agreements as a key element of future peace
negotiations;
12. Urges both sides, as an immediate gesture of goodwill, to
cease the use of anti-personnel landmines and to assist in their
removal, and considers that, to this end, the Government of Sri Lanka
should set an example by signing the Ottawa Convention and the LTTE
should sign the Geneva Call 'Deed of Commitment';
13. Is worried at the fact that a deal to share international
aid has still not been implemented, and believes that aid sent to Sri
Lanka by the EU, and other international donors, in response to the
tsunami must benefit the victims of that disaster without regard for
their ethnic or religious denomination; but is concerned about the
distribution and use of tsunami funds, which have not had the expected
impact on the everyday lives of the victims or on Sri Lanka's recovery;
notes that the political gridlock on the 'Post-Tsunami Operations
Management Structure' has already delayed the release of a further ? 50
million in aid, hindering reconstruction work in the North and East of
Sri Lanka;
Defence costs
14. Deplores the fact that the demands of heavy defence costs
have for many years diverted resources away from urgently needed
investments in economic and social infrastructure in Sri Lanka;
15. Calls on the EU Member States to do everything in their
capacity in order to stop all illegal attempts by the LTTE to uphold a
system of forced taxation among sections of the Tamil community living
in the European Union;
16. Calls on the Commission and the Member States, as part of
this process, to follow the example of other countries and to freeze the
assets of the LTTE-associated bank accounts, holdings, companies or
undertakings in Member States of the European Union;
17. Recognises that the EU has declared that delegations from
the LTTE will no longer be received in any of the EU Member States until
further notice, and that the EU is actively considering the formal
listing of the LTTE as a terrorist organisation;
18. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States
to remain committed to a fair and sustainable solution to the Sri Lankan
conflict and reiterates its support for all the people of Sri Lanka and
their President, Mahinda Rajapaksa, as they address together the
challenges that lie ahead;
19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the
Council, the Commission, the governments of the other members of the
Co-Chairs Group (Norway, the USA and Japan), the UN Secretary-General,
the governments of Switzerland, Sri Lanka and the other SAARC countries,
and the LTTE. |