JOINT MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
pursuant to Rule 37(4) of the Rules of Procedure, by
14 January 2004
- –Michael Gahler on behalf of the PPE-DE Group
- –Enrique Barón Crespo, Margrietus J. van den Berg, Hannes Swoboda, Véronique De Keyser and Anna Terrón i Cusí on behalf of the PSE Group
- –Cecilia Malmström on behalf of the ELDR Group
- –Daniel Marc Cohn-Bendit, Monica Frassoni and Nelly Maes on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
- –Pernille Frahm, Pedro Marset Campos and Esko Olavi Seppänen on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
- –Gerard Collins on behalf of the UEN Group
- –Verts/ALE (B5‑0034/2004),
- –GUE/NGL (B5‑0035/2004),
- –UEN (B5‑0036/2004),
- –PPE-DE (B5‑0037/2004),
- –PSE (B5‑0038/2004),
- –ELDR (B5‑0039/2004),
European Parliament resolution on EU aid to Iran following the earthquake
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its report on EU relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran (A5-0418/2001),
- having regard to its previous resolutions on Iran,
- having regard to the earthquake that devastated the region of Kerman,
- having regard to the statement of the Secretary-General of the United Nations of 26 December 2003,
- having regard to the message from the EU High Representative for the CFSP of 27 December 2003,
- having regard to the Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO) Aid Strategy 2004,
- having regard to the ECHO Global Index for humanitarian Needs Assessment (GINA) 2004,
- having regard to Iran's recent signature of the Additional Protocol to the 1986 Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), which constitutes an important step towards Iran's full compliance with its international obligations under the Non-Proliferation Treaty regime,
- having regard to the decision of the Iranian Guardian Council to disqualify more than 2 000 candidates, including more than 80 sitting parliamentarians,
- having regard to the declaration by EU High Representative Javier Solana that the electoral process in Iran is very important for the EU and that we want it to be clear and transparent,
- having regard to the sit-in protest for a second consecutive day by reformist Members of Parliament at the legislature,
- having regard to the intention of a large number of governors and government members to resign,
- having regard to Rule 37(4) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas on the morning of 26 December 2003 a major earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter Scale struck southern Iran's Kerman Province, killing some 30 000 people, injuring approximately 30 000 and making 45 000 to 75 000 homeless,
B. whereas approximately 1 850 children have been registered as unaccompanied and homeless, a number that is expected to increase, and another 5 000 have lost one parent,
C. whereas in the city of Bam more than 85 per cent of the buildings were completely destroyed, including all schools in and around the town, and whereas in the surrounding villages more than 18 000 houses across 250 villages were completely destroyed and will have to be rebuilt,
D. whereas in Bam the local administration and the communication infrastructure were destroyed, while at the same time the electricity and water supplies and most health services were completely disrupted,
E. whereas the Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has shown its commitment to the relief operations and has received offers for assistance, e.g. from the European Union, the United States and Israel, but has not accepted every offer,
F. whereas the Commission allocated € 2.3 million on 27 December 2003 through ECHO to address the most urgent humanitarian needs and is examining further requests for aid, which will be delivered on the basis of the needs identified,
G. whereas the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has recorded that the financial and in-kind contributions as of 6 January 2004 amount to USD 80.3 million, while initial estimates indicate that the long-term recovery could cost anywhere between USD 700 million and 1 000 million,
H. whereas the United States Treasury Department, under the instructions of the United States President, has eased restrictions to assist humanitarian relief activities for earthquake victims in Iran, and whereas on 7 January 2004 the total sum of United States Government assistance was USD 4 797 600,
I. whereas the UN and the national authorities launched a Flash Appeal on 8 January 2004 for USD 31.3 million to address the urgent needs over the next three months, aiming to smooth the transition from emergency relief to recovery initiatives,
J. whereas the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced on 8 January 2004 that it was appealing for € 33 119 207 in order to avert another humanitarian crisis in Bam,
K. whereas the EU has been very active in promoting the signature by Iran of the Additional Protocol to the NPT,
L. restating its continued support for the process of reforms in Iran and reaffirming its willingness to strengthen political and economic relations between the EU and Iran,
M. insisting on the necessity of a comprehensive human rights dialogue between the EU and Iran, but regretting that this dialogue did not go beyond a mainly academic exchange of views,
N. concerned about the deterioration of the human rights situation in Iran, where many people are now in jail for having made use of their right to freedom of expression,
O. whereas the decision by the Iranian Guardian Council to exclude a quarter of the candidates from the upcoming elections calls into question the whole electoral process,
1. Welcomes the Commission's decision to allocate € 2.3 million to address the most urgent humanitarian needs;
2. Welcomes the support given by the international community to the relief efforts for the victims of the earthquake and the decision of the United States Treasury Department, under the instructions of the United States President, to ease restrictions to assist humanitarian relief activities for earthquake victims in Iran;
3. Calls on the Commission, the Member States of the European Union and the rest of the international community to provide more aid to help the relief operations in and around Bam and contribute to the transition from emergency relief to recovery initiatives;
4. Calls on the Iranian Government to consider methods in order to improve the earthquake security of buildings in Iran, and calls on the Commission to offer its support if requested;
5. Calls on the President of the Commission and the Irish Presidency to visit Bam as soon as possible in order to express their solidarity with the victims of the earthquake;
6. Welcomes also the intervention of the Italian Presidency, which immediately sent a number of C-130 air force transport planes with civil defence experts and medical teams as well as the action of other EU Member States, which rapidly provided assistance to the disaster region;
7. Welcomes the signature by Iran of the Additional Protocol to the Non-Proliferation Treaty and considers that this should help in establishing the international community's confidence in Iran's assurance about the peaceful nature of its nuclear programme and its commitment to non-proliferation;
8. Considers it now essential that rapid ratification and implementation pending the entry into force of the AP provide full transparency on the Iranian nuclear programme; considers that the ratification of the Additional Protocol will provide the IAEA with new means to verify independently the declarations made by Iran about its nuclear material and activities, such as unrestricted access to all the reported nuclear facilities and to all the necessary information;
9. Calls on the Council and the Commission to carry out an evaluation of the first three sessions of the EU/Iran human rights dialogue on the basis of the benchmarks defined in the EU guidelines on human rights dialogue of 13 December 2001 in order to assess the progress of Iran in the field of human rights, and calls for its involvement in the human rights dialogue to be stepped up;
10. Calls on the Council to envisage the possibility of submitting a draft resolution on the human rights situation in Iran to the 60th session of the UN Commission on Human Rights, which will take place in Geneva from 15 March to 24 April 2004;
11. Expresses its deep preoccupation about the decision of the Iranian Guardian Council, which endangers the recent moves towards a more democratic society, and calls for an immediate revision of this decision in order to enable the Iranian population to make a really democratic choice;
12. Underlines that the solidarity shown by the international community is also an expression of support for those in Iran who are committed to keeping the country on the path towards further democratisation; warns that the decision to ban many reformist candidates from standing for parliament, if it were not reversed in due time before the elections, would not leave EU-Iran relations unaffected;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government and Parliament of the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.