Azerbaijan: MEPs condemn destruction of cultural heritage
In its resolution on Azerbaijan, adopted by 85 votes in favour to 5 against with no abstentions, Parliament addresses allegations by Armenia that campaigns to destroy the Armenian cemetery at Djulfa in the region of Nakhichevan were carried out by Azerbaijani forces in November 1998 and December 2002 and that the most recent destruction took place in December 2005, as evidenced by the recent video footage from the Armenian authorities. There were numerous reactions to these actions from the international community, but Azerbaijan has not provided answers to inquiries from Abdelfattah Amor, the former special rapporteur of the United Nations, concerning the events in November 1998 and December 2002.
Parliament strongly condemns the destruction of the Djulfa cemetery as well as the destruction of all sites of historical importance that has taken place on Armenian or Azerbaijani territory, and condemns any such action that seeks to destroy the cultural heritage of a people. It calls on the Council and the Commission to make clear to Armenia and Azerbaijan that all efforts must be made to stop the practice of ethnic cleansing which has led to such actions, and to find ways to facilitate the gradual return of refugees and displaced people.
MEPs demand that Azerbaijan and Armenia respect their international commitments - notably in the cultural realm - and especially those deriving from their accession to the Council of Europe and incorporation into the European Neighbourhood Policy. They stress that respect for minority rights including historical, religious and cultural heritage is conditional on the genuine and effective development of the European Neighbourhood Policy, which must also lead to the establishment of good neighbourly relations between all the countries concerned. They demand that Azerbaijan allow missions dedicated to surveying and protecting the archaeological heritage on its territory, especially Armenian heritage, such as experts working with ICOMOS, and also allow a European Parliament delegation to visit the archaeological site at Djulfa.
Parliament calls on Armenia and Azerbaijan to abide by their international commitments, in particular in the area of culture and of safeguarding cultural heritage, entered into within international bodies such as UNESCO and the Council of Europe, and calls on them to do their utmost to protect archaeological, historical and cultural heritage on their territories in order to prevent the destruction of other endangered sites. It invites the Commission and the Council to incorporate a clause on protecting those territories’ invaluable archaeological or historical sites into the action plans currently being discussed in a European Neighbourhood Policy context.
Parliament also invites the Commission and the Council to make the implementation of the European Neighbourhood Policy action plans conditional on respect by Azerbaijan's and Armenia's for universally accepted principles, in particular their obligations as members of the Council of Europe, regarding human and minority rights, and calls on the Commission and the Council to incorporate into these action plans specific provisions for the protection of the cultural heritage of minorities.
Call to close Guantanamo Bay detention facility
In their resolution on Guantanamo Bay, adopted by 80 votes in favour to 1 against with 1 abstention, MEPs call on the US Administration to close the detention facility there and insist that every prisoner should be treated in accordance with international humanitarian law and tried without delay in a fair and public hearing by a competent, independent, impartial tribunal. They condemn all forms of torture and ill-treatment and reiterate the need to comply with international law.
Parliament stresses that contemporary terrorism, particularly global terrorism directed against democracies and their populations, poses a threat to the basic and fundamental human rights our societies enjoy. It reiterates that the fight against terrorism, which is one of the priorities of the Union and a key aspect of its external action, can only be successfully pursued if human rights and civil liberties are fully respected.
Sri Lanka
MEPs discussed prospects for talks between the government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. At this delicate stage of efforts to bring peace to the island, Parliament's groups decided it would not be appropriate to take a formal position, and so the six draft resolutions that formed the basis of the debate were withdrawn before the vote.
