MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
13 January 2004
pursuant to Rule 50 of the Rules of Procedure
by Gerard Collins, Niall Andrews, Brian Crowley, Jim Fitzsimons, Liam Hyland, Seán Ó Neachtain,
on behalf of the UEN Group
on Burundi
B5-0029/2004
European parliament resolution on Burundi
the European parliament,
- having regard to the untimely death of the Papal Nuncio to Burundi, Archbishop Michael Courtney, who was murdered in Burundi on 29 December 2003, following a road ambush,
A. whereas Archbishop Courtney made a significant contribution to the recent progress in the peace process in Burundi, after having dedicated service to the Holy See in many difficult and challenging postings,
B. whereas he worked tirelessly to encourage peace and reconciliation between the main ethnic groups and to encourage the various rebel groups to end their campaign of violence and join the political process,
C. whereas Burundi is a small African country which has been ravaged since 1993 by a civil war between different ethnic groups which has caused over 300,000 deaths,
D. whereas the President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Burundi, Archbishop Simon Ntamwana, on the day of the funeral service was told to leave the country within 30 days by the spokesman of the largest ethnic rebellious group,
E whereas the Western world has paid limited attention to this small and poor country with little strategic interest,
F whereas finally in May 2003 after innumerable failures in peace negotiations, the Presidency of Burundi passed from a Tutsi to a Hutu leader, Mr Ndayizeye, but his government comes to an end next November,
G whereas this transitional government is supported by a force of about 3,000 African Union peacekeepers from South Africa, Mazambique and Ethiopia and last December the largest rebel group, the Forces for the Defence of Democracy (FDD), joined the peace process,
1. Condemns the murder of Archbishop Courtney and extends its condolences to his family and friends and to the Holy See;
2. Recognises and appreciates the quiet and effective ways in which Archbishop Courtney had been helping the peace process and alleviating the suffering of the people in Burundi;
3. Fully supports the peace process which has been emerging after a decade of civil conflict in Burundi and recognises that many challenges lie ahead and draws attention to the remarks of the UN Secretary General that Burundians must experience an improvement in their living conditions or the budding peace process may be jeopardised;
4. Calls on the Council and the Commission to ensure that the full weight of the European Union is mobilised behind the efforts to bring about a final end to the long-lasting conflict in Burundi and considers that a sustained effort is required to ensure the implementation of the comprehensive cease-fire agreement which was signed between the country's transitional government and its largest armed rebel group;
5. calls on the Commission to explore the possibility of providing more effective aid to Burundi;
6. Instructs its President to forward this Resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments of the Member States and candidate countries, the Government of Burundi and the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.