MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

19 April 2004

further to the Commission statement
pursuant to Rule 37(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Luisa Morgantini and Yasmine Boudjenah
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on preparations by the European Union for the Review Conference on the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines

B5‑0217/2004

European Parliament resolution on preparations by the European Union for the Review Conference on the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions, and those of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, on measures to combat anti-personnel landmines,

–  having regard to the Community regulations on anti-personnel mines,

–  having regard to the Ottawa Convention on the prohibition of anti-personnel mines, which came into force on 1 March 1999,

–  having regard to Rule 37(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas until today the Convention on the Prohibition of the Use, Stockpiling, Production and Transfer of Anti-Personnel Mines and On Their Destruction (also known as the 'Mine Ban Treaty') has been ratified or acceded to by 141 States and signed by a further nine States,

B.  concerned at the fact that 44 countries, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Poland, but also China, India, Pakistan, Russia, Israel, both Koreas, Iraq, Iran and the USA, remain outside the Mine Ban Treaty,

C.  recognising the importance of holding the Review Conference on the Ottawa Treaty on anti-personnel mines in Nairobi, Kenya, from 29 November to 3 December 2004,

D.  deeply concerned at the prevalence of anti-personnel landmines in areas which have been the scene of armed conflict,

E.  whereas anti-personnel mines, which continue to kill and injure women and children in particular in the world's poorest regions, represent an obstacle to development and to the return of refugees to their homes,

F.  whereas the implementation of the Ottawa Treaty has already enabled the international community to take effective steps to halt the production of anti-personnel mines and to destroy such mines,

G.  whereas the international community has a moral duty to seek commitments from all parties involved in such conflicts, both States and armed, non-State actors, to cease using anti‑personnel mines, with a view to securing a truly universal ban on these inhumane weapons,

H.  recognising the efforts made by governments, international organisations and NGOs to encourage armed, non-State actors to ban the use of anti-personnel landmines,

I.  whereas this does not imply support for, or recognition of the legitimacy of, armed, non-State actors or their activities,

J.  recognising that armed, non-State actors should demonstrate their compliance with the humanitarian standard established by the Ottawa Convention in a number of concrete ways, such as by stopping the use and production of and trade in anti-personnel landmines; by signing the Geneva Call Deed of Commitment; by making public declarations; and by facilitating demining, mine-risk education, victim assistance and humanitarian mine action in areas under their control,

1.  Notes the efforts made at international level to deal with the problem of anti-personnel mines, but takes the view that these measures must be stepped up if such mines are to be eliminated;

2.  Welcomes, in particular, the efforts made by NGOs to deal with anti-personnel mines and to help the victims of such mines;

3.  Calls on the four remaining Member States of the enlarged European Union which have not yet ratified or acceded to the 1997 Mine Ban Treaty to do so without further delay, and in any case before the First Review Conference on the Convention;

4.   Calls on all States Parties to the Convention to participate at the 'highest possible level' in the Nairobi Summit, as called for at the Fifth Meeting of States Parties held in Bangkok, Thailand, in September 2003;

5.   Calls on all States and other relevant actors to renew their commitment to the humanitarian aims of the Convention, in advance of the Nairobi Summit; to ensure that the first Review Conference will be a significant milestone in marking achievements and assessing the challenges that remain; and to declare at the Summit their unwavering determination and commitment to put an end to the suffering caused by anti-personnel mines;

6.  Welcomes the statement made on 13 February 2004 by the Presidency, on behalf of the European Union, in advance of the 2004 Nairobi Summit on a Mine-Free World that 'the First Review Conference should not only take stock of what has been achieved but should also focus on the future. The EU hopes that the 2004 Nairobi Conference will succeed in agreeing on a clear and practicable Plan of Action, containing concrete steps that are necessary to make significant progress in the 2004 to 2009 period';

7.   Reiterates its call for the elimination of the use, production, stockpiling and transfer of anti-personnel landmines by both States and armed, non-State actors;

8.   Is particularly concerned at the fact that the United States has announced that it will not accede to the Convention and has decided to keep its 8.8 million so-called 'smart' anti-personnel mines (fitted with self-destruct mechanisms) and to stop using 'conventional' anti-personnel and anti-vehicle landmines only after 2010 - four years later than the previous target date;

9.   Calls on the States Parties to the Mine Ban Treaty to pay closer attention to the problem of anti-personnel mines in relation to armed, non-State actors and to support diplomatically, politically and/or financially the efforts to obtain commitments signed by these actors;

10.  Calls for increased resources for humanitarian demining, mine-risk education and the care, rehabilitation and social and economic reintegration of mine victims in areas under State control and under the de facto control of armed, non-State actors;

11.  Calls on the EU, as part of the review of the Ottawa Convention, and with the objective of securing the total elimination of anti-personnel mines, to take steps to:

• -speed up the destruction of anti-personnel mines by increasing the number of deminers and the funding for their work;
• -step up research with a view to developing technologies which can facilitate mine detection and the more accurate identification of areas affected by mines;
• -strengthen verification systems and penalties;
• -ban research on and the production of similar weapons, such as blinding laser weapons;
• -impose binding measures on States (whether or not they are parties to the Convention) which continue to use anti-personnel mines;

12.  Calls on the signatories to the Ottawa Convention to recognise more fully the work of NGOs and to increase the resources allocated to them, in particular in connection with their work on the ground in cooperation with non-State actors;

13.  Calls for accession to the Ottawa Convention and compliance with it to be regarded as a key point of reference in EU agreements with third countries;

14.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the current and future Member States and the United Nations Secretary-General.