MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
16.5.2006
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by Pasqualina Napoletano and Neena Gill
on behalf of the PSE Group
on Nepal
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0282/2006
B6‑0292/2006
European Parliament resolution on Nepal
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on Nepal, in which it condemned the royal coup and urged King Gyanendra to lift the state of emergency and re-establish parliamentary powers and democratic institutions;
– having regard to the public hearing on the situation in Nepal held by the Sub-Committee on Human Rights on 20 February 2006;
– having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure;
A. recalling that on 1 February 2005, in an unconstitutional act, King Gyanendra dismissed the government, assumed direct power and declared a state of emergency;
B. whereas people-driven protests supporting a return to democracy as well as a general strike took place during several weeks in April 2006, and were brutally repressed costing a number of innocent lives, because armed security police were authorised to shoot at protesters;
C. whereas a meeting took place in Kathmandu on 20 April 2006 between King Gyanendra and the Indian Special Envoy Karan Singh, further to which the King agreed to announce the country's return to democracy;
D. whereas the return to democracy will hopefully mean the end of a civil war which has lasted 10 years and has cost the lives of over 13,000 people;
1. Welcomes recent developments in Nepal which promise a return to political stability, such as:
- -the fact that in the face of mounting opposition to his absolute rule; the King has restored Parliament and invited the seven-party alliance to return at the centre of Nepal's politics
- -the establishment of an interim government on 2 May and the initiative taken by the new Nepalese Prime Minister Prasad Koirala to set up a Constituent Assembly, a step welcomed by the 7-Party Coalition and the Maoists;
- -the Maoist announcement on 3 May of a unilateral 3-month ceasefire;
- -the reaffirmed commitment from the 7-Party Coalition and the Maoists to the 12 point peace agreement of November 2005;
2. Welcomes in particular the fact that Nepal's people are the driving force behind the changed political environment and that its political parties and civil society are in a better position than before to shape the future of their country;
3. Underlines, however, that the restoration of the sovereignty of the parliament's democratic authorities is only a first step towards real peace and a lasting democracy, and that substantial progress needs to be made in a number of areas in order to consolidate the situation:
- -the Parliament needs to take control of the Royal Nepalese Army and local militia to end the human rights abuses;
- -the Parliament is urged to address the root causes of the conflict and to ensure that there is greater economic prosperity for all throughout the country;
- -the Maoists must renounce violence and terror; they must return to the political arena and cooperate according to a political agenda;
- -political parties must regain the confidence of the people in light of their history of making deals with the King against the country's best interests.
4. Asks all parties concerned to act with responsibility and to the benefit of the country and its people during the constitutional process; the emergency powers bestowed on the King should cease forthwith;
5. Asks for the international community to establish a Contact Group, made up of Nepal’s key partners and international organisations (the EU, the US, India and the UN), to provide coordinated international action with regard to Nepal; proposes that the European Parliament appoint a special rapporteur to monitor the situation;
6. Reiterates its support for the UN Office of Human Rights in Nepal, established since April 2005, which must continue to carefully monitor the human rights situation;
7. Calls again for a follow-up to the 2002 London International Conference, to be organised by the Contact Group of key partners, which should set out the principles and values needed to underpin a peace process in Nepal and bring together all major players from the international community, as well as King Gyanendra, the Maoist rebel groups and the main political parties;
8. Calls on the Council, the Commission and the Member States to support the peace process by
- -assisting all armed groups to demobilise and disarm;
- -using development and humanitarian assistance to consolidate peace and economic development;
- -encouraging international financial institutions to give priority to macro-economic stability and transparency, rather than forcing ambitious economic reform proposals on a fragile democracy;
9. Calls on the Council and the Member States not to resume military aid, especially now that the ceasefire renders it unnecessary;
10. Calls for parliamentary elections to be held at an early stage; calls on the EU to send an election observation mission to monitor these elections; in the meantime, calls for the sending of an ad hoc delegation to assess the situation and conduct talks with all relevant forces;
11. Calls for a full and transparent investigation of human rights abuses, including unresolved cases of forced disappearances and for the adequate sentencing of those convicted;
12. Supports the suspension of new contributions to UN peacekeeping missions by Nepal until the human rights abuses by the RNA are satisfactorily investigated and there is concrete proof of democratic control over the army;
13. Stresses that any restrictions on media freedom should be lifted immediately, and that all political prisoners in detention should be either charged or released;
14. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council and the Member States, the Commission, the interim Government of Nepal, King Gyanendra, the Governments of India and other member states of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation, the Secretary General of the UN and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.