The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in the Middle East, in particular that of 1 June 2006,

–  having regard to UN Security Council Resolutions 1701, 1559, 520, 426, 338 and 242,

–  having regard to the Co-chairman statement of the Rome International Conference on Lebanon of 26 July 2006,

–  having regard to the conclusions of the extraordinary General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting of 25 August 2006,

–  having regard to the EMPA Bureau statement adopted on 24 August 2006,

–  having regard to the Geneva Conventions on international humanitarian law,

–  having regard to the statement made by the Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in the occupied Palestinian territories at the UN Human Rights Council special session held in Geneva on 5 July 2006,

–  having regard to articles 15, 16 and 19 of the TEU,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the outbreak of hostilities in South Lebanon, the disproportionate and prolonged use of force by the Israeli army and the attacks by Hezbollah were a serious threat to international peace and security,

B.  whereas the conflict in Lebanon has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe, which has caused hundreds of deaths and injuries on both sides, extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and hundreds of thousands of internally displaced persons, and has not come to an end with the ceasefire,

C.  whereas the Israeli bombing of civilians and the firing of rockets by Palestinian and Lebanese armed groups are a serious violation of international humanitarian law under the terms of Article 3 of the IVth Geneva Convention,

D.  whereas the attacks targeted directly at civil assets and the disproportionate or indiscriminate attacks on civilians were a violation of fundamental rights, as defined under international law and the Geneva Conventions,

E.  whereas Resolution 1701 forms the basis for a sustainable ceasefire agreement and may open the way to a negotiation process,

F.  whereas Resolution 1701 calls on the Government of Lebanon to extend its authority over the territory of the country through its own legitimate armed forces, and has decided to increase the force strength of UNIFIL and extend its mandate,

G.  whereas Resolution 1701 calls upon the Government of Israel to withdraw all of its forces from South Lebanon as the deployment of UNIFIL begins and to put to an end to the blockade of airports and harbours in Lebanon,

H.  whereas the humanitarian situation in Gaza and the West Bank is continuously deteriorating, and whereas this must no longer be ignored by the international community,

I.  whereas the basic framework for a negotiation process in the Middle East needs to be seriously re-defined, with special regard to the existing international agreements, including the Roadmap,

J.  whereas the European Union has a special responsibility for peace and security in the Middle East, which is Europe's neighbourhood, and whereas the instruments and methods for the coordination of the Common Foreign and Security Policy must therefore be improved, including through the adoption of a common position in the framework of the CFSP and on the basis of Articles 15 and 16 of the TEU in order to establish a legal basis for the current political will,

K.  regretting, in this connection, the failure even to use all of the mechanisms existing under the current Treaty to pool Member States' efforts and establish a joint line of action at the outset of the conflict,

1.  Expresses its serious concern over the extension and intensity of the military conflict in South Lebanon and deeply regrets the casualties among civilians in Lebanon and in Israel, and the massive destruction of infrastructure; reaffirms that there is no military solution to the conflict in the Middle East;

2.  Welcomes the unanimous adoption by the UN Security Council of Resolution 1701, which establishes the conditions for putting an end to the military operations and reinforces UNIFIL with a strong mandate aimed at increasing its capacity to prevent any violation of the ceasefire, ensure that the Government of Lebanon exercises full sovereignty and effective control over the territory of the country, support the full implementation of UNSC Resolution 1559 and contribute to the protection of the civilian population and UNIFIL itself;

3.  Considers that the UNIFIL mandate should represent a serious commitment to providing adequate assistance to the Government of Lebanon in the establishment of effective control and security arrangements, as determined in UNSC Resolutions 1559 and 1701;

4.  Welcomes the outcome of the extraordinary General Affairs and External Relations Council meeting of 25 August, in particular the full support expressed by the Council for the implementation of UNSC Resolution 1701 and its endorsement of the initiatives of several Member States to participate in the reinforcement of UNIFIL and to send about 7 000 troops to the region;

5.  Underlines the leading role taken by France and Italy; fully supports the decision that France will continue to assume the command of UNIFIL until February 2007 and Italy will then take over ground control; stresses, nevertheless, that any duplication of command structures must be avoided and the main command centre kept in Beirut;

6.  Calls on the Council and the Member States to make all necessary political and diplomatic efforts to contribute to the implementation of the pertinent UNSC Resolutions, bearing in mind that these are essential preconditions for the success of the mission;

7.  Considers it vital that all weapon imports into Lebanon to only to the official Lebanese army and asks the Lebanese Government to ensure full implementation of UNSC Resolution 1559;

8.  Calls on all parties concerned to immediately release hostages and prisoners;

9.  Calls on the Council to provide substantial support for the reconstruction of Lebanon, including by urging the lifting of the blockades, the re-opening of airports and harbours and the facilitation of the return of displaced persons to their homes;

10.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to contribute to the commitments of the international donors' conference held in Stockholm on 31 August 2006, given that rapid and effective international aid for the reconstruction work will contribute to a further strengthening of the democratic institutions and to preventing an increase in the influence of fundamentalist forces in Lebanon;

11.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue its efforts to establish a living partnership with democratic political forces and the civil society, in order to support further democratisation in Lebanon after the events of March 2005;

12.  Considers that it is essential to involve in a political and diplomatic process all parties concerned, including Syria and Iran, with regard to the implementation of Resolution 1559 and the stabilisation of the region;

13.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to restart a genuine dialogue with Syria in order to engage this country in peace efforts for a comprehensive settlement of the conflict; expects that the UN Secretary-General's report provided for in Resolution 1701 on the delineation of the international borders in Lebanon, including the Shebaa farms area, will contribute to progress in this issue;

14.  Urges all parties concerned to observe international humanitarian law, refrain from all forms of violence against the civilian population and treat all combatants and civilians being held in accordance with the Geneva Conventions;

15.  Calls for a comprehensive international high-level inquiry to be conducted under the aegis of the UN Secretary-General in Lebanon and Israel with a mandate to investigate reports of serious human rights violations, the plight of victims, the violation of humanitarian law, the killing of the four members of UNIFIL, the Qana massacre and the use of chemical weapons, cluster bombs and bombs with depleted uranium, and to lay the foundations for possible reparation and accountability measures;

16.  Considers in this context that the European Union, as a major donor, and the international community should study ways of finding a legal basis for application of the 'destroyer pays' principle;

17.  Deplores deeply the deteriorating situation of the population and civilian infrastructure in Gaza and the West Bank, which has resulted in hundreds of deaths and injuries and extensive damage to civilian infrastructure, and demands that Israel to put an end to the attacks against civilian population; reiterates its demand to the Israeli Government to stop the construction of the wall;

18.  Reiterates its call for the immediate and unconditional release of the kidnapped Israeli soldiers and of the President of the Palestinian Legislative Council, other members of the Palestinian Government, parliamentarians and officials;

19.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to continue to guarantee, together with the international community, essential humanitarian aid for the Palestinian population; demands that the Temporary International Mechanism (TIM) be reinforced and extended in terms of duration and resources, without discrimination; calls on the Israeli Government urgently to resume the transfer of withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues;

20.  Restates its full support for the President of the Palestinian Authority, Abu Mazen, in his efforts to promote a national dialogue between the various Palestinian parties, based on the Prisoner's Document, with the aim of setting up a new Palestinian government which could act as a negotiating partner for the international community; maintains that this should permit an immediate resumption of international economic support;

21.  Reaffirms that the right of Israel to security and the right of the Palestinian people to have a viable State are complementary key conditions for a peaceful and lasting settlement in the Middle East;

22.  Expresses the wish that the presence of a multinational force in Lebanon should be taken as an exemplary model to be followed in the negotiation process for a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and stresses that a similar force should intervene in the Gaza strip and the West Bank;

23.  Urges the international community to seek a long-term and comprehensive solution to the current situation in the Middle East region by addressing the root causes of the conflicts and by involving all the parties concerned;

24.  Considers that the resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict remains the core of any future negotiation process in the Middle East; reaffirms that the end of the occupation and compliance with UNSC Resolutions 242 and 338 form the basis of a lasting peace in the region;

25.  Recalls that the European Union has the responsibility to help all the countries in the Middle East to find peace and security and demands an urgent re-launching of the initiative of the Quartet (EU, US, Russia and the UN), with a view to the annual UN General Assembly session in September;

26.  Proposes the launch of an International Conference, with the EU playing an active promotional role, which should re-open a negotiation process based on the following fundamental principles:

27.  Considers the involvement of the Arab League and of countries such as Egypt, Jordan and Syria to be essential in this context, , also taking into account the Beirut Plan of 2002 proposed by the Arab League for a lasting solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict;

28.  Stresses that the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) should play a significant role in the promotion of a dialogue with all the parties concerned; calls for a strengthened role of the Euromed partnership and supports the request by the EMPA Bureau to convene an extraordinary meeting of the Euromed Council of Foreign Ministers of the Barcelona Process as soon as possible;

29.  Notes, furthermore, that this crisis highlights the importance of establishing at the earliest opportunity an institutional action framework such as that provided for in the European Constitution, which includes essential elements such as an EU Minister for Foreign Affairs, provision for the EU expressing itself directly in the EU Security Council and a procedure under which the Council may instruct a group of Member States to initiate a mission under the Common Security and Defence Policy; stresses, in this context, the importance of the European Union Member States speaking with one voice;

30.  Decides to promote urgent initiatives and to improve contacts with all actors in the region, together with the Council and the Commission, by sending a delegation to South Lebanon and the region with the aim of communicating a message of peace and solidarity;

31.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the UN Secretary-General, the governments and parliaments of the EU Member States, Israel, Lebanon and the Palestinian Authority, and the Secretary-General of the Arab League.