The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Sudan and the crisis in Darfur, in particular its resolution of 6 April 2006,

–  having regard to the International Day for Darfur on 17 September 2006,

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

A.  whereas the African Union (AU) has decided to extend the mandate of its peacekeeping force in the Sudanese region of Darfur until 31 December,

B.  whereas the Sudanese Government has repeatedly rejected plans to convert the African force into a 22 000-strong UN mission in accordance with the Security Council agreement of last month,

C.  whereas the Abuja peace agreement for Darfur of 5 May 2006 has proved inadequate, failing to end the violence and, on the contrary, triggering a further wave of violence in certain regions for whose inhabitants rapes, assaults, displacements and killings continue to be daily occurrences,

D.  notes that the agreement has been infringed by the Sudanese army, which has once more deployed its forces in the region, and that the bombardments have resumed,

E.  whereas over 200 000 lives have been lost since the beginning of the crisis and over 2 million people have been displaced,

F.  whereas the information reaching us concerning the humanitarian crisis in Darfur is becoming increasingly alarming, much of Darfur having once more become inaccessible for humanitarian missions,

G.  whereas the security situation has recently worsened, while the perpetual climate of instability and violence has had an alarming effect on health (malnutrition, cholera epidemic, hepatitis E),

H.  whereas developments in Sudan are a determining factor regarding efforts to promote peace and security,

1.  Greatly regrets that the peace agreement signed in Abuja on 5 May 2006 concerning the disarmament of the militias and the integration of rebels within the army contains no satisfactory provisions of a political nature concerning such matters as representation of the people of Darfur at the various levels of government; greatly regrets also the absence from the agreement of any guarantees regarding the disarmament of the Janjaweed or the safe return of the 2 million displaced persons and 200 000 refugees under satisfactory conditions;

2.  Considers it urgent to make every effort to reopen a path for negotiations with all insurgent groups and secure a more open agenda regarding integration of rebels into central government and the distribution of wealth in Sudan and to continue to bring pressure to bear on Khartoum to authorise the deployment of UN forces;

3.  Stresses the need to sign an agreement with representative rebel organisations so as to ensure that it is not massively rejected by the peoples of Darfur;

4.  Calls on the Sudanese Government to end impunity from prosecution and bring to justice those guilty of human rights violations in Darfur; urges the Sudanese Government in this context to cooperate with the International Criminal Court to ensure the Prosecutor safe access to Darfur;

5.  Calls on all warring parties to allow safe access to the battle zones and ensure the safety of all aid workers in accordance with international humanitarian law;

6.  Calls for a significant increase in European Union humanitarian aid (75% of aid is currently provided by the United States) for the almost 3 million individuals totally dependent on international aid for food, shelter and medical care;

7.  Notes the step taken in extending the mandate of the African Union peacekeeping force while stressing that this can only be a transitional stage;

8.  Urges the Sudanese Government to accept the Security Council decision to launch a UN peacekeeping operation with a view to ending the genocidal violence and establish peace and stability in this troubled region;

9.  Calls on the Chinese, Russian and Arab League countries to reconsider their positions regarding Darfur and give their support to this action, both in political terms through the UN resolution and in humanitarian terms;

10.  Is concerned at the regional implications of the Darfur conflict for neighbouring countries;

11.  Recalls the commitments by the international community following the Rwanda genocide while stressing in particular that the current international presence in the DRC bears eloquent testimony to the desire of the international community to assume more effectively its political responsibility in Africa;

12.  Recalls that the European Union has a major role to play in political terms and in terms of humanitarian aid;

13.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the Government of Sudan, the African Union and the UN Secretary-General.