MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

13.2.2007

with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure
by André Brie
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on the humanitarian situation of the Iraqi refugees in the Middle East region

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0052/2007

B6‑0052/07

European Parliament resolution on the humanitarian situation of the Iraqi refugees in the Middle East region

The European Parliament,

-  having regard to its previous resolutions on Iraq and on the right of refugees to international protection,

-  having regard to the United Nations Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees (Refugee Convention) and to the 1967 Protocol Relating to the Status of Refugees,

-  having regard to the UNHCR’s Return Advisory and Position on International Protection Needs of Iraqis outside Iraq dated 18 December 2006,

-  having regard to the ECRE's guidelines on the treatment of Iraqi asylum seekers and refugees in Europe dated March 2006,

-  having regard to the directive 2004/83/EC of 29 April 2004, on minimum standards for the qualification and status of third-country nationals or stateless persons as refugees or as persons who otherwise need international protection and the content of the protection granted ("Qualification Directive"),

-  having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the United States, the United Kingdom and other countries continue to occupy Iraq after the war and whereas the presence of foreign troops feeds the cycle of violence instead of stopping it,

B.  whereas the US led-invasion and its subsequent developments has led to widespread violence, sectarian conflicts and chaos threatening the unity of Iraq and resulting in ten of thousands of deaths and millions of displaced persons, within and outside of Iraq, especially women and children; whereas the United States and United kingdom have paid little attention to the regional human fallout resulting from their military intervention in Iraq,

C.  whereas United Nations estimates that 1.6 million people are displaced within Iraq, their number could reach 2.3 to 2.7 million by the end of the year, and up to 1.8 million Iraqis have fled the country,

D.  whereas dozens of thousands of Iraqi try to leave their country every month and whereas the neighbouring countries have closed or are in process of closing their borders to the refugees, who remain in a kind of no-man's land,

E.  whereas 46000 refugees from Palestine, Syria, Iran and Turkey were subject to harassment, arrest, detention and attacks in Iraq, whereas Palestinian and Syrian refugees are facing increasing protection problems in the Baghdad area,

F.  whereas the refugees receive humanitarian assistance from UNHCR and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), but conditions in the overcrowded camps are dire, with limited supplies of water, food, fuel and medicines,

G.  whereas countries hosting Iraqi people are restricting the entry, the temporary protection regime (TPR) and/or making the renewal of their visas so difficult that most Iraqis quickly lose their legal status,

H.  whereas until November 2005 Jordan allowed Iraqis to enter the country on one or three month visas issued at the border and whereas Jordan has completely changed its policy of welcoming Iraqi refugees since the suicide bombing of three hotels and is severely restricting access to the country,

I.  whereas Syria, which hosts nearly half of the Iraqi refugees, was the only country in the region that implemented the temporary protection regime (TPR) without restriction and whereas Syria no longer recognizes that TPR regime,

J.  whereas under international law there is a legal obligation not to return refugees to countries where they can be persecuted, especially if it is their country of origin,

1.  Condamne les Etats-Unis et la Grande-Bretagne pour avoir déclenché une guerre illégale; demande le retrait immédiat et sans condition des troupes d'occupation ainsi que le respect de la souveraineté irakienne et de son intégrité territoriale;

2.  Souligne que les conséquences de la guerre imposée par les anglo-américains sont une menace pour la réconciliation nationale, le développement et la stabilité de l'Irak; rappelle que la catastrophe humanitaire représentée par le nombre impressionnant de réfugiés irakiens est une responsabilité directe de ces gouvernements qui ont déclenché les hostilités; demande de faire du règlement du problème des réfugiés irakiens une priorité qui engage l'ensemble de la communauté internationale au premier chef de laquelle les puissances occupantes;

3.  Urges Iraq's bordering countries to abide by their legal duty to admit immediately the people stranded at its border, to open their borders to incoming refugees and to abide by the principle of 'non-refoulement' which is one of the most fundamental principle of refugee protection;

4.   Deplores the fact that neighbouring states kept their borders closed, with rare and limited exceptions, to Palestinians fleeing violence and threats against them in Iraq; condemns the Iraqi Minister of Displacement and Migration's call to expel all Palestinians from Iraq; condemns the Iraqi Government's decision to impose onerous registration requirements on Palestinians, making it difficult for them to stay legally in Iraq; regrets that the Iraqi authorities, which are expressing their hostility towards the Palestinians because of their alleged support to the insurgency, and the multinational force did not act to ensure the protection of the Palestinians, leading thousands of them to flee the capital;

5.  Asks the EU Member States and the international community to contribute to the resettlement of Iraqi refugees and stateless people from Iraq and Palestinians refugees from Iraq stranded in Jordan and Syria; asks countries hosting Iraqis to respect their fundamental rights and ensure their access to basic services, such as health and education;

6.  Calls on the international community to provide support to hosting countries, especially those in the region, through financial assistance to the UNHCR and to the host countries, third-country resettlement and any other means;

7.  Asks the Council, the Commission and Member States to provide a significant contribution those efforts by responding to the UNHCR's appeal for $ 60 million dollars to deal with the Iraqi refugees crisis in 2007 and by supporting the UNHCR's protection efforts focused at providing minimum protection from 'refoulement', non-penalisation for illegal entry and access to education, adequate housing, basic health care facilities and other basic services;

8.  Supports the ECRE's recommendation to ban forced return to any part of the country, including the Kurdish autonomous region; urges European countries not to prematurely 'downgrade' or withdraw protection from Iraqi refugees;

9.  Reiterates its call to the Council to commit itself to ensure protection of refugees and asylum seekers, including by affording them effective protection and access to Member States' territories;

10.  Supports the UNHCR recommendation to give Iraqi asylum seekers from Southern and Central Iraq favourable consideration as refugees under the 1951 Convention relating to the status of refugees and, where they are not recognized as refugees, to grant them a complementary form of protection, unless the individual comes within the exclusion criteria in the 1951 Convention;

11.  Expresses its conviction that, in order to improve the security situation and to allow refugees to return safely to their homes, what is primarily required is withdrawal of the foreign troops and the solution of political issues, in particular giving real and comprehensive sovereignty back to the Iraqis;

12.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the governments and parliaments of Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt and Turkey and to the Palestinian National Authority.