MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

4 March 2005

pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure,
tabled by PFLUEGER, SVENSSON, FLASSAROVA, FIGUEIREDO, MORGANTINI and TOUSSAS
on behalf of the GUE/NGL group
on the women's rights in Saudi Arabia

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0189/2005

NB: This motion for a resolution is available in the original language only.

B6-0192/2005

European parliament resolution on women's rights in Saudia Arabia

The European Parliament,

• -having regard to the ratification in October 2000 by Saudi Arabia of the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);

A.  whereas Saudi Arabia's first ever municipal elections took place on February 10, 2005; whereas they are being carried out in three phases, continuing until April 21, 2005;

B.  whereas participation in the election was limited to men over 21 years and women were banned from voting;

C.  noting that Prince Mut'ab bin Abdul Aziz, head of Saudi Arabia elections committee has declared that he expects "women to participate in elections in future stages" but that it would be "after conducting studies to assess whether it is useful or not";

D.  whereas women in Saudi Arabia continue to challenge many severe forms of discrimination in the fields of private and public life;

1.  Estime inacceptable que les femmes ne puissent pas voter en Arabie Saoudite ou dans d'autres pays; exige que soit immédiatement reconnu aux femmes saoudiennes ce droit fondamental de la personne humaine et qu'elles puissent l'exercer sans délai;

2.  Condamne toutes les discriminations politiques, économiques, sociales, culturelles et religieuses auxquelles sont soumises les femmes saoudiennes, et plus en général les femmes dans la péninsule arabique; exige des réformes en profondeur du système politique saoudien afin qu'elles aient leur place, pleinement reconnue, dans la société saoudienne;

3.  Reminds the Saudi authorities of their international obligations in accordance with the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), to which Saudi Arabia is a state party;

4.  Calls on the Saudi authorities to take all appropriate measures to eliminate discrimination against women in the political and public life of the country, and in particular to guarantee women, on equal terms to men, the right:

• ▪to vote in all elections and public referenda and to be eligible for election to all publicly elected bodies;
• ▪to participate in the formulation of government policy and the implementation thereof and to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government;

5.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to raise this issue during the next Joint Council and ministerial meeting between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the government and parliament of Saudi Arabia and all the other states of the Gulf Cooperation Council.