MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
7 March 2005
- –Avril Doyle and John Purvis
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0189/2005
B6-0195/2005
European parliament resolution on Saudi Arabia
The European Parliament,
A. paying tribute to the first local elections in Saudi Arabia, a process which began in Riyadh in February 2005 and continues in the rest of the country until next April,
B. regretting the exclusion of women from the poll, contrary to the country's election law, which does not explicitly ban women from voting,
C. taking into account the declared will of the Saudi authorities to extend the right of votes to women in the future,
D. welcoming the enactment of new codes of judicial procedure and criminal procedure, as well as the establishment of a standing committee to investigate complaints of torture and the national programme to eliminate poverty,
E. underlining the importance of countering terrorism and fundamentalism whilst safeguarding basic human rights and civil liberties,
1. Welcomes the first ever nationwide local elections in Saudi Arabia, witnessed by a delegation of the European Parliament and considered by international Observers and by the international community as a first and significant step towards social and political reform;
2. Notes that, with 82 % of the registered male voters voting, these elections have shown a high turn-out, but at the same time regrets the exclusion of women from the poll and expresses its solidarity with those Saudis who look forward to the inclusion of all citizens in the electoral process,
3. Calls on the Saudi Government to gradually increase the participation of women in the political decision process, on equal terms with men, and to enable them to hold public office and perform all public functions at all levels of government,
4. Regrets the fact that there is still no real freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia; notes however with satisfaction that the Government of Saudi Arabia is developing a campaign to foster greater moderation and tolerance of religious diversity, and encourages the government to pursue its efforts to this effect,
5. Favours a substantial strengthening of EU-Saudi relations, in order to adequately meet such common challenges as peace, stability, economic cooperation and globalisation, political reform and, above all, the need to remove the root causes of terrorism; more specifically, the EU and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia should support each other's efforts in achieving a satisfactory outcome to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
6. Urges the Commission and the Council to considerably increase their presence in the region and strengthen working relations with Saudi Arabia, by increasing the allocation of financial and personnel resources to the EU Commission delegation in Riyadh and by planning an early visit to the Kingdom by the EU Commissioner for external affairs and/or the EU Council High Representative.
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the Council and the government of Saudi Arabia.