MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
25.1.2006
pursuant to Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Francis Wurtz
on behalf of the GUE/NGL Group
on the EU's position towards the Cuban government
B6‑0078/2006
European Parliament resolution on the EU's position towards the Cuban government
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the statements on Cuba of 13 June 2005 by the EU Presidency,
– having regard to the common position of the Council of 2 December 1996 on Cuba, as reiterated in unchanged form several times since then,
– having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. having regard to the strong reaction of repudiation in Europe over the sentencing in 2003 of 75 opposition figures to long prison terms.
B. having regard to the refusal of the Cuban government to grant the 'women in white' (the wives and daughters of the men imprisoned) the visas that would have allowed them to receive the Sakharov Prize awarded to them by the European Parliament in 2005,
C. having regard to the general context of these new tensions and, in particular, the severe consequences of the embargo which the US has been operating against Cuba for more than 40 years, in a flagrant breach of international law, as well as the threats and attacks of all kinds, some of a terrorist nature, and the repeated efforts to destabilise Cuba, mostly emanating from the US,
D. whereas the embargo has a damaging effect on the economy and on Cubans' living conditions; whereas, despite this, the Cuban government is still guaranteeing access for its citizens to health, education and medical research,
E. whereas at this very moment five Cuban citizens are imprisoned in the US without having had a fair trial; whereas, in contrast, the US Administration is still sheltering a Cuban national who is the author of an attack on a civil aircraft in which 76 people died,
F. whereas this aggressive and illegal attitude of the US does not justify any retaliatory violation of human rights,
G. whereas, however, the legitimate condemnation of such cases in Cuba must under no circumstances provide grounds for minimising, covering up or copying Washington's strategy of tension and destabilisation towards Cuba,
1. Calls on the EU to engage in a political dialogue with the Cuban government concerning all these problems, applying the same criteria as it does to all countries with which it maintains relations, while also reiterating its strong condemnation of the embargo, notably at the UN;
2. Welcomes, in this connection, the Council's decision to suspend the sanctions against Cuba, and calls for the immediate lifting of the US embargo, as recommended on several occasions by the UN;
3. Expresses its strong desire to see this approach yield concrete results, notably regarding the death penalty, the abolition of which would be a powerful political gesture on Cuba's part;
4. Calls on the Cuban authorities to guarantee freedom of expression;
5. Calls for closer dialogue and the creation on a lasting basis of a genuine partnership between the EU and Cuba;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Governments and Parliaments of the Member States and the applicant countries, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, and the Government and National Assembly of the Republic of Cuba.