MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
25.1.2006
pursuant to Rule 108(5) of the Rules of Procedure
by Pasqualina Napoletano and Raimon Obiols i Germà
on behalf of the PSE Group
on the EU position towards the Cuban Government
B6‑0081/2006
European Parliament resolution on the EU position towards the Cuban Government
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its earlier resolutions on Cuba, in particular those of 22 April and 17 November 2004,
– having regard to its resolution of 28 October 2004 on Guantanamo,
– having regard to the resolutions adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,
– having regard to Common Position 96/697/CFSP on Cuba, adopted on 2 December 1996 and updated on a six-monthly basis by the Council,
– having regard to the statement concerning the detention of dissidents in Cuba made by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on 26 March 2003,
– having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 16 June 2003,
– having regard to the Conference of Presidents’ decision of 26 October 2005 to award the 2005 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), as well as to the Nigerian lawyer Hauwa Ibrahim and the ‘Reporters without Borders’ group,
– having regard to Rule 108(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. Whereas the promotion and defence of human rights are among the European Union’s main aims and must thus be principal elements of its external relations,
B. Whereas restrictions on freedom of expression and the right of assembly, as well as the detention of political prisoners in Cuba, not only hinder normal relations between the EU and Cuba, but also obstruct the Cuban people’s inalienable right to determine their own future,
C. Whereas, in June 2003, the Council suspended the sanctions that had been imposed on Cuba in the interests of progress in Cuba-EU relations being made on the basis of full respect for human rights,
D. Whereas both the European Parliament and the United Nations General Assembly have repeatedly expressed their opposition to the policy involving the economic embargo against and isolation of Cuba, on the grounds that it does not serve the interests of the Cuban people or of the European Union, nor is it in the interests of progress as regards human rights, democracy and pluralism,
E. Whereas the Cuban authorities have not made the significant changes that the European Parliament has called for as regards full respect for fundamental freedoms and, in particular, freedom of expression and political association,
F. Whereas an ever-increasing number of voices in the international community are calling for the closure of the Guantanamo prison facility in the light of the lack of due process and in the interests of the human rights of those being held there,
G. Regretting the Cuban authorities’ refusal to allow the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) to travel to the European Parliament to receive the Sakharov Prize,
1. Calls on the Presidency of the Council to take the necessary steps to intensify its policy on Cuba by establishing a common agenda and on the basis of the principle of equal treatment of third countries in respect of the assessment of progress as regards human rights, political pluralism and the tools of participatory democracy;
2. Calls on the Government of Cuba to ensure full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms in the country, to free prisoners of conscience and political prisoners who have not committed violent crimes, and to take immediate action to guarantee decent prison conditions; takes the view that this must serve as a basis for continued dialogue with the EU in all areas of relations: political, economic and social;
3. Urges the Cuban authorities to allow the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White) to travel to the European Parliament so that they may receive the Sakharov Prize awarded to them in 2005;
4. Welcomes the increasing number of objections to the existence of the Guantanamo detention facility and calls on the EU institutions to continue their action in favour of its closure and against the extralegal detention of prisoners throughout the world;
5. Reiterates the EU’s willingness to contribute to the economic and social development of Cuba, both as part of bilateral relations with the country and in the context of the EU-ACP Cotonou Agreement;
6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Government and National Assembly of People’s Power of the Republic of Cuba, the Organization of American States, the ACP-EU Council, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly and the Damas de Blanco (Ladies in White), winners of the European Parliament’s Sakharov Prize.