MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION

25.9.2007

to wind up the debate on statements by the Council and Commission
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Frithjof Schmidt, Raül Romeva i Rueda, Hélène Flautre and Alyn Smith
on behalf of the Verts/ALE Group
on Burma (Myanmar)

B6‑0372/2007

European Parliament resolution on Burma (Myanmar)

The European Parliament,

–  having regard to its previous resolutions on Burma, notably that of 6 September 2007,

–  having regard to the letter of 1 August 2007 to the UN Secretary General, signed by 92 Burmese MPs-Elect, which included a proposal for national reconciliation and democratisation in Burma,

–  having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A.  whereas the demonstrations which started on 19 August 2007 in Rangoon and some other cities have in the meantime broadened into a mass protest movement carried by the continued marches of thousands of Buddhist monks all over Burma,

B.  whereas protests broke out after the government had announced drastic fuel price increases of up to 500% which led to huge increases in basic commodity prices causing further unprecedented hardship to a majority of Burma's poverty-stricken population, the protests in question being the largest non-violent demonstrations in Burma since the failed 1988 democratic uprising that was led by students and brutally put down by the military,

C.  whereas the monks intensified their protests a week ago after the government failed to apologise for the beating of some monks during a demonstration in the central city of Pakkoku three weeks ago,

D.  whereas the military authorities issued a warning to senior Buddhists on 24 September, threatening action if the protests were not stopped, and have allegedly instituted in secret a state of emergency authorising the military, local police and Special Branch police to bring the demonstrations under control,

E.  whereas the urgency of the situation requires an immediate response from the Security Council,

1.  Expresses its grave concern for the safety of the peaceful demonstrators and calls on the Burmese authorities to refrain from further violent repression of the unrest;

2.  Calls notably on the governments of China and India, Myanmar's main trading partners, to urgently bring all their influence to bear to prevent a violent military crackdown on the people's revolt against decades of hardship and suffering, similar to that of 1988;

3.  In the context of the currently ongoing UN General Assembly, calls on the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon to hold urgent talks with the foreign ministers of China, India and the current ASEAN chair Singapore as well as Japan with a view to organising an 'International Conference on Burma/Myanmar' to find the means to solve this political crisis in Burma through a negotiated settlement;

4.  Urges the Secretary General to use his good offices as best as possible and to send the Special Envoy for Myanmar, Ibrahim Gambari, to Burma as soon as possible;

5.  Reiterates its call for the immediate release of all political prisoners, including the leader of the opposition Aung San Suu Kyi, and all those who have been detained merely for the exercise of their right of expression and insists that nobody should be subjected to torture or other cruel, inhumane or degrading punishment and that all detainees should have the right to a fair trial, legal assistance and access to their families and to medical treatment;

6.  Regrets that the National Convention finalised its draft text without taking account of the recommendations made by the UN Secretary General to transform the work of the Convention into an inclusive and democratic constitution-making process and this work therefore does not hold out much hope of national reconciliation and a restoration of democracy in Burma;

7.  Strongly urges the military regime to invite all parties concerned for a substantive political dialogue and to find a common framework for a constitution, on the basis of which all parties concerned can jointly participate in a democratic transition and nation-building process;

8.  Calls on the EU to actively endorse efforts to persuade United Nations Security Council members to adopt a binding resolution on Burma;

9.  Calls on the Council to extend its sanctions system in order to include investments in and imports of oil, gas, timber and gems from Burma;

10.  Calls on the Commission to reverse the decline in support for projects promoting human rights and democracy in Burma, and instead to significantly increase such financial support in the framework of the Instrument for Human Rights;

11.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the Member States, the governments of the ASEAN nations, the members of the UN Security Council, the National League for Democracy, the State Peace and Development Council, the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Myanmar Caucus, Aung San Suu Kyi, the NLD, the UN Secretary General, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar.