MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Madagascar
9.2.2010
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock, Tomasz Piotr Poręba, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Michał Tomasz Kamiński, Ryszard Czarnecki, Adam Bielan on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0099/2010
B7‑0104/2010
European Parliament resolution on Madagascar
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its previous resolution on 7 May 2009 on the situation in Madagascar,
- having regard to the condemnations of the illegal grabbing of power and the violations of Human Rights by Mr. Rajoelina and his supporters, by international organizations such as the United Nations, the African Union, the South African Development Community, the European Union, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the International Organization of la Francophonie, the Inter-Parliamentary Union, as well as many countries, after the events which took place on 17 March 2009,
- having regard to the work of the International Contact Group on Madagascar, and in particular the Maputo and Addis Ababa agreements concluded on 9 August 2009 and 6 November 2009 respectively,
- having regard to the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly resolution on 3 December 2009 on Madagascar,
- having regard to Rule 122(5) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. Whereas Mr. Andry Rajoelina, on 17 March 2009, grabbed power by unconstitutional and violent means, and whereas Mr Marc Ravalomanana, the democratically-elected President was forced to leave Madagascar,
B. Whereas the United Nations Security Council and the international organizations of which Madagascar is a member do not recognize this de facto regime and are calling for constitutional government to be restored,
C. Whereas an agreement was reached among the four main political groupings, among them Mr. Rajoelina’s movement, during talks in Maputo on 8 and 9 August and Addis Abeba on 6 November 2009,
D. Whereas Mr. Rajoelina and his High Authority of Transition have in the past months consistently violated the agreement and unilaterally blocked any progress towards a consensual solution,
E. Whereas Mr. Rajoelina and his High Authority of Transition have in the past months used methods of violence and oppression and not reigned in army factions and other groups who have harassed and intimidated citizens and plundered shops and businesses,
F. Whereas much of this violence and intimidation is specifically aimed at non-aligned politicians, mediating organizations such as the Christian Council of Churches and the media, for example radio station Fahazavana, whose broadcasts are prohibited,
G. Whereas the President-elect, Mr. Marc Ravalomanana, and his security forces, had also used excessive force, including shooting at peaceful demonstrators, for example on 7 February 2009 near the Ambohitsorohitra Presidential Palace,
H. Whereas the majority of the population lives on less than USD 1 a day, the country has in recent years been hit by droughts and meager harvests, and a large part of the population now faces another threat to its subsistence,
I. Whereas illegal plunder of protected national resources, most specifically Rosewood trees, are taking place on a grand scale and are being stimulated by the de facto regime, leading not only to the depletion of these resources, but also to the diminishing of some of the world’s most endangered species,
1. Strongly condemns the coup d’état and all attempts to seize power by undemocratic means;
2. Calls for an immediate restoration of the legal and constitutional order in the country and urges the Malagasy parties to comply fully with the provisions of the Constitution of Madagascar in resolving the crisis;
3. Insists that the Malagasy Parliament must be reinstated immediately and involved in the efforts to resolve the crisis;
4. Insists that Mr Rajoelina and his High Transitional Authority return to the roadmap for transition agreed upon by the four parties involved in the Maputo and Addis Abeba agreements,
5. Demands the unconditional liberation of all political prisoners;
6. Demands the immediate cessation of all acts of violence and harassment by all groups;
7. Calls for the independent investigation of these acts, the aim of which should be to bring the perpetrators of Human Rights’ violations to justice;
8. Supports the regional initiatives aimed at bringing an end to the political violence and the restoration of peace and rule of law, most notably the efforts made by the South African Development Community and the African Union and the established International Contact Group;
9. Calls on the EU, its Member States, and other national and international organizations to design individual sanctions aimed at the instigators of the violence and conflict, to be executed in the event of failure to respect the outcomes of the Maputo and Addis Ababa agreements;
10. Draws attention to the worsening humanitarian situation in the country and calls on the EU, its Member States, and other national and international organizations to increase humanitarian aid, aimed specifically at those parts of the population of Madagascar who are suffering most from this new period of instability;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the legitimate authorities of the Republic of Madagascar, the High Authority of Transition, the UN Secretary-General, the African Union, the SADC, the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid Office, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.