MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on Côte d'Ivoire

4.4.2011

to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure

Fiorello Provera, Oreste Rossi, Giancarlo Scottà, Niki Tzavela, Nikolaos Salavrakos, Jaroslav Paška, Rolandas Paksas, Juozas Imbrasas on behalf of the EFD Group

B7‑0257/2011

European Parliament resolution on Côte d'Ivoire

The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on Côte d'Ivoire,

–   having regard to COUNCIL DECISION 2011/71/CFSP of 31 January 2011 amending Decision 2010/656/CFSP renewing the restrictive measures against Côte d’Ivoire,

–   having regard to Council Decision 2011/18/CFSP of 14 January 2011 amending Council Decision 2010/656/CFSP renewing the restrictive measures against Côte d'Ivoire,

–   having regard to Council Decision 2011/17/CFSP of 11 January 2011 amending Council Decision 2010/656/CFSP renewing the restrictive measures against Côte d’Ivoire,

–   having regard to Council Decision 2010/801/CFSP of 22 December 2010 amending Council Decision 2010/656/CFSP renewing the restrictive measures against Côte d'Ivoire,

–   having regard to Council Decision 2010/656/CFSP of 29 October 2010 renewing the restrictive measures against Côte d’Ivoire,

–   having regard to the provisions of the Electoral Code of Côte d'Ivoire, particularly Law 2001-303 and Ordinance 2008-133, particularly Article 64 thereof,

–   having regard to the report of the European Union electoral observation mission,

–   having regard to the Declaration of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly adopted on 3 December 2010 in Kinshasa,

–   having regard to the statements of HR/VP Catherine Ashton on the situation in Côte d'Ivoire,

–   having regard to the Statement of the UN Secretary General of 31 March 2011,

–   having regard to the UN Security Council Resolution 1975 adopted on 30 March 2011 imposing sanctions on Gbagbo and his circle,

–   having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas the security situation in Côte d’Ivoire has continued to deteriorate steadily, despite an AU decision on 10 March confirming support for Ouattara, who is widely recognised as the winner of the 28 November 2010 presidential elections,

B.  whereas military clashes have escalated between Gbagbo’s forces and former rebel Forces Nouvelles and both sides have been using heavy weapons resulting in considerable casualties with 462 people reported killed and a sharp deterioration in the humanitarian situation,

C. whereas reports from the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) state that post-electoral violence has resulted in up to a million displaced persons; whereas, over 90,000 Ivorian refugees are estimated to be in Liberia; whereas incidents of xenophobic and ethnic attacks have occurred from both sides of the Ivorian political divide,

D. whereas on 3 March pro-Gbagbo security forces shot and killed seven women during a demonstration in the Abobo district of Abidjan by hundreds of women protesting against Gbagbo’s continued stay in office, whereas on 17 March mortars were fired by forces loyal to Gbagbo into a market area in the Abobo district of Abidjan, resulting in the killing of more than 25 civilians with more than 40 wounded,

E.  whereas on 10 March, the AU's Peace and Security Council (PSC) endorsed the recommendations of its high-level panel for the resolution of the Ivorian crisis, whereas the PSC confirmed that Ouattara was the sole legitimate president of the country and decided that he should lead a unity government, including pro-Gbagbo elements; whereas the PSC also requested the Chair of the AU commission to appoint a High Representative for the implementation of the overall political solution proposed by the panel; whereas the AU decision was rejected by Gbagbo's camp,

F.  whereas on 18 March the Gbagbo camp appealed for an inter-Ivorian dialogue and called for an end to the violence; however, Gbagbo's minister for youth, Charles Blé Goudé (who has been on the Council’s sanctions list since 2006), subsequently called on young Ivorians to enlist in the army en masse 'to free Côte d'Ivoire from bandits',

G. whereas on 21 March the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Luis Moreno-Ocampo, told the BBC that the court was gathering information on possible war crimes being committed in Côte d’Ivoire,

H. whereas on 24 March ECOWAS requested the Security Council to strengthen the mandate of UNOCI, to enable the “Mission to use all necessary means to protect life and property, and to facilitate the immediate transfer of power to Ouattara”, as well as to “adopt more stringent international targeted sanctions” against Gbagbo and his associates,

I.   whereas on 25 March the Human Rights Council decided to send an independent commission of inquiry to investigate allegations of serious abuses and violations of human rights committed in Côte d’Ivoire following the 28 November 2010 elections,

J.   whereas on 30 March, the Council adopted resolution 1975 imposing targeted sanctions against Gbagbo and four of his associates, including his wife: the resolution also welcomes AU and ECOWAS political initiatives towards finding a solution to the situation in Côte d’Ivoire and calls on all parties to pursue the overall political solution of the AU; whereas the Security Council resolution supports the AU PSC decision to appoint a high representative and called on all parties to 'fully' cooperate with him,

1.  Is concerned by the heightened violence in Côte d'Ivoire and about the critical humanitarian situation in both Côte d'Ivoire and Liberia; calls on all parties to allow immediate access to populations in need and appeals to the international community to contribute generously to the resources required to address this emergency;

2.  Urges all the political and armed forces in Côte d'Ivoire to respect the will of the people that was reflected by the results of the 28 November poll, as announced by the CEI and certified by the UNSG Special Representative; urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from exacting revenge and place the interests of the whole nation above all else; calls on former President Laurent Gbagbo to immediately cede power to President Ouattara to enable the full transition of state institutions to the legitimate authorities;

3.  Deplores the violent clashes that followed the proclamation of the results of the second round of presidential elections in Côte d'Ivoire and expresses its deepest solidarity with the victims and their families; regrets also the political obstruction and attempts to intimidate CEI members;

4.  Firmly supports the efforts of the AU and ECOWAS to prevent violence and ensure the recognition of the legitimate government;

5.  Supports the EU decision to impose sanctions against Laurent Gbagbo and welcomes the EU Council decision to adopt targeted measures against those who are obstructing the process of peace and national reconciliation, and in particular those who are jeopardising the outcome of the electoral process; calls on HR/VP Catherine Ashton to present as soon as possible new initiatives to support the democratically elected authorities in Côte d'Ivoire;

6.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, HR/VP Catherine Ashton, the UN Security Council, the UN Secretary General, the ONUCI, the institutions of the African Union, ECOWAS, the ACP-EU Parliamentary Assembly and the EU Member States.