MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Guinea Bissau
6.6.2012 - (2012/2660(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Charles Tannock on behalf of the ECR Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0277/2012
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the HR statement of 31 May 2012 on the Council reinforces sanctions against military junta in Guinea-Bissau,
– having regard to the early presidential election held in Guinea-Bissau on 18 March 2012 following the death of President Malam Bacai Sanha on 9 January,
– having regard to the Security Council presidential statement of 21 April 2012 condemning the recent military coup in Guinea-Bissau,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas since its independence from Portugal in the 1970s after a bloody war of independence Guinea-Bissau has remained impoverished and in a state of almost constant conflict between the civilian and military authorities, with a spate of political assassinations; whereas since independence in 1973 no political leader has lasted a full term in office;
B. whereas Guinea-Bissau's decades of political instability have led the country into a deep crisis, marked by a lack of access to clean water, health and education and by civil servants in many ministries facing months of wage arrears, and whereas the country is one of a handful of States on the agenda of the United Nations Peace-Building Commission, which aims to help poor countries avoid sliding back into war or chaos;
C. whereas on 12 April, the armed forces seized power and imprisoned interim President Raimundo Pereira, former Prime Minister and presidential candidate Carlos Gomes Junior, as well as several other senior officials, aborting preparations for run-off presidential elections slated for 22 April;
D. whereas the mutineers seized control of the offices of the incumbent PAIGC and radio stations as well as fighting police officers loyal to the government, who were then forced to retreat after coming under fire from RPGs; whereas the roads were blocked into and out of the capital city and the national radio and television was taken off-air;
E. whereas Guinea-Bissau has been suspended until the restoration of constitutional order from the African Union in the wake of the April 2012 military coup;
F. whereas the World Bank and African Development Bank have suspended financial aid to the country;
G. whereas the EU development aid to Guinea-Bissau has been suspended since the military mutiny of1st April 2010 and the subsequent appointment of its main instigators as the chief of staff for defence and chief of staff for the navy; and whereas humanitarian aid and direct support to the population have not been affected by this freeze;
H. whereas the Council of the European Union added 15 individuals to the list of those banned from entering the EU and made them subject to a freeze of their assets within the EU;
I. whereas ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States) engagement combined security-building measures, involving 629 regional peacekeeping troops, and hard-hitting pragmatic negotiations with threats of economic sanctions;
J. whereas cocaine is smuggled across the Atlantic Ocean from South America in boats and planes which dock on Guinea-Bissau's archipelago of Virgin Islands and the drugs are then carried north to Europe;
K. whereas on 30 September 2010 the EU’s security sector reform (SSR) mission in Guinea-Bissau completed its mandate launched in June 2008;
1. Condemns the latest illegal and unconstitutional actions of the military, when a coup derailed the presidential elections and installed a military junta;
2. Regret that these events occurred just prior to the launch of the campaign for the second round of the presidential election;
3. Commends the ECOWAS organisation for its robust leadership in responding to this crisis;
4. Urges all parties to exercise maximum restraint, refrain from violence, remain calm and do their utmost to stabilize the country;
5. Welcomes the UN and PAIGC's (the main political party retaining a 2/3 majority in the former government) rejection of the ‘Military Command’s’ announcement proposing to create the National Transitional Council and to hold concurrent political and legislative elections in two years;
6. Rejects the legitimacy of the transitional government as not being the result of a democratic process and remaining under the direct control of the armed forces;
7. Calls for the return of democratically elected representatives to power and the immediate restoration of civilian authority over the military;
8. Stresses that there is a danger that Guinea-Bissau will remain unstable and unable to cope with rampant corruption or change its status as a key drugs transit country as long as its institutions remain structurally weak;
9. Calls on the HR, the Commission, the Member States, the United Nations, the AU, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Community of Portuguese-Speaking Countries (CPLP) and other members of the international community to monitor developments in Guinea-Bissau, to assist in preserving its constitutional order and to continue to support peace-building efforts in the country;
10. Is concerned by the threat that the transhipment of drugs from as far away as Colombia and Afghanistan and human trafficking poses to the consolidation of peace in Guinea-Bissau and to the stability of the West African region, and calls on the United Nations agencies, with appropriate support from ECOWAS, to develop a regional plan of action to address this challenge;
11. Stresses that a democratic Guinea-Bissau is very much in the West’s interests whilst the country is a key intermediary for drug shipments between South America and Europe;
12. Calls on the African Union, the United Nations and the EU to support the country to move forward with determination in order to ensure democratic and civil rights for all its citizens;
13. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Secretaries-General of the UN and ECOWAS, the AU institutions, the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the CPLP Secretariat and the Government and Parliament of Guinea-Bissau.