MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the nuclear threats and human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
11.3.2013 - (2013/2565(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 110(2) of the Rules of Procedure
José Ignacio Salafranca Sánchez-Neyra, Elmar Brok, Herbert Reul, Ria Oomen-Ruijten, Arnaud Danjean, Michael Gahler, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Tunne Kelam, Eduard Kukan, Krzysztof Lisek, Elena Băsescu, Marietta Giannakou, Cristian Dan Preda, Andrzej Grzyb, Roberta Angelilli, Anne Delvaux, Peter Šťastný on behalf of the PPE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0132/2013
B7‑0134/2013
European Parliament resolution on the nuclear threats and human rights in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK),
– having regard to the Foreign Affairs Council’s conclusions of 18 February 2013 on the DPRK,
– having regard to UN Security Council resolutions 1718 (2006), 1874 (2009), 2087 (2013) and 2094 (2013),
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and to all relevant international human rights instruments, including the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights adopted and ratified by the DPRK,
– having regard to Rule 110(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas all countries have the freedom to explore and use outer space in accordance with international law; whereas the proliferation of nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and their means of delivery represents a threat to international peace and security;
B. whereas the Council of the European Union and the UN Security Council condemned the DPRK’s launch of 12 December 2012, which used ballistic missile technology, and the nuclear test conducted on 12 February 2013, which clearly violates its international obligations under the UN Security Council resolutions and poses a serious threat to regional stability;
C. whereas the pursuit of the illegal nuclear and ballistic missile programmes constitutes a challenge to the international nuclear non-proliferation regime and presents the risk of aggravating regional tensions;
D. whereas this does not serve the DPRK’s claimed objective of improving its security; whereas the country is far from achieving its stated goal of becoming a strong and prosperous nation and has instead increasingly isolated and impoverished its people through its pursuit of weapons of mass destruction and their means of delivery; whereas the DPRK recently retracted from all peace agreements with the Republic of Korea and cut the hotline between Pyongyang and Seoul;
E. whereas many people in the DPRK are malnourished and dependent on the humanitarian aid the country receives from donors such as the EU; whereas mass food shortages and famine have significant implications for a wide spectrum of human rights; whereas tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to China, leaving their country because of widespread hunger and repression;
F. whereas the European Union is a defender and promoter of human rights and democracy in the world; whereas in the DPRK there is no freedom of expression, freedom of association, freedom of religion, impartial or independent judiciary, organised political opposition, independent civil society or freedom of the press;
1. Deplores the nuclear tests and missile activities carried out by the DPRK and urges that country to refrain from further provocative actions by suspending all activities related to its ballistic missile programme and abandoning, in a complete and irreversible manner, the existing nuclear programmes;
2. Urges the DPRK to re-establish its pre-existing commitments to a moratorium on missile launches and to rejoin the Non-Proliferation Treaty, which is the cornerstone of the nuclear non-proliferation regime and the foundation for the pursuit of nuclear disarmament and the peaceful uses of nuclear energy;
3. Welcomes the further strengthening of sanctions by the Council and the UN Security Council, and calls on the DPRK to choose a more constructive path by engaging with the international community, which would be conductive to regional stability and would improve the welfare of North Korean people;
4. Affirms its desire for a diplomatic and political solution to the DPRK nuclear issue; reiterates its support for the Six-Party Talks and calls for their resumption;
5. Calls on the People’s Republic of China – a permanent member of the UN Security Council and the DPRK’s main trading ally – to exert its influence on the DPRK to ensure that the situation does not escalate further, and notes the support of the People’s Republic of China for UN Security Council resolution 2094 (2013);
6. Is concerned by the extremely critical situation of human rights in the DPRK and calls on the country to review existing legislation to ensure that it is in line with international human rights standards; calls on the DPRK to engage in a meaningful dialogue on human rights with the EU and to put an immediate end to the ongoing widespread human rights violations perpetrated against its own people;
7. Calls on the Government of the DPRK to fulfil its obligations under the human rights instruments to which it is a party, and to ensure that humanitarian organisations, independent human rights monitors and the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK have access to the country and are provided with the necessary cooperation;
8. Calls on the European Commission to maintain existing humanitarian aid programmes and channels of communication with the DPRK and to secure their safe delivery to the targeted parts of the population;
9. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Commission, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the governments of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the People’s Republic of China, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the DPRK and the UN Secretary General.