MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in Northern Iraq/Mosul
24.10.2016 - (2016/2956(RSP))
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
Javier Nart, Petras Auštrevičius, Beatriz Becerra Basterrechea, Dita Charanzová, Marielle de Sarnez, Gérard Deprez, José Inácio Faria, María Teresa Giménez Barbat, Marian Harkin, Ivan Jakovčić, Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, Valentinas Mazuronis, Louis Michel, Urmas Paet, Maite Pagazaurtundúa Ruiz, Carolina Punset, Marietje Schaake, Jasenko Selimovic, Hannu Takkula, Pavel Telička, Ramon Tremosa i Balcells, Ivo Vajgl, Johannes Cornelis van Baalen, Paavo Väyrynen, Ilhan Kyuchyuk on behalf of the ALDE Group
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B8-1159/2016
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948,
– having regard to the UN Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Intolerance and of Discrimination based on Religion and Belief of 1981,
– having regard to the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment of 1984,
– having regard to the United Nations Guiding Principles on Internal Displacement of 1998,
– having regard to the statement by UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay of 16 June 2014 condemning summary executions by ISIL and expressing the view that these almost certainly amounted to war crimes,
– having regard to the statement by UN Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka expressing specific concerns for the safety of women and girls in Iraq, especially in areas held by ISIS/Daesh,
– having regard to the UN Security Council resolutions on Iraq, in particular resolutions 2299 (2016) and 2249 (2015) condemning recent terrorists attacks by ISIS/Daesh,
– having regard to resolution 2091 (2016) on foreign fighters in Syria and Iraq adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on 27 January 2016,
– having regard to its previous resolutions of 27 February 2014 on the situation in Iraq[1], of 18 September 2014 on the situation in Iraq and Syria[2] and of 12 February 2015 on the humanitarian crisis in Iraq and Syria[3],
– having regard to the remarks by Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (VP/HR) Federica Mogherini following the 2nd EU-Iraq Cooperation Council under the EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA),
– having regard to Rule 123(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the operation to liberate the city of Mosul from so-called ISIS/Daesh has recently started; whereas the offensive could lead to an extremely worrying humanitarian situation; whereas all unresolved disputes concerning internal boundaries in Northern Iraq, if not addressed by the relevant military actors fighting against ISIS and by the international community as a whole, could prevent the rehabilitation of the area and the repatriation of the displaced inhabitants, thus posing a threat to the future existence of vulnerable minorities in the area; whereas Northern Iraq has been a longstanding homeland of ethnic and religious minorities, characterised by pluralism, stability and communal cooperation, despite periods of violence and persecution;
B. whereas Mosul has long been a multi-ethnic city where a Sunni-Arab majority has lived side by side with Chaldeans/Syriacs/Assyrians, Kurds, Yazidis and Turkmens; whereas the areas surrounding the city also have a history of ethno-religious diversity, with a concentration of Christians on the Nineveh plains, Yezidis around the Sinjar mountains and Muslim Turkmens in Tal Afar;
C. whereas the European Parliament recognised on 4 February 2016 that ‘ISIS/Daesh is committing genocide against Christians and Yazidis, and other religious and ethnic minorities, who do not agree with the so-called ISIS/Daesh interpretation of Islam’ and ‘that the persecution, atrocities and international crimes amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity’;
D. whereas Parliament has been joined by the Council of Europe, the US State Department, the US Congress, the UK Parliament, the Australian Parliament and other nations and institutions in recognising that the atrocities perpetrated by ISIS/Daesh against religious and ethnic minorities in Iraq include war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide;
E. whereas, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), some 3.3 million Iraqis have been uprooted by war since 2014 and more than 1.5 million people are at imminent risk of displacement in Mosul as a direct result of the operation to retake the area;
F. whereas the UNHCR has five camps open and is ready to shelter 45 000 people fleeing Mosul and the surrounding areas, with the organisation planning to have a total of 11 camps open in the coming weeks, with capacity for 120 000 people, provided land can be set aside in safe areas away from the frontlines; whereas the UNHCR’s Mosul response budget is currently just over 38 % funded; whereas funding is needed not just for initial preparation but also for addressing the widespread displacement, which could last throughout the winter;
G. whereas children in and around Mosul are particularly vulnerable and are at risk of death or injury from the fighting, as well as sexual violence, kidnapping or recruitment by armed groups;
H. whereas the European Union plays a pivotal role within the scope of the Global Coalition against ISIS/Daesh in Iraq by providing humanitarian and stabilisation assistance; whereas the EU has provided EUR 134 million to date in humanitarian aid in Iraq, EUR 50 million of it for Mosul;
I. whereas Parliament has stressed the importance of the international community providing protection and aid, including military protection and aid, in accordance with international law, to all those targeted by so-called ISIS/Daesh and other terrorist organisations in the Middle East, such as ethnic and religious minorities, and of such people’s participation in future lasting political solutions;
J. whereas the military operation against so-called ISIS/Daesh in Northern Iraq is being conducted under a common national security mission bringing together Iraqi security forces, the Kurdish Regional Government’s Peshmerga forces and local security forces; whereas the Global Coalition is providing advisory, air and intelligence support;
K. whereas preserving the identity of, and guaranteeing security protection for, the communities of Northern Iraq within the framework of the federal Republic of Iraq would restore and preserve the fundamental human rights, including property rights, of the indigenous peoples of that region;
L. whereas Article 2 of the Iraqi Constitution ‘guarantees the full religious rights of all individuals to freedom of religious belief and practice’;
M. whereas the EU-Iraq Partnership and Cooperation Agreement, in particular its human rights clause, emphasises that the EU-Iraq political dialogue should focus on human rights and on strengthening democratic institutions;
1. Strongly condemns the ongoing violence and mass executions by ISIS/Daesh in Iraq; expresses its deep concern at the continual reports on ISIS/Daesh’s use of children, the elderly, women and vulnerable persons as shields against the ongoing military liberation operations taking place in Northern Iraq; strongly condemns the displacement of thousands of Iraqis, including the ethnic and religious minorities that inhabit northern Iraq; observes with extreme concern that ISIS/Daesh continues to target Christians (Chaldeans/Syriacs/Assyrians, Melkites and Armenians), Yazidis, Turkmens, Shi’ites, Shabaks, Sabeans, Kaka’i and Sunnis in its attempts to exterminate any religious and ethnic minorities from the areas under its control;
2. Emphasises the importance of civilian protection during the military operations in and around Mosul;
3. Acknowledges the right of the Government of the Republic of Iraq to defend its sovereign territory; urges the Iraqi security forces to act within the scope of international and national law and with respect for Iraq’s commitments to international agreements on human rights and fundamental freedoms;
4. Calls for the European Union, the United Nations and the entire international community to continue to support the Iraqi Government sustainably with humanitarian and military assistance during the ongoing liberation operations across several regions of Iraq; welcomes the EUR 50 million in humanitarian assistance provided by the European Union to the region of Mosul, which is facing an extraordinary, unprecedented humanitarian disaster;
5. Underlines the importance of Mosul for the whole of Iraq, and calls for the EU and its Member States to secure the representation of minorities in a new Mosul administration; considers that the return of refugees and internally displaced persons will depend on the stability of the new administration; stresses the legitimate right for ethnic and religious minorities to political participation and to have their property rights restored;
6. Urges the Government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government, as well as the EU and its Member States, the international community and international actors, to secure the territorial integrity and security of the Nineveh Plain;
7. Urges all the actors fighting ISIS/Daesh in the Republic of Iraq to develop sustainable, long-term and inclusive political cooperation and dialogue in order to provide the foundation for an Iraq free of radical and extremist movements; calls for the EU and its Member States, the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, the international community and international actors to work with the national and regional governments of the Republic of Iraq towards a sustainable security settlement in the Nineveh Plain, Tal Afar and Sinjar;
8. Calls for the European Union, the United Nations and the entire international community to work with the national and regional governments of the Republic of Iraq to oversee the reintegration of all the Iraqis and ethnic and religious minorities who have been displaced; considers that safe havens, which are protected by UN-mandated forces, could be part of the answer to the massive challenge of temporary protection for millions of refugees from the conflict in Syria and Iraq;
9. Stresses the need to respect human rights and fundamental freedoms, including freedom of expression, press freedom and digital freedoms; considers a balanced media in Iraq and all its regions to be fundamental, promoting peace and fighting all kinds of radicalising ideologies after the eradication of ISIS/Daesh;
10. Calls on all regional actors to do everything in their power to stop all activities by official or private bodies aimed at propagating and spreading extreme Islamist ideologies; calls for the EU to facilitate a regional dialogue on the problems facing the Middle East and to include all significant parties, in particular Iran, Saudi Arabia and Turkey; recognises Iran’s decisive contribution in Iraq, which halted ISIS/Daesh’s advance and recovered territories that had been subject to jihadist terrorism;
11. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Council, the Commission, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the governments and parliaments of the Member States, the Government and Council of Representatives of Iraq, the Regional Government of Kurdistan, the Government of Turkey, the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the United Nations Human Rights Council.
- [1] Texts adopted, P7_TA(2014)0171.
- [2] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2014)0027.
- [3] Texts adopted, P8_TA(2015)0040.