The European Parliament,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on Cambodia,

–   having regard to the EC-Cambodia Cooperation Agreement, which entered into force on 1 November 1999(1),

–   having regard to the Commission communication on EU election assistance and observation (COM(2000) 191),

–   having regard to the EC-Cambodia Strategy Paper 2000-2003,

–   having regard to the Declaration of 1 March 2002 by the Presidency on behalf of the European Union on the Commune Elections in Cambodia,

–   having regard to the observations made by the delegation of Members of the European Parliament after visiting Cambodia from 11 to 14 September 2002,

–   having regard to the report of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative on Human Rights on Cambodia,

A.   whereas general elections will be held in Cambodia on 27 July 2003, marking another important step in the country's democratisation process,

B.   alarmed at the violence perpetrated against political activists, mainly from the opposition,

C.   whereas the flawed voter registration process has been denounced by the main opposition party and fears of intimidation have been expressed,

D.   noting that the National Election Committee figures, which show that more than 90 per cent of Cambodian voters have registered to vote in the general election, are widely contested by the opposition as being highly exaggerated,

E.   concerned about the government's decision in January 2003 to bar Christian groups from disseminating religious literature in public and noting the difficulties in registering experienced by Buddhist monks,

F.   whereas Cambodia's government has decided to close its borders with Thailand,

G.   whereas the destruction of the Thai Embassy and of Thai businesses in Phnom Penh on 29 January 2003 highlighted the volatile security situation and the climate of targeted xenophobia,

H.   whereas the government has tried to exploit these events to the detriment of the opposition leader Sam Rainsy,

I.   concerned at the lack of political will on the part of the government to stop child prostitution in the country and trafficking in human beings to, within and from Cambodia for purposes of forced labour including prostitution, begging and adoption, which remain a major problem,

J.   deeply concerned at the impunity accorded to people, mainly from Europe, who sexually abuse children,

K.   whereas the Cambodian authorities continue to deny basic protection to many of the Montagnard minority from the Central Highlands of Vietnam who have sought asylum in Cambodia, and to collude with the Vietnamese in their return to likely persecution,

L.   whereas Cambodia has ratified the Statute of the International Criminal Court,

M.   whereas during the past year human rights defenders, opposition journalists and the independent media have become increasingly subject to intimidation, arrests and killings, the perpetrators of which have never been brought to justice,

N.   whereas the electronic media remain under the control of persons and companies affiliated to Prime Minister Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party,

O.  Recalling that Cambodia is the largest recipient of per capita aid,

1.  Condemns the acts of violence and intimidation taking place during the pre-election period, and calls on the government of Cambodia to take immediate measures to counter the widespread impunity with which these are perpetrated, inter alia by ensuring that credible cases of political violence are investigated;

2.  Urges the government of Cambodia to guarantee free and fair elections without intimidation and harassment;

3.  Asks that all parties be afforded the possibility of checking the veracity of the electoral lists well before the start of voting;

4.  Calls on the government of Cambodia to ensure that the electoral campaign and the ballot take place in a peaceful atmosphere;

5.  Calls on the Commission to send the clear message, via its two representatives in the region, that, in order for the elections to be considered free, fair and democratic, the lives of opposition leaders must be safeguarded, failing which the cooperation agreement with the EU will be cancelled;

6.  Calls on the Council and the Commission to send an EU observer mission to monitor the general elections, and asks for the mission to have enough members and to arrive in Cambodia sufficiently early to ensure that the ballot takes place in accordance with the rules;

7.  Calls on the government of Cambodia to respect freedom of expression and freedom of religion and to reverse its decision to bar Christian groups from disseminating religious literature in public;

8.  Calls for all the political groupings fielding candidates to be afforded total freedom of political expression and equal access to the media, particularly the State media;

9.  Condemns the unilateral and unexpected decision by the Phnom Penh government to seal all land border crossings with Thailand and expresses its concern that the border closure will affect the livelihoods of tens of thousands of poor Cambodian citizens;

10.  Calls on all responsible leaders to push for the annulment of this decision and for the opening of serious negotiations with the government in order to normalise relations between the two countries as soon as possible;

11.  Requests the Cambodian authorities to take all necessary measures to end abuse of children and child prostitution, and to bring those responsible to justice;

12.  Calls on the government of Cambodia to cooperate fully with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in protecting the Montagnard minority;

13.  Calls for a proactive commitment by EU representatives in Phnom Penh with regard to improvement of the human and civil rights situation in Cambodia, and for EU aid to be made conditional thereon;

14.  Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the governments of the ASEAN member states and the government and parliament of Cambodia.

(1) OJ L 269, 19.10.1999, p. 18.