European Parliament resolution of 21 June 2007 on Cuba

P6_TA(2007)0288 B6-0250 , 0260 and 0261/2007

The European Parliament ,

–   having regard to its earlier resolutions on the situation in Cuba and, in particular, those of 17 November 2004(1) and 2 February 2006(2) ,

–   having regard to its previous resolutions on the Annual Reports on Human Rights in the World for 2004, 2005 and 2006, and to the EU's policy on the matter of 28 April 2005(3) , 18 May 2006(4) and 26 April 2007(5) respectively,

–   having regard to its resolution of 14 December 2006 on the follow-up to the Sakharov Prize(6) ,

–   having regard to the declaration of the Council Presidency of 14 December 2005 on the Damas de Blanco and to its earlier declarations of 26 March 2003 and 5 June 2003 on the situation in Cuba,

–   having regard to the Council Common Position 96/697/CFSP(7) on Cuba, which was adopted on 2 December 1996 and has been periodically updated,

–   having regard to the conclusions of the General Affairs and External Relations Council of 18 June 2007 on Cuba,

–   having regard to Rule 115 of its Rules of Procedure,

A.   whereas protecting the universality and indivisibility of human rights, including civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, remains one of the European Union's main objectives,

B.   whereas dozens of independent journalists, peaceful dissidents and defenders of human rights, who are members of the democratic opposition and, in most cases, linked to the Varela project are still being held in jail, some of them seriously ill and many of them close relatives of the Damas de Blanco,

C.   whereas Parliament awarded the 2005 Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought to the Damas de Blanco; whereas the refusal of the Cuban authorities to allow the Damas de Blanco to travel to the seat of Parliament to receive their award violates one of the basic human rights, namely the right freely to leave and return to one's own country, as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

D.   whereas Parliament decided to send a delegation to Cuba to ascertain the situation of the Sakharov Prize laureates; deploring the Cuban authorities' refusal to issue visas to the members of that delegation,

E.   whereas, furthermore, Parliament's 2002 Sakharov laureate, Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, has been systematically denied the freedom to leave Cuba and to accept the invitations issued by Parliament and by other EU bodies,

F.   having regard to the need for Cuba to launch a process of political transition to multi-party democracy, with participation and decision-making open to all Cubans on the basis of an open-ended dialogue that excludes no-one,

G.   whereas, as the Council has recognised, no tangible results have been achieved on human rights in Cuba, despite the goodwill shown by the Council in 2005 when it suspended the complementary measures to the common position,

H.   whereas the political dialogue between the EU and the Cuban Government, according to the Council's conclusions, must neither forget nor neglect the direct 'intensive dialogue with civil society and the peaceful opposition', and should follow the EU's 'views on democracy, universal human rights and fundamental freedoms', as well as its 'worldwide policy of support to human rights defenders',

I.   whereas the most recent revision of the Council's common position implied that the high-level visits to Havana should include meetings with both the Cuban authorities and the peaceful democratic opposition and civil society, and that the human rights situation should be an obligatory subject of discussion,

J.   regretting the UN Human Rights Council decision to discontinue monitoring human rights abuses in Cuba,

1.   Regrets the fact that, despite a first temporary transfer of power in 48 years from Fidel Castro to a collective leadership headed by his brother Raúl Castro, the political, economic and social system in Cuba remains essentially unchanged;

2.   Regrets the absence of any significant signs on the part of the Cuban authorities in response to the EU's calls for full respect for fundamental freedoms, especially freedom of expression and political association;

3.   Regrets the failure to respond to the call of Parliament and the Council for the immediate release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience, and insists that imprisoning Cuban dissidents for their ideals and their peaceful political activity is contrary to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

4.   Urges the Council and Commission to continue to take whatever action is necessary in order to demand the release of political prisoners and ensure that an immediate stop is put to the harassment of political opponents and defenders of human rights;

5.   Urges the EU institutions to give their unconditional support and full encouragement to launching a peaceful process of political transition to a multi-party democracy in Cuba, in line with Council Common Position 96/697/CFSP;

6.   Welcomes the agreement recently reached by the Cuban opposition groups under the document 'Unidad por la Libertad' ('Unity for Freedom'); calls on the Commission to prepare an action plan for the dissemination of that document among the Cuban people;

7.   Recalls that reconciliation and mutual understanding must include all Cubans who are willing to work peacefully for freedom, democracy and harmony;

8.   Urges the EU institutions to continue their dialogue with Cuba's civil society and offer their support for peaceful change in Cuba, through development cooperation instruments including the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights(8) ;

9.   Stresses that Council Common Position 96/697/CFSP remains entirely valid, as do its objectives; deeply regrets the fact that the high-level visits of the EU institutions and the Member States that have taken place to date have involved talks with all the authorities of the Cuban regime but no direct meetings with the representatives of the peaceful democratic opposition or political prisoners' relatives;

10.   Confirms its decision to send an official delegation of Parliament to Cuba, and urges the Cuban authorities to alter their position and allow the entry of such a delegation;

11.   Urges the Cuban authorities immediately to allow the Damas de Blanco to leave the island so that they can accept Parliament's invitation, and instructs its President to take all possible steps to ensure that the prize winners can indeed receive the Sakharov Prize in person;

12.   Renews its invitation to Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, and demands that the Cuban authorities permit him to travel to Europe so that he can address the Community institutions;

13.   Demands that the Cuban authorities permit members of the political opposition, human rights activists and all citizens to travel abroad freely and return freely to Cuba.

14.   Notes that the Council has decided to invite a Cuban delegation to Brussels in order to resume a comprehensive and open political dialogue with the Cuban authorities; hopes that when that visit is prepared the Council will address in its talks with the Cuban Government the invitations of the EU institutions to the Damas de Blanco and Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas as well as Parliament's desire to send a delegation to Cuba;

15.   Considers it extremely important that any strengthening of political and economic relations - including development aid - between the EU and the Cuban authorities, which might derive from a comprehensive and open political dialogue, be linked to concrete and verifiable improvements of the human rights conditions of all Cuban citizens, starting with the release of all political prisoners and prisoners of conscience;

16.   Condemns any policy of sex discrimination and repression such as that effective in Cuba to date and welcomes the educational campaigns on sex discrimination that are currently implemented by the Cuban national centre for sex education;

17.   Recalls that the next revision of the Council Common Position is scheduled for June 2008;

18.   Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the EUROLAT Assembly, the Cuban Government and National Assembly of People's Power, and the Damas de Blanco and Oswaldo Payá Sardiñas, winners of Parliament's Sakharov Prize.

(1) OJ C 201 E, 18.8.2005, p. 83. (2) OJ C 288 E, 25.11.2006, p. 81. (3) OJ C 45 E, 23.2.2006, p. 107. (4) OJ C 297 E, 7.12.2006, p. 341. (5) Texts Adopted , P6_TA(2007)0165 . (6) Texts Adopted , P6_TA(2006)0601 . (7) OJ L 322, 12.12.1996, p. 1. (8) Regulation (EC) No 1889/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 20 December 2006 on establishing a financing instrument for the promotion of democracy and human rights worldwide (OJ L 386, 29.12.2006, p. 1).