Narco News 2001
European
Union
Against
Plan Colombia
-- Parliament OPPOSES the $1.3 Billion
US-imposed Plan Colombia War Project
-- OPPOSES the strategy of herbicide spraying
on coca crops and farms
-- CALLS for firmer action against paramilitaries
by the Colombian government
-- SEEKS to strengthen Civil Society's
role in the peace process in Colombia
-- TARGETS drug money laundering and consumer
countries
FULL TEXT OF THE
RESOLUTION
February 1, 2001
European Parliament resolution on Plan
Colombia and support for the peace process in Colombia
The European Parliament, - having regard
to its previous resolutions on Colombia, - having regard to the
conclusions of the General Affairs Council of 9 October 2000,
- having regard to the statement by the EU Presidency of 25 October
2000,
A. whereas, in spite of concerted efforts
at dialogue with the guerrillas and the peace talks under way,
the parties have not yet succeeded in bringing an end to a conflict
which has lasted for over three decades,
B. recalling the undertaking given by
the Clinton administration and President Pastrana in September
1999 on the joint implementation of a 'plan for peace, prosperity
and the strengthening of the state', otherwise known as Plan
Colombia,
C. whereas Plan Colombia is not the product
of a process of dialogue amongst the various partners in society
and whereas acceptance of the strategy for peace by all of the
country's institutions would be a most welcome development which
should involve not only action to combat drugs production and
trafficking but also a strategy for social and economic recovery,
the strengthening of institutions and social development, all
of which need to be supported,
D. whereas one of the objectives of Plan
Colombia lies in stamping out drug trafficking and the spread
of illegal crops by means of a strategy which favours aerial
crop-spraying and the use of biological agents, methods which
are leading to the forced displacement of families and communities
and are seriously affecting Colombia's rich biodiversity,
E. having regard to the declaration by
the Support Group for the Peace Process in Colombia (Madrid,
7 July 2000), in which the participants expressed their full
political support for the peace process under way, and the declaration
by the EU delegation calling for greater efforts by the Colombian
government with a view to breaking up paramilitary groups,
F. having regard to the statement by the
General Affairs Council of 9 October 2000, in which the European
Union reaffirmed its support for the ongoing peace efforts and
its willingness to play an active role in the negotiating process,
which should involve consulting civil society and obtaining the
agreement of all parties with a view to achieving peace which
is founded on respect for human rights, humanitarian law and
fundamental freedoms,
G. whereas the problem of drug trafficking
and related offences calls for a global approach based on the
principles of shared responsibility and international cooperation
between drug-producing and drug-consuming countries, with a particular
view to further action to stamp out the laundering of money derived
from drug trafficking,
H. having regard to the dialogue established
at the meeting held in Costa Rica in mid-October and the growth
in dialogue between civil society and armed groups; having regard
to the meeting of the Support Group for the Peace Process in
Colombia (Bogota, 24/25 October 2000) attended by representatives
of the Commission and the EU Presidency,
I. whereas acts of violence and terrorism,
assassinations, kidnappings and massacres, aimed at the civilian
population in particular, have increased while the peace talks
have been taking place and considering the impunity enjoyed by
the perpetrators of such crimes and, in particular, by those
who order the crimes to be carried out,
J. having regard to the recent visit by
Mrs Mary Robinson to Colombia and the attention which she drew
to the inadequacy of the measures taken against paramilitary
groups and to impunity in general; whereas not only tens of thousands
of Colombians but also Europeans have been the victims of crimes
which have gone unpunished, such as the Spanish volunteer Iñigo
Eguiluz, the Belgian Daniel Gillard, the Italian Giacomo Turra,
the Swiss Hildegard Feldmann and many others,
1. Reiterates its firm support for the
peace process initiated by President Pastrana and urges the parties
to pursue their efforts in this regard, in spite of the difficulties
involved; calls on the FARC to return to the table and to continue
the peace negotiations;
2. Takes the view that, in addition to
their military dimension, the prevailing situation and conflict
in Colombia have a social and political dimension whose roots
lie in economic, political, cultural and social exclusion;
3. Believes that stepping up military
involvement in the fight against drugs involves the risk of sparking
off an escalation of the conflict in the region, and that military
solutions cannot bring about lasting peace;
4. Warns that Plan Colombia contains aspects
that run counter to the cooperation strategies and projects to
which the EU has already committed itself and jeopardise its
cooperation programmes; expresses particular concern at the current
situation in the Putumayo region;
5. Considers that the European Union must
support the aspects of the peace process which involve the strengthening
of institutions, alternative development, humanitarian aid and
social development, since these are the ones which are most in
accordance with its cooperation strategy;
6. Believes that the social movement,
which has been severely affected by repression, NGOs and local
communities must play an active role in the ongoing peace process;
welcomes the fact that their role has been affirmed (in particular
at the meeting in Costa Rica) and believes that it must be coordinated
with the efforts being made at the negotiating table;
7. Believes that lasting peace cannot
be achieved in Colombia without deep-seated changes to the means
by which wealth is distributed, since many of the problems confronting
the country stem from the fact that peasant farmers do not own
land;
8. Highlights the importance of encouraging
genuine agrarian reform, using notably land confiscated from
drug barons, which presents peasant farmers with economic alternatives;
therefore urges the Colombian government to implement ambitious
reform policies designed to curb the increasing concentration
of land and improve social conditions;
9. Stresses that European Union action
should pursue its own, non-military strategy combining neutrality,
transparency, the participation of civil society and undertakings
from the parties involved in the negotiations;
10. Welcomes the conclusions of the 9
October 2000 Council meeting, which contain announcements concerning
the implementation of a 'substantial European programme of socio-
economic and institutional support for the peace process in Colombia,
aimed at promoting and protecting respect for human rights, humanitarian
law and fundamental freedoms, improving the living conditions
of the local populations, encouraging the cultivation of alternative
crops and the protection of biodiversity and supporting the introduction
of structural reforms in all fields which fuel armed conflict';
11. Expresses its outrage at the large-scale
massacres of country dwellers which have recently been carried
out by paramilitary groups in the regions of Magdalena, Magdalena
Medio, Cauca and Putumayo, and the threats which have been made
to country dwellers in the Tumaco region and elsewhere; takes
the view that securing significant results in the fight against
impunity and against armed groups which violate human rights
and contravene international humanitarian law is essential to
the credibility of the rule of law; urges the Colombian government
to continue its fight against paramilitary groups and its efforts
to strengthen the foundations of the rule of law, and to implement
immediately and in their entirety the United Nations recommendations
on human rights;
12. Considers that the European Union
must play a more determined role in the political protection
and the funding of organisations (in particular organisations
for the families of victims) which campaign to have crimes against
humanity investigated, to preserve the memory of the victims
of such crimes and to ensure that the perpetrators thereof do
not go unpunished;
13. Welcomes the proposal by Commissioners
Patten and Nielson to grant substantial support for the peace
efforts in Colombia amounting to EUR 105 million for the period
2000-2006; stresses that, so as to give credibility to the Union's
action, initial measures contributing to the peace process should
be introduced without delay and be aimed at promoting respect
for human rights, humanitarian law and fundamental freedoms,
improving the living conditions of the local populations, using
civil society organisations and social movements as channels
and bearing in mind the forced displacement of a section of the
rural population, of which women and children form the vast majority;
14. Welcomes the decision by the Council of Ministers to undertake
a six-monthly appraisal of the state of the peace process, the
progress in implementing programmes and compliance with the respective
undertakings and obligations of the Colombian government and
the groups involved in the negotiations to strengthen peace,
and asks the Council and Commission to inform Parliament at the
same time;
15. Is convinced that, in the fight against
illegal crops, negotiated and agreed solutions, agrarian reform
and alternative crops, together with criminal proceedings against
traffickers and money launderers, should take precedence over
crop-spraying campaigns; believes in this regard that the Union
must take the necessary steps to secure an end to the large-scale
use of chemical herbicides and prevent the introduction of biological
agents such as Fusarium oxysporum, given the dangers of their
use to human health and the environment alike;
16. Highlights the importance of strengthening
regional cooperation and dialogue on the basis of the principle
of international coresponsibility, given that past experience
in the fight against illegal crops has shown that tackling this
problem in one country alone merely serves to transfer it to
neighbouring countries;
17. Stresses the need to step up inter-regional
cooperation to curb and stamp out drug trafficking and combat
money laundering; in this respect, the European Union ought to
support Colombia's request to sign the Strasbourg Convention;
18. Calls on the Venezuelan government
to cooperate with the Colombian government in jointly establishing
mechanisms which will make it possible to resolve the border
problems relating to the fight against drug production and trafficking;
19. Urges the Colombian government to
follow the approach used in the talks with the FARC in establishing
dialogue with the other guerrilla groups with a view to promoting
the principles of neutrality and transparency and thus earning
the support of the various armed groups for planned programmes
and projects;
20. Urges all the armed groups to support
a humanitarian agreement under which they would cease kidnapping,
release their hostages, refrain from committing terrorist acts,
from recruiting under-age supporters and from carrying out attacks
on the civilian population, and conclude a serious ceasefire
agreement;
21. Reiterates its support for the Office
of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and its efforts
to secure a humanitarian agreement in Colombia;
22. Instructs its President to forward
this resolution to the
Council, the Commission, the governments of Colombia, Venezuela
and of the mediating countries.
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