EU Parliament on conditional reintroduction of aid in Sudan

MEPs adopted a joint resolution on the situation in Sudan urging the Commission to ensure that the €450m in aid be disbursed gradually and as far as possible via humanitarian organisations. The House stresses that the government of Sudan should only be granted access to these funds if substantial progress towards peace in Darfur is achieved, including the end of all violence, the reining in of government-sponsored militias, and cooperation with the ICC criminal investigation.

The House welcomes the decision of the UN to refer the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court. The House also welcomes the handing-over of 51 names of those suspected of war crimes by Kofi Annan on 5 April 2005 to the chief prosecutor. Parliament urges the government of Sudan and all other parties to the conflict to do their utmost to cooperate fully with the Court. Parliament calls upon all parties to back the International Criminal Court in order to end the culture of impunity within Darfur. The House strongly believes that compliance with the resolution will boost the peace process in Darfur and aid development in Sudan as a whole.

MEPs welcome the decision of the African Union to increase its peacekeeping force to Darfur to some 7,700 troops.

The House condemns the arrest of Dr Adam, chairperson of the Sudan Social Development organisation, as well as the arrest of his colleague Mr Saleem and driver Mr Taha. Parliament calls on the Sudanese authorities to release all three without delay. MEPs insist that the Sudanese authorities make it clear where they are holding Dr Adam and allow him access to family and lawyers. Finally, the House urges the EU to put intensive pressure on the Sudanese authorities to immediately release and put a stop to the systematic harassment of Dr Mudawi Ibrahim Adam, and especially his seven-month detention in 2004.

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly adopted a resolution on the situation in Sudan at its last meeting in Bamako, Mali on 21 April 2005. The resolution can be found here:

http://www.europarl.eu.int/intcoop/acp/60_09/pdf/re_sudan_en.pdf

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• EU Presidency Re-introduction Statement - Human Rights in Sudan (23/11/2005)
• EU Commission earmarks €2m to tackle yellow fever in Sudan (22/11/2005)
• EUHR Solana welcomes inauguration of Transitional Government of Sudan and signing of Declaration of Principles on Darfur conflict (9/7/2005)
• Intervention de Solana, Secrétaire Général du Conseil de l'UE, Haut Représentant pour la PESC - Addis Abeba (26/5/2005)
• Resumption of cooperation with Sudan linked to evolution of situation of Dafur (11/4/2005)
• EC and Sudanese authorities sign the CSP to resume co-operation (25/1/2005)
• EUHR Solana met Sudanese Vice-President Ali Osman AL-TAHA (25/1/2005)