EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2009 - 2014

Delegation for relations with the countries of South Asia

DSAS_PV(2013)0423

MINUTES of the meeting of 23 April 2013, from 16.45 to 17.45 Brussels

The meeting opened at 16.45 on Tuesday, 23 April 2013, with Jean Lambert (Chair) in the chair.

1. Adoption of the draft agenda

The agenda was adopted.

2. Adoption of the minutes of 19 March 2013

The minutes were adopted.

3. Announcements by the Chair

The Chair made the following points:

1) Conference of Delegation Chairs I would like to report back to Members on the last Conference of Delegation Chairs meeting which was held in Strasbourg last week. It is concerning to note the increasing number of decisions which are being taken by the Secretary General without debate. The most recent is on the availability of interpreters for delegation meetings which have been allocated Thursday afternoons as a viable time. Unfortunately, as we are well aware, most Members need to return to their national constituencies by Thursday afternoons, so this is not a viable option for the delegation. This is a concerning development as it limits the participation of Members and staff who rely on the interpreters services. Ongoing issues remain regarding the budget and travel allowance for delegations, and the fact that this does not adequately take into account multi-country delegations or those with

PV\935068EN.doc PE510.439v01-00

EN United in diversity EN countries who cannot easily conduct visits to Brussels. This is possibly something Members could discuss with their Group Presidents, and I will continue to follow up within the Conference of Delegation Chairs.

2) Bangladesh On March 20th, President Zillur Rahman passed away after a long illness. On behalf of our Delegation, I expressed our condolences, expressing hope that, in this time of grief, all Bangladeshi citizens would come together in a spirit of reconciliation. Yesterday, Mr. Abdul Hamid has been elected the new president of Bangladesh. Today, on behalf of our Delegation, I wish to congratulate him and wish him success in the completion of his high mission, at a particularly challenging time for his country. Since our last meeting, the situation has not improved, and Bangladesh is still marred with political unrest and violence. On April 11th, a Jamaat e-Islami demonstrator was shot dead by the police. Another concerning development regards Mr. Mahmudur Rahman, Editor of the daily newspaper 'Amar Desh', who was arrested and charged for having published the transcript of a Skype conversation between the former Chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal and a source located abroad. Moreover, several opposition activists have been reportedly harassed and/or arrested. Yesterday, 3 MPs belonging to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) have been freed from jail -on bail (they were charged for vandalism); but 7 other BNP high-ranking members, including its acting Secretary General, are still in prison. We call on all political leaders to uphold the principles of peaceful protest and call for an end to violence in all areas of Bangladesh.

3) Nepal The nomination of a caretaker government headed by Chief Justice Khil Raj Regmi is good news; we can hope that it has broken the political deadlock. In particular, this means that Chief Election Commissioner - Mr. Neel Khanta Uprety- could be re-appointed, along with other commissioners. This said, the situation remains complicated. President Yadav has promulgated an ordinance to 'remove constitutional hurdles'; it includes a provision that the 240 electoral constituencies would remain unchanged for an election to be held by June 21st. However, the Supreme Court has now ordered to redraw the constituency boundaries on the basis of the 2011 Census results. This injunction occurs in a context when several major parties suggest publicly that elections should take place in November. Responding at the suggestion of EU Ambassador Alexander Spachis, I will soon undertake a visit -at my MEP's expenses- to Kathmandu, where I will, attend the Europe Day reception and meet with political leaders; I will debrief you at our next meeting.

4) The Maldives The legal situation of former President Nasheed is still unclear: on April 1st, the High Court ordered the Hulhumale Magistrate Court to halt the trial until it decides on the legitimacy of the Panel of Judges appointed to examine his case. I take note that, in a recent report, the United Kingdom's Bar Human Rights Committee (BHRC) has said that lack of impartiality and independence of the judiciary from political influence in the Maldives raised serious doubts as to whether former President Nasheed can be guaranteed a fair trial. Following the explanations provided to us last month by Mr.

PE510.439v01-00 2/8 PV\935068EN.doc EN Ahmed Shiaan, Acting High Commissioner of the Maldives to the UK, I hope and trust that the Maldives will conform to international and national standards of upholding fair trials and that potential candidates will not be barred from running in the September 7th elections.

5) Sri Lanka Last month, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution "promoting reconciliation and accountability in Sri Lanka". It called on Sri Lanka to fulfil its public commitments, including the devolution of political authority and encouraged the government to implement the recommendations made in the report of the Office of the High Commissioner. The Sri Lankan government has strongly opposed the adoption of the resolution, citing that it relied on the flawed report by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It is important to take note of the UNHRC resolution recommendations. It is also important to take note of the reports provided to us by the Sri Lankan Embassy about the progress made in the implementation of the recommendations made by the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC). You will find these documents in your file. I believe they form a good basis for further discussion with our Sri Lankan colleagues and interlocutors. In this respect, I would like to inform members that I am in contact with Ambassador P.M. Amza to decide on the timing of a visit of Sri Lankan parliamentarians to Europe, potentially the last week of May, as well as a visit of this Delegation to Sri Lanka. I hope to revert to you soon on the issue.

6) Pakistan Before turning to the issue of the elections, three other points about Pakistan: a. First, let me please offer my condolences to all the victims of the earthquake which struck Iran and Pakistan last week; b. Second, a positive development: last month, the Parliament unanimously passed the Reproductive Healthcare and Rights Act ; it seeks to fulfil the international commitments made by Pakistan under the Convention on Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and to provide comprehensive reproductive healthcare services, particularly to women in remote areas and marginalized groups. c. Third and last, I would like to mention the case of former President Pervez Musharraf, who has been put under house arrest. At the end of our exchange of views on the elections, I would appreciate it if Ambassador Bhatti could offer us some explanations about the legal and political situation of General Musharraf.

4. Exchange of views on the Pakistan elections of 11 May 2013

The Chair recalled that the EU Chief Observer, MEP , is now in Pakistan. On April 8, he called on the caretaker Prime Minister, Justice Khoso, the Foreign Secretary, the Secretary of the Interior and other significant Pakistani authorities and stakeholders. On April 16th, the 25 long-term observers were deployed. An information note has been prepared by the Election Observation Mission specifically for today's DSAS meeting According to the Chair, the observation mission was going well. However, she pointed out that some criticized the fact that the EU Observation Mission was not deploying observers in

PV\935068EN.doc 3/8 PE510.439v01-00 EN Balochistan on security grounds. For instance, according to human-rights activist, Ms. Tahira Abdullah: "The will have a grave hole in its own report; I would like to point out here that the areas they are not going to are the very same areas where women are being barred from voting". On the other hand, the security situation is also proving challenging: on April 22, an IED bomb struck a convoy of the Secretary General of the Balochistan National Party (Awami). The Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility saying that they would keep targeting all those Baloch Politicians who participate in the elections Before opening the floor, the Chair recalled that as is usual with EU Observation missions, 7 MEPs should participate as short-term observers, and travel to Pakistan for that purpose on 7- 14 May. Ms. Michaela Wright, EEAS Pakistan Desk Officer, recalled the EU's long-term commitment to support democracy in Pakistan; it had already sent EOMs to the 2002 & 2008 elections, which proved to be significant drivers for change. Adopted in 2010, the 18th amendment to the Constitution gave further impetus to the democratic process, notably as far as empowerment of the Parliament and decentralization of power were concerned. The EU's commitment was encapsulated in the EU-Pakistan 5-year Engagement Plan and the launch of June 2012 Strategic Dialogue. The March 2013 conclusions of the Foreign Affairs Committee had stated that "the EU looks forward to upcoming elections that are peaceful, credible, transparent, inclusive and acceptable to the Pakistani people. They should, for the first time, enable the transition of power from one elected government to the next under the stewardship of an independent Election Commission. Furthermore, it is very important that the elections take place in an environment free from intimidation and coercion. The EU is ready to assist by deploying an election observation mission, as a tangible sign of our support for the democratic process". Mr. Paolo Salvia, EEAS Election Observation Division, acknowledged the good support provided by the Pakistani authorities and, in particular, the Embassy to the EOM. Whilst there was no provision in the Pakistani legislation on international observation, the Central Election Commission had issued instructions to facilitate the mission of international observers. He accepted that the non-deployment of observers to Balochistan would "create a hole in the report"; however, this should not jeopardize the EOM's overall ability to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the electoral process. The EOM was paying close attention to all parts of the country. For instance in Karachi, Chief Observer Gahler met with the senior leaders of Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) and Pakhtunkwa Milli Awami Party. Overall, the legal framework had improved since the 2008 elections, but there were still gaps, i.e. on dispute settlement or women participation. The level of violence was higher than anticipated; this explained why no long-term observer was deployed in Balochistan or FATA. Phil Bennion (ALDE, UK) asked questions and made comments about: woman registration & participation; registration difficulties encountered by the Ahmadi community (as they were forced to declare themselves as "non-Muslims"); the activities of violent groups such as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan; inconsistencies in the vague and moral requirements to register as candidates. The Chair also emphasized the crucial role the youth would play in the elections.

PE510.439v01-00 4/8 PV\935068EN.doc EN Ambassador Munawar Bhatti thanked the Chair for her condolences; emphasized that, apart from the Reproductive Healthcare and Rights Act, the current Parliament had voted a dozen bills in favour of gender equality. About the cases against General Musharraf, he explained that these had been filed before his return to Pakistan and that the various processes were all being carried out in accordance with the law. On elections, the Ambassador explained that the elections triggered a lot of enthusiasm among the population, especially the youth. Over100 TV channels aired lively debates where performance issues came to the forefront. There was a lot of mobilization to ensure that elections would be fair and transparent. The Election Commission (ECP) played a very powerful role, with, for instance, the ability to remove senior officials suspected of partisan bias. The ECP focused especially on the issue of women registration and participation; as far as registration was concerned, the gender gap was evenly spread amongst provinces: Punjab (27 million men/21 million women); Sindh (10/8); KPK (7/5); Balochistan (1,8/1,4); FATA (1,1/0,5). Ambassador Bhatti deplored the level of violence, which was particularly high in Balochistan and FATA. Ambassador Bhatti confirmed that the Pakistani authorities were extending full support to the EU EOM, with utmost focus on security.

5. Any other business

No other business.

6. Date and place of the next meeting

The next meeting of the Delegation for relations with South Asia is foreseen to take place on May 28th, when Michael Gahler will offer a debriefing about the EU Observation mission to Pakistan. This will nevertheless be confirmed via email.

The meeting closed at 17:45.

PV\935068EN.doc 5/8 PE510.439v01-00 EN ПРИСЪСТВЕН ЛИСТ/LISTA DE ASISTENCIA/PREZENČNÍ LISTINA/DELTAGERLISTE/ ANWESENHEITSLISTE/KOHALOLIJATE NIMEKIRI/ΚΑΤΑΣΤΑΣΗ ΠΑΡΟΝΤΩΝ/RECORD OF ATTENDANCE/ LISTE DE PRÉSENCE/ELENCO DI PRESENZA/APMEKLĒJUMU REĢISTRS/DALYVIŲ SĄRAŠAS/JELENLÉTI ÍV/ REĠISTRU TA' ATTENDENZA/PRESENTIELIJST/LISTA OBECNOŚCI/LISTA DE PRESENÇAS/LISTĂ DE PREZENŢĂ/ PREZENČNÁ LISTINA/SEZNAM NAVZOČIH/LÄSNÄOLOLISTA/DELTAGARLISTA

Бюро/Mesa/Předsednictvo/Formandskabet/Vorstand/Juhatus/Προεδρείο/Bureau/Ufficio di presidenza/Prezidijs/Biuras/Elnökség/ Prezydium/Birou/Predsedníctvo/Predsedstvo/Puheenjohtajisto/Presidiet (*)

Jean Lambert, Thomas Mann, John Attard-Montalto

Членове/Diputados/Poslanci/Medlemmer/Mitglieder/Parlamendiliikmed/Μέλη/Members/Députés/Deputati/Deputāti/Nariai/Képviselõk/ Membri/Leden/Posłowie/Deputados/Deputaţi/Jäsenet/Ledamöter

Albert Dess, Niccolò Rinaldi, Angelika Werthmann

Заместници/Suplentes/Náhradníci/Stedfortrædere/Stellvertreter/Asendusliikmed/Αναπληρωτές/Substitutes/Suppléants/Supplenti/ Aizstājēji/Pavaduojantys nariai/Póttagok/Sostituti/Plaatsvervangers/Zastępcy/Membros suplentes/Supleanţi/Náhradníci/Namestniki/ Varajäsenet/Suppleanter

187 (2)

193 (3)

49 (6) (Точка от дневния ред/Punto del orden del día/Bod pořadu jednání (OJ)/Punkt på dagsordenen/Tagesordnungspunkt/Päevakorra punkt/Ημερήσια Διάταξη Σημείο/Agenda item/Point OJ/Punto all'ordine del giorno/Darba kārtības punkts/Darbotvarkės punktas/ Napirendi pont/Punt fuq l-aġenda/Agendapunt/Punkt porządku dziennego/Ponto OD/Punct de pe ordinea de zi/Bod programu schôdze/ Točka UL/Esityslistan kohta/Föredragningslista punkt)

Наблюдатели/Observadores/Pozorovatelé/Observatører/Beobachter/Vaatlejad/Παρατηρητές/Observers/Observateurs/Osservatori/ Novērotāji/Stebėtojai/Megfigyelők/Osservaturi/Waarnemers/Obserwatorzy/Observadores/Observatori/Pozorovatelia/Opazovalci/ Tarkkailijat/Observatörer

По покана на председателя/Por invitación del presidente/Na pozvání předsedy/Efter indbydelse fra formanden/Auf Einladung des Vorsitzenden/Esimehe kutsel/Με πρόσκληση του Προέδρου/At the invitation of the Chair(wo)man/Sur l'invitation du président/ Su invito del presidente/Pēc priekšsēdētāja uzaicinājuma/Pirmininkui pakvietus/Az elnök meghívására/Fuq stedina tal-President/ Op uitnodiging van de voorzitter/Na zaproszenie Przewodniczącego/A convite do Presidente/La invitaţia preşedintelui/Na pozvanie predsedu/Na povabilo predsednika/Puheenjohtajan kutsusta/På ordförandens inbjudan

Съвет/Consejo/Rada/Rådet/Rat/Nõukogu/Συμβούλιο/Council/Conseil/Consiglio/Padome/Taryba/Tanács/Kunsill/Raad/Conselho/ Consiliu/Svet/Neuvosto/Rådet (*)

PE510.439v01-00 6/8 PV\935068EN.doc EN Комисия/Comisión/Komise/Kommissionen/Kommission/Euroopa Komisjon/Επιτροπή/Commission/Commissione/Komisija/Bizottság/ Kummissjoni/Commissie/Komisja/Comissão/Comisie/Komisia/Komissio/Kommissionen (*)

Европейска служба за външна дейност/Evropská služba pro vnější činnost/EU-Udenrigstjenesten/Europäischer Auswärtiger Dienst/Euroopa välisteenistus/Ευρωπαϊκή Υπηρεσία Εξωτερικής Δράσης/European External Action service/Servicio Europeo de Acción Exterior/Service européen pour l'action extérieure/Servizio europeo per l’azione esterna/Eiropas Ārējās darbības dienests/Europos išorės veiksmų tarnyba/Európai Külügyi Szolgálat/Servizz Ewropew għall-Azzjoni Esterna/Europese dienst voor extern optreden/Europejska Służba Działań Zewnętrznych/Serviço Europeu para a Acção Externa/Serviciul european pentru acţiune externă/Európska služba pre vonkajšiu činnosť/Evropska služba za zunanje delovanje/Euroopan ulkosuhdehallinto/Europeiska avdelningen för yttre åtgärd (*)

Dina Pardijs, Paolo Salvia, Michaela Wright

Други институции/Otras instituciones/Ostatní orgány a instituce/Andre institutioner/Andere Organe/Muud institutsioonid/ Άλλα θεσμικά όργανα/Other institutions/Autres institutions/Altre istituzioni/Citas iestādes/Kitos institucijos/Más intézmények/ Istituzzjonijiet oħra/Andere instellingen/Inne instytucje/Outras Instituições/Alte instituţii/Iné inštitúcie/Druge institucije/Muut toimielimet/Andra institutioner/organ

Други участници/Otros participantes/Ostatní účastníci/Endvidere deltog/Andere Teilnehmer/Muud osalejad/Επίσης Παρόντες/Other participants/Autres participants/Altri partecipanti/Citi klātesošie/Kiti dalyviai/Más résztvevők/Parteċipanti oħra/Andere aanwezigen/ Inni uczestnicy/Outros participantes/Alţi participanţi/Iní účastníci/Drugi udeleženci/Muut osallistujat/Övriga deltagare

Ambassador Munawar Bhati (PK), Muhammad Ayub, Irat Ara (Bangladesh), Oceanie De Silva (SLanka), Ugen Chozon (BT), Hussain Shareef (ML), Maud Vanwaueghem, Melissa Apaza, Alexander Sjöin, Carmen Godeanu, Elena Thevissen, Karsten Steffan, Eddy Jadot

Секретариат на политическите групи/Secretaría de los Grupos políticos/Sekretariát politických skupin/Gruppernes sekretariat/ Sekretariat der Fraktionen/Fraktsioonide sekretariaat/Γραμματεία των Πολιτικών Ομάδων/Secretariats of political groups/Secrétariat des groupes politiques/Segreteria gruppi politici/Politisko grupu sekretariāts/Frakcijų sekretoriai/Képviselőcsoportok titkársága/Segretarjat gruppi politiċi/Fractiesecretariaten/Sekretariat Grup Politycznych/Secr. dos grupos políticos/Secretariate grupuri politice/Sekretariát politických skupín/Sekretariat političnih skupin/Poliittisten ryhmien sihteeristöt/Gruppernas sekretariat

PPE Francisca Naher S&D Peter Reichert ALDE Nicholas Petre ECR Jannes de Jong Verts/ALE GUE/NGL Sabine Meyer EFD NI

Кабинет на председателя/Gabinete del Presidente/Kancelář předsedy/Formandens Kabinet/Kabinett des Präsidenten/Presidendi kantselei/Γραφείο Προέδρου/President's Office/Cabinet du Président/Gabinetto del Presidente/Priekšsēdētāja kabinets/Pirmininko kabinetas/Elnöki hivatal/Kabinett tal-President/Kabinet van de Voorzitter/Gabinet Przewodniczącego/Gabinete do Presidente/ Cabinet Preşedinte/Kancelária predsedu/Urad predsednika/Puhemiehen kabinetti/Talmannens kansli

Кабинет на генералния секретар/Gabinete del Secretario General/Kancelář generálního tajemníka/Generalsekretærens Kabinet/ Kabinett des Generalsekretärs/Peasekretäri büroo/Γραφείο Γενικού Γραμματέα/Secretary-General's Office/Cabinet du Secrétaire général/Gabinetto del Segretario generale/Ģenerālsekretāra kabinets/Generalinio sekretoriaus kabinetas/Főtitkári hivatal/Kabinett tas- Segretarju Ġenerali/Kabinet van de secretaris-generaal/Gabinet Sekretarza Generalnego/Gabinete do Secretário-Geral/Cabinet Secretar General/Kancelária generálneho tajomníka/Urad generalnega sekretarja/Pääsihteerin kabinetti/Generalsekreterarens kansli

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Генерална дирекция/Dirección General/Generální ředitelství/Generaldirektorat/Generaldirektion/Peadirektoraat/Γενική Διεύθυνση/ Directorate-General/Direction générale/Direzione generale/Ģenerāldirektorāts/Generalinis direktoratas/Főigazgatóság/Direttorat Ġenerali/Directoraten-generaal/Dyrekcja Generalna/Direcção-Geral/Direcţii Generale/Generálne riaditeľstvo/Generalni direktorat/ Pääosasto/Generaldirektorat

DG PRES DG IPOL DG EXPO Xavier Nuttin DG COMM DG PERS DG INLO DG TRAD DG INTE DG FINS DG ITEC

Правна служба/Servicio Jurídico/Právní služba/Juridisk Tjeneste/Juristischer Dienst/Õigusteenistus/Νομική Υπηρεσία/Legal Service/ Service juridique/Servizio giuridico/Juridiskais dienests/Teisės tarnyba/Jogi szolgálat/Servizz legali/Juridische Dienst/Wydział prawny/ Serviço Jurídico/Serviciu Juridic/Právny servis/Pravna služba/Oikeudellinen yksikkö/Rättstjänsten

Секретариат на комисията/Secretaría de la comisión/Sekretariát výboru/Udvalgssekretariatet/Ausschusssekretariat/Komisjoni sekretariaat/Γραμματεία επιτροπής/Committee secretariat/Secrétariat de la commission/Segreteria della commissione/Komitejas sekretariāts/Komiteto sekretoriatas/A bizottság titkársága/Segretarjat tal-kumitat/Commissiesecretariaat/Sekretariat komisji/ Secretariado da comissão/Secretariat comisie/Sekretariat odbora/Valiokunnan sihteeristö/Utskottssekretariatet

François Massoulié

Сътрудник/Asistente/Asistent/Assistent/Assistenz/Βοηθός/Assistant/Assistente/Palīgs/Padėjėjas/Asszisztens/Asystent/Pomočnik/ Avustaja/Assistenter

Ainhoa Markuleta

* (P) = Председател/Presidente/Předseda/Formand/Vorsitzender/Esimees/Πρόεδρος/Chair(wo)man/Président/Priekšsēdētājs/Pirmininkas/ Elnök/President/Voorzitter/Przewodniczący/Preşedinte/Predseda/Predsednik/Puheenjohtaja/Ordförande (VP) = Заместник-председател/Vicepresidente/Místopředseda/Næstformand/Stellvertretender Vorsitzender/Aseesimees/Αντιπρόεδρος/ Vice-Chair(wo)man/Vice-Président/Priekšsēdētāja vietnieks/Pirmininko pavaduotojas/Alelnök/Viċi President/Ondervoorzitter/ Wiceprzewodniczący/Vice-Presidente/Vicepreşedinte/Podpredseda/Podpredsednik/Varapuheenjohtaja/Vice ordförande (M) = Член/Miembro/Člen/Medlem./Mitglied/Parlamendiliige/Μέλος/Member/Membre/Membro/Deputāts/Narys/Képviselő/ Membru/Lid/Członek/Membro/Membru/Člen/Poslanec/Jäsen/Ledamot (F) = Длъжностно лице/Funcionario/Úředník/Tjenestemand/Beamter/Ametnik/Υπάλληλος/Official/Fonctionnaire/Funzionario/ Ierēdnis/Pareigūnas/Tisztviselő/Uffiċjal/Ambtenaar/Urzędnik/Funcionário/Funcţionar/Úradník/Uradnik/Virkamies/Tjänsteman

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