EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT 2004 2009 Session document 21 February 2005 B6-0130/◄2005 MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION with request for inclusion in the agenda for the debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law pursuant to Rule 115 of the Rules of Procedure by Nirj Deva, Charles Tannock, Thomas Mann, Geoffrey Van Orden and Simon Coveney on behalf of the EPP-ED on ◄Nepal PE 356.281 B6-0130/2005 European parliament resolution on Nepal The European Parliament, A. whereas in May 2002 HM King Gyanendra of Nepal dissolved Parliament on the recommendation of the then Prime Minister Deuba, requesting the Prime Minister to hold a general election by November 2002, whereas a European Parliament delegation was nominated to observe the elections scheduled for November 2002, whereas,however, these elections could not be held owing to a lack of security caused by the activities of the self- professed Maoist guerrillas, B. noting that the Prime Minister, whose sole mandate as per the Nepalese Constitution had been to create a stable environment conducive to holding general elections and to bringing the guerrillas into a restricted settlement, asked that his caretaker government's tenure be extended for a further 14 months and that the King was compelled to dismiss him in October 2002 owing to his inability to carry out this mandate, subsequently, according to a provision in Article 127 of the Nepalese Constitution, appointing Prime Minister Chand, later Prime Minister Thapar, and then re-appointing Prime Minister Deuba to fulfil this same mandate, C. noting that the guerrillas had 9 seats in the first Nepalese Parliament after the restoration of the multi-party system in 1990, yet in the second general election in 1994, they failed to secure a single seat in the House of Representatives, D. having regard to King Gyanendra's unconstitutional assumption of sole and absolute power in Nepal in February 2005 and his suspension of basic human rights such as the freedom of movement, assembly and of the press, jailing hundreds of political opponents, including Prime Minister Deuba, all other senior political figures, students, lawyers, journalists and human rights activists, in breach of the International Convention on Civil and Political Rights, to which he is a signatory, causing grave concern amongst human rights organisations as to their safety, E. having regard to King Gyanendra's recent actions encapsulated in his statement that "democracy and progress contradict one another" and whereas it is clear that the King has erroneously played into the hands of guerrilla rebels and may have driven democratic politicians and guerrillas closer together, whilst politicians and the King should have been working together to bring these rebels to justice, F. noting that the average annual income in Nepal is $240 with 42% of the population living below the poverty line and that the governments of Britain, US and India, concerned that the King's recent takeover of power is a coup, are reconsidering all foreign aid to Nepal; G. concerned that, following nearly a decade of guerrilla insurrection, neither the Army nor HM King Gyanendra acting together with politicians have been capable of destroying the Nepalese guerrilla, who appear, through extortion, intimidation and violence, to have extended their influence over two thirds of the country, although in reality they number no more than ten thousand terrorists, PE 356.281 1. Is gravely disappointed that successive Governments and political leaders could neither secure the stability of the country, nor, provide the conditions for holding elections and considers the three-year wait before elections as too long; urges the King and all the political parties in Nepal to work together to carry out free and fair general elections before this point; 2. Welcomes the release of seven political prisoners from house arrest, however, urges King Gyanendra to cooperate with the international community to restore basic human rights, the rule of law and democracy, by ceasing the detention and house arrest of political opponents, restoring the freedom of the press, preventing the 'disappearances' of his subjects, bringing to justice all those responsible for human rights violations in Nepal and offering jobs and security to its people, with an emphasis on combating corruption; 3. Calls upon politicians to place human rights and democracy for Nepal ahead of their respective political agendas, ultimately putting Nepalese interests first and acting to establish the much needed cooperation between themselves and the King and to launch a sustained media campaign to publicise human rights progress and renewed political co-operation, whilst exposing the insurgents brutality in order to win the support of their sympathisers; 4. Urges the United Nations Commission on Human Rights to appoint a Special Rapporteur to monitor the human rights situation in Nepal at its Geneva meeting in March 2005; 5. Calls upon the European Union to continue funding Conflict Resolution programmes in Nepal but to review the rest of its aid programme in the event of continuing human rights abuses; 6. Urges the guerrillas to stop their violence and come to the negotiating table, as favoured by 96% of the Nepalese public, and urges the Nepalese King to strive to regain control of the key villages around Kathmandu, offering amnesty to insurgents who renounce the rebellion; 7. Urges the Chief District Officer (CDO) of the Kathmandu district to reverse his instruction to close immediately the Tibet Refugee Welfare Office (TRWO) and the representative office of the Dalai Lama in Kathmandu, both indispensable institutions for Tibetan refugees escaping from their homes and crossing Nepal in order to find refuge in India; 8. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the European Commission, the Council of Ministers, King Gyanendra of Nepal, the Government of India, the Secretary General of the United Nations Organisation. PE 356.281.