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Minutes of 14/12/2000 - Provisional Edition
Political prisoners in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and
instability on the borders of Kosovo
B5-0902, 0909, 0914, 0923 and 0929/2000
European Parliament resolution on political prisoners in the Federal
Republic of Yugoslavia and instability on the borders of Kosovo
The European Parliament,
- having regard to its resolution of 15 June 2000(1) on
fundamental
rights in Serbia and Kosovo,
- having regard to its resolutions on the situation of
Albanian
Kosovar prisoners, in particular its resolution of 17 February 2000(2)
and its resolution of 30 November 2000 on "Progress in the
implementation of the CFSP'(3),
- having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1244 of
10 June
1999,
- having regard to a recent meeting of the European
Parliament
delegation for relations with South-Eastern Europe with Mrs Flora
Brovina in Brussels on 21 November 2000,
- having regard to the Zagreb Summit Final Declaration of 24
November
2000,
A. welcoming the release of the Albanian doctor and human rights
campaigner Flora Brovina on the orders of the newly elected President
Kostunica on 1 November 2000 as well as of the Serbian journalist
Miroslav Filipovic on 10 October 2000,
B. regretting, however, that the fate of all political prisoners
in
Kosovo who were deprived of their freedom by the Milosevic regime
solely
because of their ethnicity or political convictions has not yet been
resolved by the new democratic forces in Yugoslavia and that since the
readmission of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia to the UN, the OSCE
and Europe, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia has not set a date for
the release of the prisoners or provided details of an amnesty law,
C. underlining that the presidential elections in the Federal
Republic
of Yugoslavia have paved the way for the rule of law in the country
and
that President Kostunica has promised that he will apply the
Constitution and laws without delay,
D. recalling that the political changes underway in Belgrade
cannot
exonerate the former Yugoslav leaders, in particular Mr Slobodan
Milosevic, from their charges before the International Criminal
Tribunal
for crimes committed in the former Yugoslavia,
E. expressing its concern about the latest armed attacks by
ethnic
Albanians and other extremists in the Presevo area of South-Eastern
Serbia along the border between Kosovo and Serbia which could have the
effect of destabilising the situation just at a time when there are
good
chances of resolving problems in the region through peaceful talks,
F. having regard to the agreement reached last year between NATO
and
Yugoslavia which makes this zone off-limits to security forces from
both
sides, with the exception of lightly armed Serbian policemen,
1. Calls on President Kostunica to take all possible steps to
secure
the release of all political prisoners from the Milosevic era who are
still detained in Serbian prisons;
2. Points out that it will damage the political credibility of
the new
President if political prisoners of the Milosevic regime remain
political prisoners under the new leadership and therefore urges that
a
dignified solution be found for the new democracy in Serbia and firmly
believes that all political prisoners should be released by
presidential
pardon or on the basis of an amnesty law currently being drafted by
the
Yugoslav Ministry of Justice, while the Albanian Kosovar political
prisoners could be handed over to UNMIK, taking into account UN
Security
Council Resolution 1244;
3. Calls on both sides - the Albanian Kosovars and the new
leadership
in Belgrade - to investigate the fate of missing persons, both
Albanian
Kosovars and Serbs, who disappeared before, during and after the
Kosovo
conflict and by so doing to re-establish a basis of confidence between
the two groups as a vital condition for peaceful development in Kosovo;
4. Strongly condemns the recent violence in Kosovo and in the
bordering
areas of Presevo and calls on all parties concerned not to increase
tensions in the security zone between Kosovo and Serbia at a time
when,
after the election of President Kostunica, there are real chances of
reaching a peaceful and sustainable agreement between Serbs and
Kosovars
which could resolve a protracted conflict;
5. Calls upon the multinational KFOR peacekeeping force in
Kosovo to
reinforce control on the border with Serbia so as to prevent further
incursions by ethnic Albanian extremists;
6. Calls on the UN, the Council and the Commission to establish
the
political conditions for the start of a positive and constructive
dialogue between the Yugoslav Federal Government and the political
leaders in Kosovo;
7. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the
Commission, the Council, President Kostunica and UNMIK.
(1) Texts Adopted, Item 13.
(2) OJ C 339, 29.11.2000, p. 273.
(3) Texts Adopted, Item 9.
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