Guinea

Tabled by Marie-Hélène Aubert

on behalf of the Greens/EFA Group

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

1. whereas, following the death of Lansan Conte, a military junta led by Capitaine Moussa Camara  took power,

2. whereas junta leader Moussa Dadis Camara has undertaken to organise presidential elections in 2010, when Conté's mandate would have ended, and has said that he would not stand in those elections,

3. whereas, under the Guinean Constitution, the National Assembly president would assume power prior to the elections, to be organised within 60 days,

4. whereas the National Assembly mandate expired last year and parliamentary elections have been repeatedly postponed in the past two years,

5. whereas many Guineans, including union and opposition leaders, have welcomed the military takeover as a chance to break with nearly a quarter century of corrupt, autocratic rule under President Lansana Conte,

6. whereas it is important for political parties, trade unions and civil society organisation to put proposal for how to move forward a national dialogue in order to agree on a peaceful and democratic transition as well as on a calendar for presidential and legislative elections, 

7. whereas the human rights record of the late president Lansana Conte is very alarming, including the use of excessive force by the military and the police against civilians, arbitrary detention and detention without trial and attacks on the freedom of expression, 

8. whereas Guinea is endowed with gold, iron and bauxite, as well as fertile land and water and fisheries resources, which could have contributed to the improvement of the living standards of the population if democratic accountability had prevailed in the country,

• 1) Condemns the coup d'état in Guinea following the death of Lansana Conté;

• 2) Calls for an inter-Guinean national dialogue with the participation of all political parties, trade unions and civil society organisations to pave the way for a democratic transition and to agree on a calendar for legislative and presidential elections;

• 3) Calls on the junta to respect the right to freedom of opinion, expression and association, including the right to peaceful assembly, as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights;

• 4) Calls on the Commission and the Council to take an initiative in order to facilitate inter-Guinean dialogue and avoid the damaging consequences of violent conflict as a means of political change;

• 5) In the context of the negotiations for the renewal of the fisheries agreement between Guinea and the EU initiated in December 2008, calls on the Commission and Council to take all necessary measures to guarantee EU vessels' potential operations in Guinean waters are within a framework in line with the principles of sustainable development and transparency, particularly as regards the respect and protection of access rights for small-scale fisheries;

• 6) Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the government of Guinea and the African Union, ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly.