Plenary sitting
13.1.2016
MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
to wind up the debate on the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy
pursuant to Rule 123(2) of the Rules of Procedure
on support for the peace process in Colombia
( 2015/3033(RSP) )
Luis de Grandes Pascual, Francisco José Millán Mon, Davor Ivo Stier, Agustín Díaz de Mera García Consuegra, Cristian Dan Preda, Ramón Luis Valcárcel Siso
on behalf of the PPE Group
European Parliament resolution on support for the peace process in Colombia
( 2015/3033(RSP) )
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its numerous resolutions on the human rights situation in Colombia, in particular those of 18 April 1996, 12 June 1997, 12 March and 14 May 1998, 11 March 1999 and 7 September 2000,
– having regard to its previous resolutions on the situation in Colombia, in particular those of 14 March and 24 October 1996, 18 September 1997 and 14 January 1999,
– having regard to its resolution of 1 February 2001 on Plan Colombia and support for the peace process in Colombia, as well as to its resolutions of 4 October 2001 and 14 March 2002 on Colombia,
– having regard to the special links binding the EU to Colombia, and in particular the multi-party Trade Agreement between Colombia and Peru, and the EU and its Member States, signed in Brussels on 26 July 2012,
– having regard to Joint Communiqué No 60 regarding the Agreement for the creation of a Special Jurisdiction for Peace, signed in Havana on 23 September 2015, and to Joint Communiqué No 64, of 15 December 2015, on the Agreement on the Victims of the Conflict, ‘Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition’, including the Special Jurisdiction for Peace and the Commitment on Human Rights,
– having regard to paragraph 44 of the Message from the European Parliament Delegation to the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly (EuroLat) to the Second CELAC-EU Summit in Brussels on ending the internal conflict between the Colombian Government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Columbia (FARC),
– having regard to the Brussels Declaration adopted at the end of the second EU-CELAC summit on 11 June 2015,
– having regard to the statement by the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, on the Agreement of 24 September 2015 on transitional justice in Colombia, and her statement of 1 October 2015 appointing Eamon Gilmore as EU Special Envoy for the Peace Process in Colombia,
A. whereas since 2013 the EU and Colombia have maintained a framework of close economic and trade cooperation established in the Trade Agreement between Colombia and Peru of the one part, and the EU and its Member States of the other part, the ultimate aim of which is not just to promote economic relations between the parties, but also to create alliances that go far beyond just trade, consolidating peace and democracy and strengthening the well-being of their citizens;
B. whereas that agreement includes, notably, the abolition by the EU of the visa requirement for Colombian citizens, as agreed at the second EU-CELAC summit in June 2015;
C. whereas this close relationship also extends to areas of international cooperation on major issues of common interest, such as the struggle for peace and the fight against terrorism, a point to highlight being that since the signature of the 2014 EU-Colombia Framework Agreement on participation in EU crisis management operations, Colombian military forces have been cooperating with EU ones in international peace operations under UN rules;
D. whereas the Mesa de diálogo (platform for dialogue) between the Colombian Government and the FARC was established in Havana (Cuba) on 26 August 2012 following the signing of the General Agreement for the Termination of the Conflict and the Construction of a Stable and Lasting Peace, thus fulfilling the wish of the people of Colombia to live in peace, and acknowledging in particular that the construction of peace is a matter for the entire population, that it is the duty of the state to promote human rights throughout its territory, and that fair economic and social development ensures peace and is at the same time a pre-condition for the inclusive and sustainable growth of the country;
E. whereas during the different phases in Havana the negotiators reached agreements on a new Colombian countryside and comprehensive rural reform, on political participation and democratic openness to build peace, and on solving the problem of illicit drugs;
F. whereas on Wednesday, 23 September 2015 the Colombian Government and the FARC announced the conclusion of an agreement on the creation of a Special Jurisdiction for Peace to uphold victims’ rights and contribute to the creation of a stable and lasting peace, to which end the parties agreed on the implementation of a Comprehensive System for Truth, Justice, Reparation and Non-Repetition, including the creation of a Commission for the Clarification of the Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition, as well as agreements on reparations for victims;
G. whereas once the aforementioned agreement on transitional justice had been reached, the negotiators took a final and also apparently irreversible step towards peace in that the two parties set a fixed period of six months in which to achieve peace, the deadline being 23 March 2016;
H. whereas the creation of the Special Jurisdiction for Peace meets the need for a special justice system under international law that punishes those guilty of serious crimes and compensates victims while at the same time facilitating the laying down of arms;
I. whereas the Government of Colombia, its legislative chamber and the Colombian people are sovereign in establishing the parameters of this Special Jurisdiction for Peace, whose vital task it will be to put an end to impunity, uncover the truth and judge and penalise the perpetrators of crimes committed during the conflict, in particular the most serious and representative ones, ensuring there is no repetition and contributing in addition to reparations for victims;
J. whereas achieving stable and lasting peace in Colombia through the resolution of an internal conflict that has lasted for over 50 years, with millions of victims, is a first priority for Colombia, but also for the European Union and the international community, as is demonstrated by the many statements made in support of the peace process by various countries and regional and international bodies, including the European Union;
1. Warmly welcomes the agreement reached between the Government of Colombia and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) on Wednesday, 23 September 2015 on the creation of a Special Jurisdiction for Peace, which is a satisfactory solution to the main and most problematic issue in the negotiations, and is pleased by the joint decision that a final peace agreement be signed within the six-month period ending on 23 March 2016;
2. Considers that both the signing of the recent agreement on the creation of a Special Jurisdiction for Peace, and the reaffirmation of the other agreements reached previously on comprehensive rural reform, on political participation and democratic openness to build peace, and on solving the problem of illicit drugs, constitute decisive steps towards achieving a final peace agreement that is endorsed by Colombian society and makes it possible to attain a stable and lasting peace that will put an end to more than half a century of internal armed conflict and take into account most notably the right of the victims of the conflict to full, true and fair reparation for the physical, moral and material damages suffered;
3. Calls on the National Liberation Army (ELN), without further excuses or delays, to commit firmly and decisively to peace in Colombia by launching negotiations with the Colombian Government that result in its peaceful integration into society and politics;
4. Wishes to see the current peace talks with the FARC conclude as soon as possible and in any case within the six-month period set in Havana on 23 September 2015, so that 23 March 2016 marks a permanent end to the conflict and a real milestone in Colombia’s modern-day history;
5. Recognises the great political effort, realism and perseverance demonstrated by both the Government of Colombia and the FARC in the process of bringing their conflicting views into line and gradually creating an area of commitment that has allowed progress to be made in the negotiations towards achieving the stable and lasting peace that all Colombians are so keen to see, and ensuring that there is no repeat of the conflict;
6. Reiterates once again that violence is not a legitimate method of political struggle, and calls on those who have been of that conviction to embrace democracy with all its implications and requirements – as a first step, the final and permanent abandonment of weapons, and the defence of their ideas and aspirations through democratic rules and the rule of law;
7. Recognises too the important role played so far by Cuba and Norway as guarantor countries and by Chile and Venezuela as countries accompanying the peace process, giving special thanks to Pope Francis for his moral leadership and efforts to help achieve this longed-for peace in Colombia;
8. Warmly welcomes the decision of 1 October 2015 of the Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, to appoint Eamon Gilmore, former Deputy Prime Minister and former Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade of the Republic of Ireland, as the Special Envoy of the European Union for the Peace Process in Colombia;
9. Reiterates its readiness to provide all possible assistance to support the implementation of the final peace agreement, and to this end reiterates its call on European Union Member States to create and contribute to a trust fund to support the post-conflict phase;
10. Notes with satisfaction that the exclusion of crimes against humanity, genocide and serious war crimes from any amnesty or pardon is in line with international criminal and humanitarian law and international instruments and standards in the field of human rights;
11. Considers it essential that the sentences passed on perpetrators of crimes play their part in victim reparations and political reconciliation;
12. Welcomes the agreement by the parties to establish, once the final peace agreement has been signed, a Commission for the Clarification of the Truth, Coexistence and Non-Repetition as an independent, impartial and extra-judicial mechanism so that a true historical version of events may be jointly drawn up – for only through a sincere description of the past and the assuming of all responsibilities is it possible to build a reconciled future and confirm the rights of all victims;
13. Strongly supports the discussions under way to bring about a definitive ceasefire and the complete cessation of hostilities before 23 March 2016;
14. Recognises the efforts made by the Colombian government and by institutions in Colombia to make progress in ensuring that human rights are fully and permanently upheld by the Colombian political system the length and breadth of the country; urges Colombia’s institutions to continue along the path of upholding human rights, an area in which Colombia is still facing major challenges, including the eradication of the subculture of violence which, in 50 years of conflict, has on occasion paved the way for extra-legal responses and practices and conduct that were not in line with the rule of law and the required degree of respect for human rights; insists, in that respect, that human rights defenders in Colombia be protected and calls on those civic organisations to cooperate in good faith and to the best of their ability in favour of the restoration of reconciled coexistence in Colombia;
15. Takes a positive view of the recent announcement by the Colombian armed forces that Colombia’s military doctrine will be reviewed in order to adapt it and prepare the armed forces to respond swiftly and effectively to the new challenges in the post-conflict phase, while at the same time acting as guarantors of the peace agreements; believes likewise that the recent announcement by the FARC that it will suspend military training in order to concentrate henceforth on political and cultural training as part of the process of bringing the armed conflict to an end constitutes another, encouraging step forward in the right direction;
16. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the rotating Presidency of the EU, the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the Euro-Latin American Parliamentary Assembly and the Government and the Congress of Colombia.