Afghanistan

Written Declaration No. 260

Doc. 7869

3 July 1997

The undersigned, members of the Assembly, declare the following:

For more than seventeen years, war and civil war has prevailed in Afghanistan. Unfortunately there is no end in sight to the violent conflicts which up to the present have caused immense suffering for the population. On the contrary, reports on the most serious violations of human rights, that is to say torture, rape, maltreatment of prisoners, deportations, stoning and arbitrary executions, become more frequent.

The undersigned urge all parties to the conflict to respect human rights and to direct all efforts to enabling the population to finally live in peace and freedom.

All states are called upon to support these efforts within the bounds of their possibilities and to refrain from everything (notably, supplying arms) that could impede a peaceful development.

The members of the Assembly are called upon to make this position clear in their contacts with representatives of Afghanistan.

Signed: (1)

B�hler, Germany, EPP

Antretter, Germany, SOC

Behrendt, Germany, SOC

Bindig, Germany, SOC

Gross, Switzerland, SOC

Muehlemann, Switzerland, LDR

Probst, Germany, EPP

Schloten, Germany, SOC

Schwimmer, Austria, EPP

Siebert, Germany, EPP

Terborg, Germany, SOC

van der Linden, Netherlands, EPP

Vermot-Mangold, Switzerland, SOC

Zierer, Germany, EPP

______________

Total = 14

Note: 1 SOC : Socialist Group

EPP : Group of the European People's Party

EDG : European Democratic Group

LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers Group

UEL : Group of the Unified European Left