B4-0937, 0949, 0952 and 0988/97

Resolution on the situation in Togo

The European Parliament,

- having regard to its previous resolutions on Togo,

A. having regard to the Lomé IV Convention, in particular Article 5 thereof, under which the States Parties have undertaken to respect human rights and the principles of democracy,

B. whereas the Togolese Government has repeatedly declared its intention of seeking to ensure that the next presidential and parliamentary elections in Togo are organized in a regular, free and transparent manner, and whereas in this connection a Constitutional Court, a Judicial Council, a High Council for Audiovisual Affairs and a National Electoral Commission were established one year ago,

C. whereas, for the commitment thus entered into by the Togolese Government to become reality, it is necessary for the legal and technical procedures for the organization of the elections to be broadly subscribed to by the various Togolese political parties,

D. having regard to the request by the Prime Minister of Togo for assistance from the European Commission in drawing up a programme for the organization of elections in conditions acceptable to all political forces involved in the electoral process,

E. whereas, in response to this request, the Commission has had a study carried out in Togo, the report on which is currently being finalized,

F. concerned at the reports by various international human rights organizations regarding continuing human rights violations in Togo,

1. Notes that cooperation between the European Union and Togo, which was suspended in 1992, has been gradually and progressively resuming since 1995, and considers that a complete resumption of cooperation is dependent on the organization in Togo of genuinely transparent and fair elections in 1998;

2. Calls on the Togolese Government to seek a consensus among the various Togolese political parties on the legal and technical procedures for the elections, on the basis of, inter alia, the report drawn up by the experts sent to Togo by the Commission;

3. Calls on the Togolese Government to guarantee the right freely to organize meetings and the independence of the National Electoral Commission, to introduce an independent procedure for considering complaints about the elections and to allow fair access to the media - especially radio and television - for all political parties;

4. Calls on the Commission to ensure adequate participation in the preparation, conduct and monitoring of the elections in Togo, including by sending international election observers and human rights experts and by training local observers;

5. Calls on the Commission and the Togolese Government to allow public inspection of the report drawn up by the experts sent to Togo to assess the necessary conditions for ensuring the regularity of the next presidential elections;

6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and the Togolese Government and National Assembly.