- Author(s):
- Parliamentary Assembly
- Origin
- Assembly debate on 21 September 1991 (13th Sitting) (see Doc 6488Doc 6488, report of the Political Affairs Committee, Rapporteur: Mr Soares Costa; and Doc 6503Doc 6503, opinion of the Committee on Relations with European Non-Member Countries, Rapporteur: Mr Seitlinger). Text adopted by the Assembly on 21 September 1991 (13th Sitting).
- Thesaurus
1. The Assembly is deeply disturbed at the continuing tragic loss of life resulting from the conflict between the peoples in Yugoslavia, and calls upon all parties to respect the cease-fire agreed at Igalo on 17 September 1991.
2. Seriously concerned about the fate of the civilian populations fleeing the conflict to settle in safer areas of Yugoslavia or in neighbouring countries, it fears that an aggravation of the crisis may cause a considerable increase in the number of displaced persons.
3. condemns the acts of war carried out by the Yugoslav federal army, acting outside the institutional control of the federal authorities, and also condemns the offensive action of the paramilitary forces.
4. Assembly fully supports the efforts made by the European Community to find a peaceful solution to the conflict, such as the peace conference at The Hague, the mediation efforts of its Chairman, Lord Carrington, and the monitoring missions.
5. notes with concern the statements by the representatives of the Yugoslav Federal Assembly and of the Parliaments of Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia, but regrets that the parliaments of Bosnia-Herzegovina and the autonomous provinces of Vojvodina and Kosovo did not participate in the hearing held by its competent committees on 18 September 1991.
6. notes the right of the republics, under the Yugoslav Constitution of 1974, to secede from the federation and calls upon the Council of Europe member states to consider recognising those republics which have declared independence. It stresses that any right to self-determination must be accompanied by full respect for human and minority rights, as well as the relevant international treaties. In this connection, it welcomes the proposal adopted by the European Parliament (Resolution of 11 September 1991) that minority rights should also be protected according to definitions and procedures set out by the Council of Europe.
7. It welcomes the solemn confirmation at the CSCE meeting on national minorities (Geneva, 1-19 July 1991) of the principle that issues concerning national minorities are matters of legitimate international concern and do not constitute exclusively an internal affair of the respective state. It regrets, however, the failure of that meeting to agree on any practical means of protecting these rights.
8. considers that the continued massive use of violence in Yugoslavia, which could easily spill over into neighbouring countries, must be considered as a threat to international peace and security within the meaning of Article 39 of the United Nations Charter.
9. Consequently, the Assembly calls upon the Council of Europe member states to ask the United Nations Security Council, under the appropriate articles, to consider sending an effective military force to Yugoslavia in order to secure a cease-fire and a sensible solution to the future of Yugoslavia and its republics.
10. further calls upon the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers to make available to the parties to the conflict all constitutional, legal and other expertise as may be required.
