Following the debate on 21 May 2008 on this issue, the European Parliament adopted by 524 votes to 3, with 13 abstentions, a resolution on the tragic situation in Burma.
The text adopted in plenary had been tabled as a joint resolution by the EPP-ED, PES, ALDE, Greens/EFA, UEN, and GUE/NGL groups.
The Parliament recalls the devastating effects of Cyclone Nargis in Burma, with a death toll of at least 100 000 and between 1.6 million and 2.5 million people severely affected and in urgent need of aid, according to independent observers. However, aid is arriving very slowly, with the State Peace and Development Council delaying the delivery of urgent supplies in total disregard for the victims.
The Parliament recalls that, two days after the cyclone, the Commission had already disbursed EUR 2 million to help meet the basic needs of the survivors and that the current level of pledged EU aid amounts to EUR 17 million and could be raised to more than EUR 30 million if the Burmese leadership allowed international aid.
The Parliament therefore strongly condemns the unacceptably slow response to this grave humanitarian crisis by the Burmese authorities and calls on the Burmese Government in the most strenuous terms to open cyclone-affected areas to international humanitarian aid operations, to immediately grant visas to aid workers, to allow UN and international humanitarian agencies to distribute the aid directly to those in need and to allow nearby countries to deliver aid by air and sea.
It expresses its solidarity with the people of Burma and its sorrow for all those who are suffering the consequences of the disaster.
At the same time, the Parliament deplores the distorted priorities of the regime in pushing ahead with its so-called referendum on the sham constitution, and rejects the implausible outcome at a time when a large part of the country has been devastated and millions are suffering from what has been aptly described as a natural disaster turned into a man-made catastrophe. It reiterates that the sovereignty of a nation cannot be allowed to override the human rights of its people, as enshrined in the UN principle of 'responsibility to protect' and calls on the Government of the United Kingdom, which holds the May Presidency of the UN Security Council, to take urgent action to put the situation in Burma on the agenda of the Security Council.
The Parliament welcomes the agreement reached at the summit meeting of ASEAN, India and China in Singapore, to allow the Association of Southeast Asian Nations to coordinate international relief efforts, and it calls for a special fund to be set up as a matter of urgency under the auspices of the UN to facilitate the effective distribution of aid in the country.
The Parliament urges China and India to use their influence with the Burmese authorities in order to open Burma for immediate access by all possible humanitarian relief. It places great hope in the forthcoming mission of the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, who has been invited for talks with the Burmese authorities. The Parliament urges the UN Secretary-General to use his influence with the Burmese authorities in order to open Burma for immediate access by all possible humanitarian relief.
Lastly, the Parliament believes that if the Burmese authorities continue to prevent aid from reaching those in danger, they should be held accountable for crimes against humanity before the ICC. It calls on the EU Member States to press for a UN Security Council resolution referring the case to the Prosecutor of the ICC for investigation and prosecution.