Posted on 01/17/2015 7:17:07 PM PST by UMCRevMom@aol.com
On Thursday, January 15, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on Ukraine.
The document has been very tough and uncompromising with regard to Russia, even with the traditional support of Ukraine by the European Parliament.
It refers to the European Parliament the EU Council with a proposal to not only maintain but also to strengthen the sanctions, and the member states - to provide Ukraine with lethal weapons. The document also contains a number of other very important point.
Although this decision is not legally binding, it will be a significant element of pressure on other governments of the European Union, because the European Parliament is the only EU body that is elected by direct popular vote and thus legally represents the will of more than 500 MILLION PEOPLE in the EU.
"European truth" has prepared for its readers transfer a substantial part of the resolution on the Ukrainian language (may not include some changes that have been made in the final stage) as well as (for convenience) a brief annotated summary of its key points.
First - Short summary of the content of the resolution, with a list of its key points.
1. The general formulation support.
2. compromise formula recognition that separatists "DNR" and "LC" used terrorist methods of operation.
5. Activities of Russia - a threat not only for Ukraine, but also for the EU itself. Argues that Russia is waging an undeclared war on the territory of Ukraine, and provides a clear definition of "hybrid war". Emphasizes the inadmissibility of aggression "in order to protect its" compatriots living abroad "." Argues that Moscow supplies to Ukraine arms and mercenaries.
6. One of the most important points for the sanctions. It is argued that sanctions against Russia should be maintained until the full implementation of the agreements Minsk. Calls on the Commission to develop clear criteria under which the sanctions should be lifted, some of these criteria is given in the decision. In the case of deterioration of the situation of the EU should be ready for tougher sanctions to new restrictions related to the nuclear sector and limit the ability of Russian companies to conduct international financial transactions.
9. Supports the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Crimea by Russia.
10-12. The EU should support reforms in Ukraine.
13. Stresses yet there are no restrictions for delivery to Ukraine lethal weapons, including on a "Lend-Lease"; The EU should help to strengthen the defense of Ukraine.
16. Ukraine has every reason to qualify for full membership in the EU.
17-19. Support Ukraine in the energy sector, the EP welcomes stop the project "South Stream".
20-21. The need to provide greater support to Ukraine by the EU to overcome the humanitarian crisis. The Commission shall, within two months to develop and submit to the European Parliament proposals for the implementation of such mechanisms of EU aid without intermediaries.
23. The need to find a political solution to the crisis.
24. Stresses the need to complete the investigation of the most famous cases of human rights violations, including events on the Maidan, in Odessa, Mariupol, Slavic, Ilovaiskaya and on the street. Rymarska in Kharkov.
25. Welcomes the decision of the French government to stop the delivery of helicopter "Mistral" and encourages other countries to stop military cooperation with Russia.
* * * * *
Translation of a substantial part of the resolution
European Parliament:
1. expresses its full solidarity with Ukraine and its people; reiterates its support for the independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity, inviolability of borders and the European choice of Ukraine;
2. condemns the acts of terrorism and crimes committed by separatists and other irregular forces in Eastern Ukraine;
3. welcomes the parliamentary elections on 26 October which were held despite the dangerous challenges and political circumstances, and further acquisition of new powers by the Verkhovna Rada; welcomes the strong political will of the President Poroshenko, Prime Minister and Speaker Yatsenyuk Groisman for cooperation and implementation of the reform process; urges the new government and parliament of Ukraine to enter without delay the necessary political and socio-economic reforms in order to build a democratic and prosperous state based on the rule of law;
4. deplores the fact that as a result of the current situation in the country, not all of the territory and the population of Ukraine represented in the Verkhovna Rada; recalls that the government and parliament of Ukraine in the decision-making process should ensure that the rights and needs of those citizens who do not have their representation in government;
5. strongly condemns the aggressive and expansionist policy of Russia, which is a threat to the unity and independence of Ukraine and a potential threat to the European Union itself, including condemns the illegal annexation of the Crimea and the undeclared war against a hybrid of Ukraine, including the information war with elements of cyber war, the use of regular and irregular forces, propaganda, energy blackmail, economic pressure, diplomatic and political instability; stresses that these actions are a violation of international law and pose a serious challenge to the security situation in Europe; stresses that there is no basis for the use of military forces in Europe, the so-called historical reasons and for security reasons or to protect their "compatriots living abroad"; calls on Moscow to stop the escalation of the situation, immediately stop the flow of weapons and mercenaries troops in support of the separatist armed groups and use its influence with the separatists to convince them to participate in the political process;
6. encourages the continuation of the current EU sanctions regime, in particular, at the forthcoming meeting of the Council in March 2015 - as long as Russia does not begin to fully respect and comply with the Minsk agreement, and calls on the Commission to find ways to increase solidarity among Member States in case of continuation crisis (in a relationship) with Russia; emphasizes the need to establish a clear set of criteria, the achievement of which would prevent the introduction of new restrictive measures (sanctions) against Russia or lead to cancellation; This list should include: the implementation of the ceasefire agreement, unconditional withdrawal of all Russian troops in Ukraine and Russia to stop supporting the illegal armed groups and mercenaries, the exchange of all prisoners, including Hope Savchenko, Ukraine and regain control over all its territory, including Crimea; in the case of any further actions of Russia, which destabilize the situation in Ukraine (EP) invites the European Council to take further restrictive measures, and to expand their scope so that the sanctions related to the nuclear sector and limit the ability of Russian companies to conduct international financial transactions; recognizes that the EU should be ready to support states that border the Member States - they must be given the same level of security as well as all Member States;
7. believes that sanctions should be part of a broader approach to the EU and Russian efforts to strengthen the dialogue on the part of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy; recalls that the sole purpose of these sanctions is to change the Russian government's current policies and their contribution to the peaceful resolution of the Ukrainian crisis; emphasizes that the preservation, enhancement or reversibility of EU restrictive measures depend on the behavior of Russia and the development of the situation in Ukraine;
8. emphasizes that political and diplomatic channels with regard to Russia should remain open to allow for a diplomatic solution to the conflict, and consequently supports formats such as Geneva and Norman, if they achieved concrete results;
9. supports the policy of non-recognition of the illegal annexation of the Crimea by Russia and in this context gives a positive assessment of the recently adopted additional sanctions against investment, services and trade with the Crimea and Sevastopol;
10. emphasizes that the Association Agreement and free trade zone should provide an action plan for rapid and necessary reforms that need to be taken urgently, despite the difficult military situation in the regions of Lugansk and Donetsk regions; calls on the Council and the Commission to spare no effort to help Ukraine to adopt and implement these reforms in order to pave the way for the full implementation of the bilateral Association Agreement between Ukraine and the EU; welcomes in this regard the launch of the EU advisory mission for security sector reform in Ukraine (EUAM); shares the opinion of the Venice Commission that the success of the constitutional reform is very important that the reform was prepared with the involvement of all involved forces and ensuring broad public consultation;
11. calls for more rapid and substantial technical assistance from the "Support Group" of the European Commission, including in the search for areas where such aid is required in the design and implementation of Ukraine's comprehensive reform program, and providing advisers and experts from the EU institutions and Member States; calls on the Ukrainian authorities to establish a ministry or office for European integration and coordination with the EU and inter-ministerial coordination committee at the highest level, which will have the authority to effectively monitor and control the course of rapprochement with the EU and reforms and have an opportunity to prepare and coordinate their implementation;
12. insists that an ambitious program to combat corruption, including zero tolerance for corruption, Ukraine is urgently needed; calls on Ukraine to eradicate systemic corruption, immediately and effectively implement the National Anti-Corruption Strategy and stresses that the fight against this practice should be one of the main priorities of the new government; The Council was created for this purpose politically independent Anti-Corruption Bureau, which will have sufficient authority and resources to provide a significant contribution to the creation of well-functioning state institutions; welcomes the submission of the Ukrainian Interpol and the issuance of a warrant for the arrest of former President Yanukovych on charges of embezzlement of public funds; Calls upon Member States to implement the Interpol warrant for the arrest and to facilitate the return of stolen assets; welcomes the establishment of the business of the Ombudsman; Ukrainian government proposes to introduce a bill to institute a business ombudsman;
13. recalls that on 16 July, the Council of the European Union to lift the embargo on arms supplies to Ukraine, and thus does not currently exist any restrictions, including legal, for Member States to supply to Ukraine defensive weaponry that could be implemented on conditions "Lend-Lease"; believes that the EU should explore ways to support the Government of Ukraine to strengthen its defense and protection of its external borders on the basis of the experience of the transformation of the armed forces of the Member States, the former member of the Warsaw Pact, especially in the framework provided by the teachings of the armed forces in other parts of the world; support the delivery of non-lethal equipment that are already underway;
14. Takes note of the adoption of the law abolishing the "neutral status" of the state, introduced in 2010; Ukraine recognizes the right to freely make their choice, supports the position of President Poroshenko that Ukraine is now an urgent need to focus on the political, economic and social reforms, and membership in NATO is an issue that should be presented to the people during the nationwide referendum on a later stage; stresses that the close relations between Ukraine and the EU are different from the question of joining NATO;
15. stresses the importance of the international community to maintain economic and political stability and reforms in Ukraine; invites the Commission and Member States to develop a plan for greater support of Ukraine on the principle of "more for more" and intensify its efforts to assist Ukraine by organizing donor / investment conference and cooperation with international financial institutions to determine the next steps to address the economic and financial recovery; welcomes the support package for Ukraine in the amount of 11 billion euros, to be paid over the next few years, as well as the Commission's proposal to allocate additional 1.8 billion euro medium-term loans;
16. reiterates its view that the Association Agreement is not the ultimate goal of EU-Ukraine relations; points out that under Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union, Ukraine - like any other European country - has a European perspective and can apply for membership in the EU, subject to the Copenhagen criteria and the principles of democracy, respect for core human rights and freedoms, minority rights, and ensure the rule of law; Urges Member States to ratify the Association Agreement before the summit in Riga;
17. emphasizes the importance of energy security in Ukraine and the need for reform of the energy sector of Ukraine in accordance with its obligations under the Energy Community; welcomes the agreement between the EU, Russia and Ukraine on the "winter package", which should ensure the supply of gas from Russia to March 2015, as well as the solidarity of the EU to increase the amount of gas supplied to Ukraine via reverse flows from the EU Member States;
18. emphasizes the need to radically improve energy security, independence and stability of the EU to external pressure, and reduce energy dependence on Russia and the EU to take concrete alternatives to help those Member States which currently depend on Russia as a single supplier (gas); calls on the EU to conduct a truly common external energy policy, as well as to create a European Energy Union; calls for full respect of the internal common energy market, including the Third Energy Package and impartial judicial proceedings against "Gazprom", which is now in the court;
19. stresses that priority should be given to the gas pipeline project, which diversify energy supply in the EU, and welcomes stop the project "South Stream"; invites the European Energy Community to develop a program of cooperation with Ukraine and the South Caucasus, Central Asia, the Middle East and Mediterranean countries, aimed at the development of infrastructure and the relationship between the EU and its European neighbors, regardless of Russian gas geopolitics; recognizes that a stable supply of gas to Ukraine are also important for the energy security of the Member States;
20. emphasizes the need for the EU together with the Ukrainian authorities to pay more attention to the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the Crimea, as well as the decision of the catastrophic humanitarian situation, in particular the situation of internally displaced persons (IDPs); calls on the European Commission and Commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management to prepare a reliable, accurate and long-standing humanitarian activities of the EU, which would be avoided intermediary organizations, such as the "Blue convoy," and clearly demonstrated the affiliation of humanitarian aid to the EU; calls on the European Commission to present a plan to the European Parliament in the next two months; stresses the need for further financial assistance to Ukraine from the EU and its Member States, so that it can cope with the humanitarian crisis; WHO reiterates message that Eastern Ukraine needs a medical emergency, its hospitals are not functioning fully, there is a shortage of medicines and vaccines, and calls for a broader and more effective delivery of humanitarian assistance to IDPs, taking into account, in particular, children and the elderly, and also calls for full and unhindered access for the International Committee of the Red Cross in conflict zones; welcomes the adoption of the long-awaited law on IDPs, as well as the decision on the deployment of experts of the European Union through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to advise the Ukrainian authorities on internally displaced persons;
21. calls for continued humanitarian assistance and conflict-affected population; recalls that the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the east of Ukraine should be conducted in full compliance with international humanitarian law and the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and in close coordination with the Government of Ukraine, the International Committee of the Red Cross; calls on Russia to provide international inspection of humanitarian convoys Donbass to avoid doubts about the nature of their cargoes;
22. underlines that the OSCE plays an important role in resolving the Ukrainian crisis and has experience in working with armed conflicts and crises, as well as the fact that both Russia and Ukraine are members of the organization; regrets that a special OSCE monitoring mission still lacks staff and equipment; Calls upon Member States, the High Representative and the Commission to make further efforts to strengthen the Ad monitoring mission of the OSCE in Ukraine personnel and equipment; believes that the EU must expand, if the request of the Ukrainian authorities, the EU observer mission, which will strongly contribute to the effective control and monitoring on the Ukrainian-Russian border;
23. calls on the High Representative and the Commissioner for the European Neighbourhood Policy and the enlargement to do everything in their power to a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine, which would adhere to all stakeholders;
A. Since October 26, 2014 Ukraine held parliamentary elections, which have been effectively organized and calm on the basis of respect for fundamental freedoms, despite the ongoing conflict in the eastern regions and the illegal annexation of the Crimea by Russia;
B. whereas the new government formed by pro-European forces have a constitutional majority to implement reforms and has already adopted the coalition agreement that provides the basis for a clear process of reforms aimed at strengthening the future of European integration, modernization and development of the country, the establishment of genuine democracy and the rule of law and development constitutional changes proposed in the peace plan Poroshenko;
C. whereas so-called "presidential and parliamentary elections" held in Donetsk and Lugansk, November 2, 2014, violate the laws of Ukraine and Minsk agreement and, therefore, can not be recognized; while the conduct of these elections had a negative impact on the peace process;
D. whereas the ceasefire on September 5, 2014 violated the separatists and Russian forces on a daily basis; because from December 9, 2014 on the initiative of the President Poroshenko, calling for "regime of silence", the number of violations has decreased dramatically, but the main points of the memorandum on September 19 were not met Russian-backed separatists; because, according to reliable sources, Russia continues to support the separatist armed forces with the help of a constant flow of military equipment, mercenaries and regular Russian units, as well as battle tanks, sophisticated air defense systems and artillery;
E. whereas the armed conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine led to thousands of casualties among the military and the civilian population, a significant number of wounded and hundreds of thousands of those who were forced to leave their homes and flee, advantageously to Russia, while the situation in the conflict zone is deep concern at the humanitarian and medical point of view;
F. whereas illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula is the first in Europe since World War II, the case of the forced annexation of one country to another and a violation of international law, including the UN Charter, the Helsinki Final Act and the Budapest Treaty of 1994;
G. whereas the Council of Foreign Ministers of the EU 17 November 2014 adopted a principled decision on further sanctions against the separatist leaders;
H. as human rights violations, including intimidation and a new wave of disappearances are widespread in the occupied eastern Ukraine and Crimea;
I. whereas it would be helpful closer cooperation between the EU and the United States concerning Ukraine;
J. whereas the Ukrainian parliament December 23, 2014 voted in favor of rejection of the non-aligned status of the country.
How about this bold step? Europe should cut off the flow of energy from Russia to Euro countries, and get the Saudis and our frackers here in the US to make up the difference, including a shipping effort to make up for the shortfall from now banned Russian energy exports. Let Russia swim in their oil.
And, no lifting of sanctions until Putin is gone and Lenin is buried, and former Soviet officials face trial for crimes against humanity.
Strange -- I've never read anything about Jazeera Al Gore criticizing petroleum- and weapons-peddling Russia or the USSR about *anything*.
More support for Saudi?? Are you insane? That money ends up with extremists who will use it to terrorize your population. Do you really want a western Ukraine over-run by migrant Africans, Muslims, and EU bankers? Mygosh, Europe is falling into ruins as we watch, helpless as EU and US leaders enable the destruction of western civilization, and Ukrainians want to get in line to the same fate.
It would only be temporary (the Saudi thing). It would also cause Saudi to rapidly deplete their supplies of oil, causing them to lose leverage in the long term. Meanwhile, it cuts off Russia and smacks China in the face.
Do you really think there’s “temporary” with Saudi influence?
It is happening already with gas. By June 2014 data there were 7 new LNG import terminals under construction and I counted 32 sites evaluated for new constructions (many of these are competing locations so not all will be built).
Data is from here: http://www.gie.eu/index.php/maps-data/lng-map
Saudi influence is entirely based upon oil money, the oil may last ten years, or it may last a century, but it IS temporary. We can make Russia hurt enough to get Putin ousted, then turn our attention elsewhere as necessary.
You have my vote!
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