>Press-report - February 2000
>
>EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT SUMMONS:
>"STOP HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS OF DINEH (Navajo)"
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>------
>During the plenary sessions in Strassbourg from 14 till 18 February 2000,
>the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT adopted the URGENCY RESOLUTION,
>
>'against the forced relocation, the ongoing violations of human, religious
>and land rights of the Dineh at 'Big Mountain' and raised the concerns of
>the European Parliament members about the contaminated 'New Lands'.
>
>After two months of intensive political lobby-work, the proposed resolution
>was introduced in accordance with article 50 of the regulations within the
>European Parliament.
>
>The Belgian European Parliament members:
>-PATSY SORENSEN (for the Group of the Greens/European Free Alliance)
>-DIRK STERCKX (for the Group of European Liberals, Democrat and Reform Party)
>-KATHLEEN VAN BREMPT (for the Group of the Party of European Socialist)
>-JOHAN VAN HECKE (for the Group of the European People's Party, Christian
>Democrats and European Democrats)
>and
>the members of 'COSSUTTA EN VINCI' (for the Confederal Group of the European
>United Left/ Nordic Green Left)
>made a great effort to get the resolution on the agenda of the plenary
>session of February in Strassbourg.
>The co-ordinators of the plenary sessions had no choice, the urgency
>resolution had to be on the agenda because the majority of the European
>political groups backed the issue, although the urgencies on the agenda are
>limited to 5 a month.
>
>Thanks to the united work of the members of the different political groups,
>the resolution got introduced as Urgency Resolution : B5-0152, 0157, 0163,
>0171 and 0174/2000.
>
>ON THE 17TH FEBRUARY: THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT ADOPTED THE RESOLUTION.
>
>The European Parliament also calls the 'Delegation for relations with the
>US' (within the European Parliament) to discuss at its next meeting: the
>Dineh and Hopi people's human rights, development, cultural and religious
>rights and their treatment by the US government.
>
>A new step in the right direction, has been taken .
>All over the world the same standards and measures against violations of
>human rights, should be taken, no other interests may play a part in both:
>taking a clear stand and in acting, with non-violent means, against
>violations of human, religious and land rights."
>Europe raised a clear voice in the case of the Dineh.
>
>All supportive fractions of the European Parliament spoke in favor of the
>Dineh during the sessions in Strassbourg.
>
>Patsy Sörensen stated in her speech: "It is high time that the rights of the
>Native Peoples in the US are respected. The Dineh People had no voice in the
>whole issue of Big Mountain."
>
>Dirk Sterckx: "It is the role of the European Parliament to protect
>threatened people like the Dineh, the relocation has to be stopped."
>
>Kathleen Van Brempt: "In our resolution we ask the US government to stop
>teasing the Dineh people, to stop the relocation and to give back their
>rights, their land and dignity".
>
>Johan Van Hecke: "It seems that the US leaders did not learn of the
>criticism on their treatment of the Natives and other Indigenous Peoples,
>and we should admit, the European responsibility is not less important".
>-----
>for FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM - Working group on Indigenous Peoples issues
>Ria Verjauw and Marieke Van Coppenolle
><ria@motherearth.org>
>---------------------------------------------------------
>
>TEXT OF THE RESOLUTION
>As adopted by the European Parliament on 17 February 2000
>_________________________________________________________
>
>Native Americans in the US - Dineh / B5-0152, 0157, 0163, 0171 and 0174/2000
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>The European Parliament,
>
>- recalling the provisions on rights of indigenous peoples contained
>in the
>Vienna Declaration adopted by the World Conference on Human Rights stressing
>the need to protect the economic, social and cultural well-being of
>indigenous peoples including their distinct identities and cultures,
>
>- having regard to its resolutions on the rights of indigenous
>peoples, in
>particular that of 9 February 1994 and 19 January 1995 ,
>
>- recalling the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as
>well as the principles of Agenda 21 and the Convention on Biological
>Diversity,
>
>- having regard to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 36/55 -
>Declaration on the elimination of all forms of intolerance and of
>discrimination based on religion or belief,
>
>- having regard to Resolutions 1989/97 and 1990/34 of the UN
>Sub-commission
>on prevention of discrimination and protection of minorities on the
>"Relocation of Hopi and Navajo families",
> ~~~~~~~
>A. mindful of the Dineh people who reside in the Hopi Partition Lands
>(HPL)
>in the United States and are facing eviction through the implementation of
>the Relocation Act (Public Law 93-531), obliging them to sign the
>Accommodation Agreement,
>
>B. aware of the fact that the US Government will start the relocation
>process very soon,
>
>C. concerned that the recent Public Law 104-301 and its Accommodation
>Agreement will mean the Dineh (Navajo) families in the Black Mesa region
>being forced to abandon their land, given the denial of sufficient
>livestock, thereby threatening the Dineh's cultural and socio-economic
>survival, confiscation of firewood causing families severe hardship,
>especially in winter, and the withdrawal of rights regarding water, hunting
>and medicinal gatherings,
>
>D. aware of the fact that Dineh families residing in HPL live near the
>Peabody Coal Company coal mining lease areas on Black Mesa, which the Bureau
>of Indian Affairs granted water rights to the Navajo aquifer, the sole water
>source of the Dineh and Hopi, whose wells are rapidly drying up, thereby
>threatening their spiritual and religious existence,
>
>E. considering the fact that on Black Mesa there are 10,000 sites of
>special
>significance for the cultural heritage of the Dineh people,
>
>F. aware of the fact that 94 million gallons of water contaminated with
>uranium mining waste broke through a United Nuclear Corporation storage dam
>on 16 July 1979, pouring into the Puerto river in New Mexico and the Little
>Colorado river where Dineh families from HPL had been evicted to
>contaminated radioactive areas along the Little Colorado river's so-called
>New Lands,
>
>G. concerned about the health of the Dineh families living in the vicinity
>of existing mining facilities on Black Mesa and those who relocated to the
>New Lands,
>
>1. Calls on the US Government's law-enforcement officers to halt all
>harassment of Dineh families resisting relocation;
>
>2. Calls on the US Government to respect the land rights of the Dineh
>people
>as well as the provisions for indigenous peoples of the Vienna Declaration;
>
>3. Calls on the US Government not to proceed with the Accommodation
>Agreement until the US Congress mandates formal congressional hearings to
>re-assess the impact of mining in the region;
>
>4. Calls on the US authorities to organise integration programmes for the
>Dineh people who have been relocated;
>
>5. Calls on its delegation for relations with the United States to
>discuss,
>at its next meeting, the Dineh (Navajo) and Hopi people's human rights,
>development, cultural and religious rights and their treatment by the United
>States;
>
>6. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the
>Commission, the US Government, the US Congress, the Navajo and Hopi Tribal
>Councils and the Governor of the State of Arizona.
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>----------end
>

-- Carol S. Halberstadt, Migrations (carol@migrations.com)
Native American art and crafts
http://www.migrations.com

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