Thursday the 17th February 2000 :
>>>
>>>during the plenary sessions in Strassbourg,
>>>the EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT adopted the URGENCY RESOLUTION,
>>>
>>>against the forced relocation, the ongoing violations of human-,
>religious- and landrights of the Dineh at Big Mountain.
>>
>>TEXT:
>>+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +
>>As adopted by the European Parliament on 17 February 2000
>>
>>Native Americans in the US - Dineh
>>B5-0152, 0157, 0163, 0171 and 0174/2000
>>
>>European Parliament resolution on native Americans in the US - Dineh
>>
>>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.
>>++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>
>>The texts of the interventions on the BM issue, of the different members
>who introduced the resolution, will be send later. I only have it in Dutch
>for the moment.
>>Interventions were made by:
>>- Johan Van Hecke (Belgian MEP: Christian Democrats)
>>- Kathleen Van Brempt ( Belgian MEP: Socialists)
>>- Dirk Sterckx ( Belgian MEP: Liberals)
>>- Patsy Sorensen ( Belgian MEP: Greens)
>>
>>+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
>>
>>Please send me your remarks, commends etc.
>>so that I can update the members of the EP who did a great job to get the
>resolution first of all on the agenda and secondly get it adopted.
>>
>>For me personaly this resolution is very important, first of all for the
>Dineh resisters themselves and also for similar problems of land-,
>religious- and human rights of Indigenous Peoples in the US. A door has been
>opened, in the past one of the remarks amongst some politicians was: "we
>can't criticize the US on human rights." (of course other interests were
>involved)
>>
>>A new step forward, in the good direction, has been taken :
>>"against violations of human rights ALL OVER THE WORLD the same standards
>and measures need to be taken, no other interests may play a role in taking
>a clear stand and in acting, with non-violant means, against violations of
>human-, religious- and landrights.
>>We go on.
>>
>>>
>>>for FOR MOTHER EARTH BELGIUM - Working Group on Indigenous Peoples -
>>>Ria Verjauw
>>>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>>>
>>

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

"A generation goes, and a generation comes, and the earth abides forever."
(Ecclesiastes 1:4)

"...then weave for us a garment of brightness,
that we may walk fittingly where birds sing..."

(from a Tewa prayer)

"Lift up your eyes to the heavens and look on the earth beneath,
for the heavens will vanish like smoke and the earth wear away
like a garment..."
(Isaiah 51:6)

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