23 Amendments of Mário DAVID related to 2013/2147(INI)
Amendment 3 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A a (new)
Recital A a (new)
Aa. Whereas EU is Saudi Arabia main trading partner with 15% of the global trade and KSA is the 11th largest trade partner for the EU. Whereas large number of EU companies are investors in the Saudi economy, especially in the country’s petroleum industry and Saudi Arabia is an important market for the export of EU industrial goods in areas such as Defence, Transportation, Automotive, Medical and Chemical exports;
Amendment 4 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital A b (new)
Recital A b (new)
Ab. Whereas EU and Saudi Arabia face common challenges that are global in origin and impact, such as a rapidly changing economy, migration, energy security, international terrorism, the spread of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and environmental degradation;
Amendment 8 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas KSA is a hereditary absolute monarchy without an elected parliament; whereas it faces the challenge of royal succession; whereas KSA has a population of 28 million, including 9 million foreigners and 10 million aged under 18; whereas someeveral reforms have been implemented in KSA since 2001, but are not institutionalised and can thus be easily revernot all of them are institutionalised; whereas the country’s record in the field of human rights remains dismal, with fundamental gaps between its international obligation and their implementationneeds to improve;
Amendment 23 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas freedom of religion is not guaranteed in KSA, sinceKSA needs to improve the Laws on Religion Practices, particularly those regarding public practice of anyd religion but Islam is forbidden; whereas minority Islamic groups, such as Shias and Sufis, are targets of discrimination and prejudice which are often condoned by the country´s religious establishmentus minorities, enshrined by the true values of the Islamic religion based on tolerance and acceptance of others.;
Amendment 29 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas KSA plays a leading role in disseminating and promoting worldwide a particularly rigorous Salafi/Wahhabi interpretation of Islam; whereas the most extreme manifestations of Salafism/Wahhabism have inspired terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and pose a global security threat, including for KSA itselfhas taken decisive action and severe measures to combat terrorism and financial activities linked to terrorism. Whereas KSA has promulgated a number of legislative acts and regulations to counter this type of criminal activity and has launched an ongoing national awareness campaign to combat terrorism and extremist ideology through dialogue and elucidation of the true values of the Islamic religion based on tolerance, moderation, justice and acceptance of others. Whereas KSA has supported numerous regional and international initiatives in this regard; whereas KSA has developed a system to control financial transactions to ensure that no funds are being channelled into terrorist organisations, but no such control can be guaranteed regarding private charities or entities operating outside KSA;
Amendment 34 #
Motion for a resolution
Recital F a (new)
Recital F a (new)
Fa. whereas the Saudi Government has recently implemented several measures and actions to promote and enhance women’s rights, particularly in education, decision-making and employment issues;
Amendment 56 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Calls on the KSA authorities to ensure freedom of expression for all its inhabitants of KSA, and stresses that the peaceful advocacy of basic legal rights or making critical remarks using social media are expressions of an indispensable right, as Parliament has stressed in its report on digital freedom; stresses the importance of the practice of social media and the use of internet, acquired over recent years, particularly among young population;
Amendment 74 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7
Paragraph 7
7. Regrets that there is no freedom of religion in KSA; eEncourages the authorities of KSA to foster moderation and tolerance, tolerance and mutual understanding of religious diversity at all levels of the education system, including in religious establishments, as well as in the public discourse of officials and civil servants, through dialogue and explanation of the true values of the Islamic religion based on tolerance and acceptance of others; welcomes in this respect the Sakina Campaign for Dialogue, supported by the Ministry of Islamic Affairs;
Amendment 78 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 7 a (new)
Paragraph 7 a (new)
7a. Welcomes the establishment in Vienna of the ‘King Abdullah Bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue’ (KAICIID) in 2012, initiated and promoted by KSA; stresses that the Centre has major objectives of enabling, empowering and encouraging dialogue among different religions and cultures around the world. The Founding States of the Centre are the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Republic of Austria and the Kingdom of Spain, being the Holy See a Founding Observer. The Board of Directors comprises high-level representatives of the major world religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism) and cultures;
Amendment 79 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Emphasises the need to respect the fundamental rights of Shias and other minorities, including the right to full participation in political life and governance; calls on the KSA authorities to attach safeguards to the anti-terrorist legislation so that it is not used againstall religious minorities; calls on the authorities to make greater efforts to ensure tolerance and coexistence among all religious groups; urges them to purgecontinue reviewing the education system of derogatory and, in order to eliminate possible existing discriminatory references to believers in other religions or members of minority Islamic groupbeliefs;
Amendment 84 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 9
Paragraph 9
9. WStrongly welcomes the King’s appointment in 2013 of the first women to serve in the Consultative Assembly (Shura council) of KSA, occupying 30 seats out of 150;
Amendment 93 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 12
Paragraph 12
12. Urges the authorities to revoke the medieval male guardianship system, andRecognises the recent efforts made by the Saudi authorities in drawing up legislation in favour of women rights and encouraging the debates which have recently been opened on such matters; urges the authorities to take further steps aimed at lifting restrictions onenhance women’s rights, including freedom of movement, employment opportunities, legal personality and, representation in judicial processes, and the eliminating allon of all other forms of discrimination against women in private and public life and promoting their participation in the economic, social, cultural and political spheres;
Amendment 117 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 a (new)
Paragraph 14 a (new)
14a. Welcomes the recent decision of the Ministry of Labour to accelerate the recruitment of women in various private- sector spheres, which has led to an increase of the number of Saudi women working in the private sector from 55.600 in 2010 to about 100.000 in 2011 and 215.840 at the end of 2012. Welcomes the decision of the Ministry of Labour in conjunction with the Human Resources Development Fund to introduce programmes to promote women’s employment;
Amendment 118 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 b (new)
Paragraph 14 b (new)
14b. Encourages the efforts of KSA in promoting women higher education, which is developing new education trends in the Kingdom; notes while in 2011, the number of women enrolled in institutions of higher education amounted to 473.725 (429.842 males) whereas in 1961 only 4 women were enrolled, and the number of women graduating from these institutions amounted to 59.948 (55.842 males); the percentage of female students at all school levels increased from 33 % in 1974–75 to 81% percent in 2013; welcomes the international scholarship programme which allowed the number of female scholarship students abroad to stand at 24.581;
Amendment 119 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 c (new)
Paragraph 14 c (new)
14c. Encourages the national campaign engaged by Government entities and civil society organizations to raise women’s awareness of the laws and measures in place to protect their rights, particularly with respect to, inter alia, social welfare services and personal status procedures for the registration of marriages, divorces and births;
Amendment 120 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 14 d (new)
Paragraph 14 d (new)
14d. Welcomes the adoption by KSA of a law that criminalises domestic violence: the ‘Protection from harm act’ approved on 26 August 2013, which is aimed at protecting particularly women and children from ‘all forms of abuse’, offering them shelter as well as ‘social, psychological, and medical aid’ and penal action against the perpetrators of violence; welcomes the launching of a public campaign against domestic violence, by the King Khalid Foundation; strongly encourages all awareness campaigns regarding the implementation of these Laws as well as the independent monitoring of the results of these new Acts and Campaigns;
Amendment 131 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 16
Paragraph 16
16. Rejects the zero-sum game logic as a paradigm for international relations in the Middle East, since it fuels distrust, sectarian hatred and the arms race in the region, including the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; in this connection, deplores the destabilising effects of arms sales by some EU Member States to KSA and other countries in the region; believes that the solution to the region’s escalating security problems lies in establishing a common security framework, from which no country is excluded and in which the legitimate security interests of all countries are taken into consideration;
Amendment 138 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17
Paragraph 17
Amendment 146 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 17 a (new)
Paragraph 17 a (new)
17a. Recognises the efforts of KSA to combat terrorism and extremism in Saudi Arabia and worldwide; welcomes the establishment in 2011 of the UNCCT (United Nations Counter-Terrorism Centre) to promote international peace and security especially in the global fight against terrorism, through a voluntary contribution of the Government of Saudi Arabia of $100 million; acknowledges in this regard, that KSA, while working with international partners has taken a leading role in developing coordinated strategies to defeat terrorists either at home and abroad, to thwart extremist advancements and to engage and rehabilitate at-risk populations; welcomes the fact that KSA has also supported numerous regional and international initiatives in this regard;
Amendment 151 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 19
Paragraph 19
19. Calls on KSA to refrain from acting on the basis of a narrow sectarian-based zero-sum game logic regarding the Syrian conflict, andStresses that KSA is a key member of the ‘Friends of Syria Group’; calls on KSA to contribute instead to a peaceful, inclusive solution, notably through support for the Geneva II talks, without preconditions; calls also for the more active involvement of KSA in humanitarian relief for victims of the Syrian civil war;
Amendment 160 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21
Paragraph 21
21. Calls on the KSA authorities to engage in a peaceful dialogue with Iran over bilateral relations and the future of the region; welcomes on this respect, the position of KSA on the Geneva Agreement of the Group ‘3+3’ and Iran, regarding the Iranian nuclear program on 24 November 2013, as a primary step towards a comprehensive solution to the Iranian nuclear program;
Amendment 164 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 a (new)
Paragraph 21 a (new)
21a. Welcomes The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia commitment to maintain the stability of the global oil market;
Amendment 166 #
Motion for a resolution
Paragraph 21 b (new)
Paragraph 21 b (new)
21b. Calls on the EU and KSA to work together to combat extremism and terrorism in the world, particularly in the Middle East and North of Africa;