Considering that it is incumbent upon the Council of Europe to give tangible expression to co ordinated European assistance in the event of a European country being overtaken by natural disaster and that it should, therefore, undertake suitable action to provide stimulus and impetus in this connection ;
1 make a declaration of principle concerning the moral obligation of Member States to provide immediate assistance in the event of a European country being overtaken by natural disaster:
2 authorise the Secretary General, in the event of a Member State of the Council of Europe being overtaken by natural disaster, to draw the attention of Member Governments, in agreement with the Government of the country concerned and the Chairman in office of the Committee of Ministers, to the need to take steps to assist the victims of the disaster ;
3 invite the Governments to concentrate their action on behalf of the countries overtaken by disaster upon providing assistance in the form of public services, since, in the opinion of the experts, no provision for such assistance is made by any existing international body ;
4 invite the Secretary General to conduct the action referred to in paragraph 3 above in close co operation with the League of Red Cross Societies ;
5 reconsider the case of the island of Ithaca, adopted by the Council of Europe, by making a grant of 20,000 pounds sterling towards the costs of its work of reconstruction, this grant to be applied in conformity with the wishes of the people of Ithaca and in close co operation with the Greek Government ;Requests the Committee of Ministers to inform it of the action taken as a result of this Recommendation.
