12/01/2011 President
, 12.01.2011 – Mevlüt Çavusoglu, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), has expressed profound concern at the recent social and economic tension in and voiced his regret that protests which have been ongoing since mid-December have degenerated into violent clashes with the pce, leading to the deaths of at least 21 people.
The President, speaking at the end of an official visit to the country (10-12 January 2011), stressed that freedom of expression and assembly were key elements of any democracy. He called on the authorities to “manage the crisis in a responsible manner and in full conformity with Council of Europe standards, in particular avoiding the disproportionate use of force by law enforcement officials”. Transparency was key, he added, calling on the authorities to investigate these events thoroughly and provide the population with full information.
Earlier, following a scheduled meeting with the Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies and Chamber of Advisors, Mr Çavusoglu offered the Tunisian Parliament the opportunity to strengthen relations with PACE and play a more active part in the Assembly's work – on condition that it pledges to uphold democracy and human rights, organise free and fair elections and work towards abshing the death penalty.
The President said PACE’s new “Partnership for democracy” status was designed for neighbouring countries which shared the values of the 47-nation Council of Europe and sought closer co-operation.
“Tunisian society is modern, tolerant and well educated, and this country is the most advanced in the Arab world in the field of women’s rights,” the President pointed out. “That said, there still remains a considerable way ahead in order to meet fully all the requirements of the partnership status, especially in the field of democratic institutions, human rights and rule of law. This status is not granted ‘for free’ – there are several important conditions to respect.”
The Parliament of Morocco and the Palestinian National Council have already applied for the new status, which allows delegations from the participating states to sit in and address the 318-member Assembly, but without voting rights.
As well as the Presidents of the two Chambers, Mr Çavusoglu also met the Prime Miner, the Foreign Affairs Miner and the Miner for Development and International Co-operation.
Contact: PACE Communication Division, tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93.