13/05/2014 President
PACE President and group leaders: all stakeholders in Ukraine must put an immediate end to violence, ensure full respect for human rights and engage in a broad national dialogue
Strasbourg, 13.05.2014 - Anne Brasseur, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), speaking on behalf of the Assembly’s Presidential Committee following a meeting in Luxembourg, has appealed to all sides in Ukraine to put an immediate end to violence and intimidation.
“On behalf of the Parliamentary Assembly, I express my sincerest sympathy to the families and relatives of all those who have lost their lives recently in Odessa and across the country. Violence cannot and will not bring a solution – it must immediately stop and all sides must ensure that human rights are effectively respected on the whole territory of Ukraine. Furthermore, thorough investigations into acts of violence and intimidation have to be carried out, and in this respect the mandate of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) on Ukraine, set up on the initiative of Council of Europe Secretary General Thorbjørn Jagland, should be extended.”
She added: “I also strongly regret the holding of the so-called ‘referendums’ in the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, despite repeated and unanimous calls by the international community to refrain from such actions, which only add to the already tense atmosphere.”
“All stakeholders must urgently engage in a broad national dialogue, as was agreed in Geneva. All citizens of Ukraine must feel that their interests and concerns are heard and taken into account, and the Prime Minister’s proposal to launch national-unity round-table discussions is definitely an encouraging initiative. The Parliamentary Assembly stands ready to support this process by all means at its disposal,” the President said.