12/12/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's Political Affairs Committee today organised in Paris a parliamentary hearing on “the need for international condemnation of the crimes of communism”, in the framework of the preparation of a report on the subject. According to the rapporteur, Manuela Aguiar (Portugal, EPP/CD), it is time to take stock of the numerous crimes of totalitarian communism of the past and condemn them solemnly. Participants include Stéphane Courtois, co-author of "The black book of communism: crimes, terror and repression", former Soviet dissident Vladimir Bukovsky and Toomas Hiio of the Estonian Foundation for the Investigation of Crimes Against Humanity.
25/11/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE President Peter Schieder has strongly urged the Ukrainian authorities and the opposition to find a peaceful solution to the current political crisis and to refrain from any provocative action that could lead to violence. "The International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) found that the second round failed to meet democratic standards. It is now essential that the complaints by the opposition about cases of alleged electoral fraud be examined by the competent Ukrainian courts in a speedy and transparent manner and the decisions implemented before a new President takes office", Mr Schieder said.
17/11/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE’s Political Affairs Committee has called on the Parliament of Israel, which holds observer status with the Assembly, to facilitate the proper conduct of the forthcoming Palestinian presidential election, in particular the free movement of persons. Adopting a statement during a meeting in Paris, the committee also said the Assembly should observe the election. The coming period was “crucial for the Palestinian people”, the parliamentarians said.
16/11/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's Political Affairs Committee has spelled out a series of steps Armenia and Azerbaijan could take to fulfill their commitment to settle the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict peacefully. But in a report adopted this week, the committee also expressed concern at the creation of "mono-ethnic areas which resemble the terrible concept of ethnic cleansing" and said displaced persons should be able to return to their homes safely and with dignity. The report may be discussed at the Assembly's January session.
12/11/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Yasser Arafat successfully ensured that the international community accepted the principle of an independent sovereign state of Palestine”, said the Chair of PACE’s Sub-Committee on the Middle East Lord Kilclooney. “A great memorial to his life would be the creation of a democratic Palestine.” He added: “Personally, I will always recall the warmth and courtesy which he extended to our committee members on our visits to his presidential compound in Ramallah.”
19/10/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The head of the PACE delegation taking part in a UN General Assembly debate in New York appealed for the world body to take into account ideas coming from regional organisations such as the Council of Europe. Adrian Severin (Romania, SOC) told the General Assembly: “We believe it would be fair and wholly justified that such ideas coming from regional organisations as ours are taken into consideration by the United Nations”. He also pointed to the Assembly’s texts aimed at strengthening the UN. PACE members David Atkinson and Christos Pourgourides also addressed the General Assembly, as well as Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis.
04/10/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Political Affairs Committee today adopted a preliminary draft resolution on the situation in Western Sahara. The text urges the authorities of Morocco “to show a compromising attitude towards acceptance of the United Nations Peace Plan for Self-Determination of the People of Western Sahara”, a plan already officially accepted by the Frente Polisario. According to the preliminary draft resolution, prepared by Gabino Puche (Spain, EPP/CD), the acceptance of the Peace Plan would allow “to put an end to the dispute over Western Sahara”.
17/09/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE’s Political Affairs Committee has proposed the creation of a Round Table for politicians from Chechnya and Russia as a whole to help increase democratic stability in the republic. Speaking at press conference in Paris on 14 September, rapporteur Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) said that the new body should involve only those who “renounce violence”. The report, approved by the committee the same day, described the Beslan hostage-taking as “a gross crime against humanity” but appealed to all authorities involved not to react to the provocation in kind. The report is due to be debated by the Assembly - together with others on the human rights and humanitarian situations in Chechnya - on Thursday 7 October in Strasbourg.
10/09/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The three PACE rapporteurs on the situation in the Chechen Republic will give a press conference on Tuesday 14 September at 1.30 p.m. in the CoE Paris office (55, avenue Kléber, Métro Boissière). The rapporteurs are Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) on the political situation, Rudolf Bindig (Germany, SOC) on the human rights situation and Tadeusz Iwinski (Poland, SOC) on the humanitarian situation. On this occasion, Mr Gross and Mr Iwinski, who made a fact-finding visit to the region from 28 to 31 August, will present their reports (which will be adopted by their respective committees in Paris on 13 and 14 September). Mr Bindig’s report will be adopted on 16 September. The three reports will be debated in Strasbourg during the next PACE plenary session (7 October). Press contact: Micaela Catalano (mobile: 06 08 56 40 65) and Lucas Delattre, Council of Europe Office, Paris, tel. 01 44 05 33 60.
05/07/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) and Tadeusz Iwiński (Poland, SOC) – who are preparing reports on, respectively, the political and the humanitarian aspects of the situation in the Chechen Republic – plan to visit the region in connection with the presidential election on 29 August 2004 in the framework of the preparation of their reports. The Assembly is provisionally due to debate both reports, together with a third by Rudolf Bindig (Germany, SOC) on the human rights situation in the Republic, during its October session (4-8 October 2004).
24/06/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Council of Europe should offer to help the United Nations in Iraq, the Assembly said today in a resolution adopted following an urgent debate. The parliamentarians said the 45-nation organisation should respond to the UN’s request for international assistance by offering its expertise in areas such as drafting a constitution, training police and judges and promoting tolerance through culture and education. They proposed offering the expertise of the Council of Europe’s Venice Commission – a group of experts in constitutional law – and the Anti-Torture Committee, which investigates conditions of detention in its 45 member states and potentially beyond.
11/06/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Latchezar Toshev (Bulgaria, EPP/CD), who is preparing a report on “the parliamentary contribution to the implementation of the Stability Pact in South-East Europe” on behalf of the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee, visits Brussels on 14 June for talks with Pact officials.