01/11/2007 | President
Commenting on President Putin’s recent proposal for a Russian-funded institute to monitor human rights in EU member states, PACE President René van der Linden said: “If Russia wants to make sure that EU member states abide by the same human rights standards as it is judged against, there is already a well-established and highly respected body with decades of experience of monitoring human rights, democracy and the rule of law throughout Europe – including in the EU member states. This is, of course, the Council of Europe.”
01/11/2007 | President
“I was angered to learn of today's bus bombing in Togliatti, with such a grave loss of innocent life and devastation,” PACE President René van der Linden said. “I extend my condolences to the victims and their families. Innocents should never be the targets of random violence, whatever the cause. This was a despicable act, and I hope that its perpetrators will be swiftly brought to justice.”
30/10/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden has called on the Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, who currently chairs the 40-member Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA), to do everything in his power to prevent the execution of Abdullah Al-Mansouri, a human rights activist and European national who has been sentenced to death in Iran. In a letter to Gholomali Haddad Adel, the President pointed out that while PACE had supported the creation of an Asian Parliamentary Assembly last year, this was on the basis of a “shared commitment” to respect human rights and that the Al-Mansouri case risks “undermining the standing” of the APA.
26/10/2007 | President
“Through its Statute and the obligations and commitments of its members, the Council of Europe has created a family of united European states. We bring together all the continent’s peoples, cultures and religions. This, combined with the democratic dimension of the Parliamentary Assembly, makes us an inclusive forum,” said PACE President René van der Linden, speaking at the colloquy organised by the Université Robert Schuman in Strasbourg on the theme “The future of the Council of Europe vis-à-vis other international organisations”.
24/10/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today welcomed the 10th ratification of the Council of Europe Convention on action against trafficking in human beings (CETS n° 197), by Cyprus, which will trigger its entry into force on 1 February 2008. “I urge all the Council of Europe member states, whether they are countries of origin, transit or destination, to sign and/or ratify the Convention if they have not yet done so” Mr van der Linden said.
20/10/2007 | President
"President Lukashenka's anti-semitic remarks may verge on the absurd, but they are no less unacceptable for it", said the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden, today. "The Council of Europe, as a value community, was created as the first step in a process of European integration intended to prevent the re-emergence of intolerance and extremism in Europe. The fight against anti-semitism has been a priority of the Council of Europe since 1949 and will continue to be so for as long as the threat remains. Rejection of anti-semitism is a universal principle”, said M. van der Linden.
16/10/2007 | President
A stable and strong partnership with Russia is essential to peace, prosperity and stability in Europe, which should invest in relations with Russia “on every possible level”, PACE President René van der Linden has reiterated. Speaking at a conference in the Hague entitled “Security of relations: the Netherlands and Russia", the President spelled out a three-point strategy for achieving such a partnership.
08/10/2007 | President
In response to allegations from Marko Mihkelson, chairman of the Estonian parliament’s EU affairs committee, concerning personal financial interests in Russia, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden, today stressed that he has not, and never has had, any financial involvement in any company in Russia; he is not, and never has been, a member of any supervisory or other board of any company having economic interests in Russia, and that he has never received any financial advantage, compensation or payment of any sort in relation to activities involving Russia.
05/10/2007 | President
“Senator Hoeffel is a major champion of the European project, and also of local democracy, which means so much to the Council of Europe”, declared Assembly President René van der Linden, when he presented Daniel Hoeffel with the Pro Europa Prize today. “It is in recognition of his work for both that he is deservedly receiving this award today, with our warmest congratulations”, he went on. “Daniel Hoeffel is one of the best-known politicians in Alsace – and a great friend and supporter of the Council of Europe.”
05/10/2007 | President
One year after the murder of Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya, René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), made the following statement: “A year ago, on 7 October 2006, Anna Politkovskaya was shot in Moscow. A year later, light has still to be shed on this murder.
03/10/2007 | President
PACE President René van der Linden yesterday wrote to the Speaker of the Estonian Parliament Ene Ergma, inviting her to verify his official, public position on citizenship and other Estonian issues after she publically accused him of “misleading statements” during his recent visit to the country. In his letter, the President expressed his disappointment that the Speaker “chose to rely on second-hand reports of what I am alleged to have said during my visit, rather than on what I said during our meeting, and my position as set out in the statement I made at the end of my visit to Estonia”.
01/10/2007 | President
“Ukrainians have spoken,” said PACE President René van der Linden, following yesterday’s parliamentary election in the country. “Now it is up to the politicians to live up to their hopes. Ukrainians have given their leaders a third chance to end the seemingly permanent political crisis in the country and move forward with much-needed reforms. I urge them to take it. This is what the people are demanding, and this is what they deserve.”