13/01/2006 | President
René van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, today welcomed the proposal that the European Parliament create a temporary committee to investigate the allegations of secret CIA detentions in Europe.
09/01/2006 | President
PACE President René van der Linden will address participants of an international conference on intercultural and interreligious dialogue organised by the Russian Federation in cooperation with the Council of Europe in Nizhniy Novgorod on 7 and 8 September. The President very much welcomed this initiative as he considers that this issue receives too little attention from politicians. He said he will encourage churches to raise their voices and speak out on issues relating to our common values, e.g. human rights, poverty, children's rights, family issues, the fight against AIDS. The Conference will bring together some 300 government representatives, experts and leading figures from religious communities all across Europe. Those taking part will look at the challenges and opportunities of cultural diversity, the religious dimension of intercultural dialogue and the contribution the media can make to greater mutual understanding.
25/12/2005 | President
The President of PACE René van der Linden today welcomed the decision of the Libyan Supreme Court to order a new trial of the Bulgarian nurses and Palestinian doctor facing the death penalty for deliberately infecting children with HIV. “The Libyan judicial system has demonstrated its independence today, recognising that new evidence and new information have cast serious doubt on this conviction,” he said. “The medics should now be released on bail.” He also thanked the British Presidency of the EU for its efforts to find a solution to this problem.
16/12/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today warmly welcomed US President Bush's acceptance of the McCain amendment, which will help prevent the possibility of CIA or military personnel engaging in torture or serious ill-treatment. "The McCain amendment will help ensure that in our joint fight against terrorism, both Europe and the USA respect the same legal standards," he said.
15/12/2005 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, René van der Linden, has strongly condemned the remarks of the Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who yesterday described the Holocaust as a myth. “I find this comment profoundly shocking. It is a monstrous untruth, and clearly amounts to hate-speech in my view," he said. "This kind of inflammatory rhetoric is completely unacceptable, and will only jeopardise the prospects for peace in the Middle East at this critical time. Instead, recognition of and respect for both Israel and the Palestinians are essential."
15/12/2005 | President
PACE President, René van der Linden, has called on the US Congress to ensure that US laws and practice conform to international legal standards. In an open letter to the Congress, sent as the “McCain amendment” to the defence bills is being discussed on Capitol Hill, he wrote: “The US position on this issue is crucial to showing that the same rules apply to all.”
09/12/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today expressed his satisfaction that Ante Gotovina, a Croatian war crimes suspect who has for many years been amongst those most wanted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, was today arrested in Spain.
29/11/2005 | President
Rene van der Linden, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, today expressed his concern at reports that a peaceful demonstration by opposition supporters in Baku, Azerbaijan had been violently dispersed by the police. "I condemn any unjustified use of force against a peaceful political rally," said the President.
24/11/2005 | President
"Georgia’s Rose Revolution was and remains an inspiration to democratic forces throughout Eastern Europe, and I congratulate you on your initiative to hold this Forum so as to maintain the momentum," Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden said in a letter to President Mikheil Saakashvili together with a written message for participants at the International Forum on Democratic Transition in Tbilisi, which he regretted being unable to attend.
24/11/2005 | President
Corruption could “seriously jeopardize” Romania’s bid to join the European Union by 2007, the President of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly has told Romanian Members of Parliament. In an address to Romania’s Parliament today, René van der Linden told MPs they should themselves set an example through their personal behaviour, by declaring their sources of income and any potential conflicts of interest.
21/11/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden will make an official visit to Romania on 23 and 24 November at the beginning of the Romanian chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the 46-member Organisation. He will meet with Traian Basescu, President of the Republic, Nicolae Vacaroiu, President of the Senate, Adrian Nastase, President of the Chamber of Deputies, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu, Prime Minister, and Mihai-Razvan Ungureanu, Minister for Foreign Affairs. The discussions will further focus on Romania’s contribution to the democratic process in the region, the fight against corruption, the situation in Transnistria and trafficking in human beings.
18/11/2005 | President
In his talks with Romanian Foreign Minister Mihai-Răzvan Ungureanu, PACE President René van der Linden stressed that in order to maintain a coherent and credible set of human rights standards for the whole of Europe, the EU Human Rights Agency’s scope should be limited to the territory of the EU and should not monitor human rights in Council of Europe member States that are not members of the EU. He said he would urge those members of the Committee of Ministers from EU Member States to uphold the decisions taken at the Warsaw Summit, which stress the unique role of the Council of Europe in human rights protection in Europe. In this context, Mr van der Linden pointed out that in deliberations with the Dutch Government about the European proposal to extend the mandate of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) to become a Human Rights Agency, the Dutch Senate has not been convinced of the necessity of this proposal and therefore sent a very clear message to the government to prevent the establishment of the Human Rights Agency.