19/02/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Ahead of the entry into force on August 1 of the Convention on cluster munitions, Johannes Pflug (Germany, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the ban on cluster munitions, today made the following statement: "Following the recent ratification of the Convention by Moldova, this legal instrument can now enter into force. We can all be proud of the successful outcome of this long process led by the international community, including the Assembly, which last May adopted Resolution 1668.
21/01/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE Rapporteur on the Middle East Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC) has called on Israelis and Palestinians to re-start negotiations as soon as possible. Speaking in Jerusalem at the end of a four-day visit to the region, during which he met President Shimon Peres and President Abu Mazen, Mr Fassino said: “We cannot accept an unending conflict in the Middle East. Thanks to President Obama’s initiative, there is a new opportunity for peace. We must not let it go by.” He said that in spite of difficulties, there were signals all agreed on, which showed peace was possible. The Assembly is to debate Mr Fassino’s report in Strasbourg on Tuesday 26 January.
20/01/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East, who today completes a four-day visit to the region, will hold a press conference on Thursday 21 January at 10.30 a.m. at the King David Hotel (Holy Room) in Jerusalem. In Ramallah, on 17-18 January, Mr Fassino met the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, the Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Riyad Al-Malki, the Chief Negociator Saeb Erekat, the Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqi', and members of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
15/01/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East, will visit the Territories under the Palestinian Authority as well as Israel, with a view to the debate on the situation in the Middle East which is foreseen during the next PACE plenary session (25–29 January 2010).
07/01/2010 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Chair of PACE Political Affairs Committee, Göran Lindblad (Sweden, EPP/CD), has condemned the violent and unjust way in which the Iranian government suppresses the opposition in the country. “The methods used by the authorities resemble the worst practices of totalitarian regimes and cannot be accepted by the international community,” he said. “Political dialogue is the only possible solution for Iran’s problems.”
15/12/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
PACE's Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris on 15 December, said that Council of Europe member states should consider decreasing legal electoral thresholds that are higher than 3 per cent and removing other obstacles, including high financial deposits, which bar minor parties or independent candidates from being represented on elected bodies.
17/11/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Over the past few years we have been witnessing a strong resurgence of piracy at sea, and European states are comparatively powerless to cope with the scale of this phenomenon,” Birgen Keles (Turkey, SOC) emphasised at a hearing held today in Brussels by the PACE Political Affairs Committee. “Military deterrence has had a definite impact in curbing attacks, but cannot be the sole solution to the problem of piracy,” she added.
17/11/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
“Over the last two months, the process of negotiation in the Middle East has weakened despite the Obama administration’s recent efforts to draw the Israeli and Palestinian sides together,” Piero Fassino (Italy, SOC), PACE rapporteur on the situation in the Middle East, stressed today in Brussels at a meeting of the Sub-Committee on the Middle East.
22/10/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Changing the electoral system to one more favourable to women’s representation in politics, including by introducing gender quotas, can lead to more gender-balanced, and thus more legitimate, political and public decision-making, said Lydie Err (Luxembourg, SOC) today in Kyiv on the occasion of the Forum for the Future of Democracy. Coinciding with this year's theme "Electoral systems: strengthening democracy in the 21st century", Mrs Err presented a memorandum on the "Impact of electoral systems on women’s representation in politics".
20/10/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Several members of PACE will attend the Forum for the Future of Democracy in Kyiv, which starts tomorrow and continues until 23 October. This year's theme is "Electoral systems: strengthening democracy in the 21st century". During the Forum, the President of the PACE will hold meetings in Kyiv on 22 October with the President of Ukraine, the Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament), the Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, and representatives of the various political parties represented in parliament.
08/10/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Göran Lindblad (Sweden, EPP/CD), Chair of the PACE Political Affairs Committee, today expressed his regret over the recent decision by President Obama to delay his meeting with the Dalai Lama, who is currently in the United States, until after his visit to China in November.
01/10/2009 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee has expressed great sorrow about the developments in Iran after the last elections. In a declaration adopted today, the committee said the violent reactions of the Iranian authorities to peaceful protests were a very serious breach of the human rights of Iranian citizens. It also said it was “greatly saddened” by the irresponsible continuation of the Iranian nuclear programme, a clear breach of international law.