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.
11/06/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Miroslav Ouzký (Czech Republic, EDG), who is preparing a report on “the presence of the Council of Europe in Northern Ireland” on behalf of the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee, visits Dublin (15-16 June) for discussions with Irish authorities, and possibly border areas in the Republic. His visit is a follow-up to earlier visits to London and Belfast.
01/06/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Andreas Gross (Switzerland, SOC) and Rudolf Bindig (Germany, SOC), rapporteurs on the political and human rights situations in the Chechen Republic respectively, ended their fact-finding visit to Moscow, Grozny and Nazran today. They aimed to evaluate the situation in Chechnya following the assassination of Chechen President Akhmad Kadyrov. They met senior government and legal representatives, parliamentarians and civil society representatives in both Moscow and Grozny, and visited settlements for displaced persons in Nazran.
25/05/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Eli Isaev, Vice-Chairman of the Government of the Chechen Republic, held an exchange of views with the Assembly's Political Affairs Committee during its meeting in Paris today. Subjects discussed included the human rights situation in the republic, as well as a coming visit to Russia of Council of Europe rapporteurs on the region.
13/05/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan are aware of the urgency of resolving their conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region due to its far-reaching negative humanitarian, political and economic consequences, said Political Affairs Committee rapporteur Terry Davis today. He was speaking following meetings in Strasbourg on 13 May with the Foreign Ministers of both countries and the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, who thanked him for his earlier visits to the region and his support. Mr Davis is preparing a report on the conflict for debate by the Assembly before the autumn.
19/04/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
A Congressman has called for greater participation of the US Congress in Council of Europe activities. Speaking at the Inter-Parliamentary Forum on Transatlantic Dialogue today in London, organised by the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee and the British parliamentary delegation, Democrat Congressman Alcee L. Hastings said: “There is an obvious need for continuous and institutionalised dialogue”. The United States has held observer status at the Council of Europe since 1996.
16/04/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
On 19 April, the Assembly’s Political Affairs Committee holds an inter-parliamentary forum on transatlantic dialogue, organised jointly with the United Kingdom delegation to the Assembly. Themes to be discussed include “common action and burden-sharing in the management of international crises” and “rebuilding transatlantic confidence”. Democrat and Republican members of the US Congress will attend the forum, which will be opened by British Foreign Office Minister Bill Rammell and the head of the British delegation to the Assembly Tony Lloyd. The conclusions of the forum will be used by Claudio Azzolini (Italy, EPP/CD) to prepare a report on “relations between Europe and the United States”.
05/03/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
The Political Affairs Committee met (8 March) in the Slovenian capital for an exchange of views with the national authorities, including Slovenian Prime Minister Anton Rop, Foreign Affairs Minister Dimitrij Rupel and parliamentary Speaker Borut Pahor. The committee approved reports by Christos Pourgourides (Cyprus, EPP/CD) on the persecution of the press in the Republic of Belarus, and by Tana de Zulueta (Italy, SOC) on the strengthening of the United Nations.