12/10/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden yesterday wrote to the Speaker of the Pakistan Parliament expressing on behalf of the Assembly his deep shock at the news of Saturday’s earthquake, expressing his deepest sympathy and extending his condolences. “Our thoughts are with the families of the victims,” the President wrote.
12/10/2005 | President
René van der Linden, speaking at the end of a two-day visit to London, said the Assembly expected the United Kingdom, like all other Council of Europe member states, to act in conformity with international human rights standards, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights. "States cannot cherry-pick from amongst their obligations: Britain, which has always led the way in promoting human rights, must be conscious of the example its actions set to the rest of the world,” he said. The Assembly would be paying close attention to the British government's anti-terrorism proposals, he warned.
10/10/2005 | President
“The Council of Europe is rightly proud of its achievement in making a de facto death-penalty-free zone of its 46 members, but the fight is far from being over,” PACE President René van der Linden said today in a statement on the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty. "Belarus and Uzbekistan are the last executioners in the former Soviet space. The Uzbek authorities recently informed me that they are now ready to undertake serious steps towards the abolition of the death penalty. This move shall be supported by the Assembly,” he said.
04/10/2005 | President
"This statue is also emblematic of the idea of team-spirit that characterises our work and the differing political and cultural identities that make up the Council of Europe. The same spirit is present in the team that has led to the presentation of the statue to the Council of Europe today. I thank the Government of Spain for presenting the gift, the Region of Murcia for its generosity and the artist Gonzalez Beltran for the imagination and skill that has gone into its creation" said René van der Linden on the occasion of the inauguration of the Spanish "Monument to Human Rights" at the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg today.
04/10/2005 | President
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President René van der Linden today discussed possible fields of co-operation with UEFA officials, including ethics, good governance, the fights against racism and doping in sport. They also held an exchange of views on difficulties encountered by UEFA in promoting their activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina – the organisation of football structures, security in and around football arenas and visas for incoming football teams. UEFA’s main concern is the lack of co-operation and co-ordination between government authorities and football associations at both Entity and State level. The President will address a letter to the authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina urging them to co-operate better, to overcome ethnic divisions in sport and to speed up the adoption of a law on sport at state level.
03/10/2005 | President
Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President René van der Linden paid tribute to Simon Wiesenthal, who died on 20 September at the age of 96, at the opening of the Assembly's autumn session. "Mr Wiesenthal devoted five decades of his life to hunting war criminals. Today, there are still war criminals at large, and we too must be relentless in our efforts and in our commitment to bringing them to justice. Whatever other issues may complicate our agenda, we must never forget that the principles that inspired Simon Wiesenthal are the principles that underlie our own organisation and that remain as valid and important now as they have ever been," he said.
03/10/2005 | President
Strasbourg, 03.10.2005 – Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President René van der Linden today welcomed the EU decision to start membership talks with Turkey. Speaking at a press conference earlier today, he had called on the EU to start talks with Turkey immediately: "There was a unanimous decision last December to begin accession talks with Turkey: Europe must now meet its promises and commitments, just as Turkey must fulfil all its obligations and commitments."
03/10/2005 | President
On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of German reunification, PACE President René van der Linden stressed that this was the first Eastern enlargement of free Europe. "It paved the way for Central and Eastern European countries towards the Council of Europe, but also for EU and NATO membership. It made a fundamental contribution to strengthening Europe. With its competence in both East and West, Germany remains a crucial partner not only in the Council of Europe, but also for the further development of Europe," he said. He also stressed the importance of political leadership and called for vision for Europe whilst paying tribute to Helmut Kohl and Jacques Delors for their outstanding contribution to building Europe.
12/09/2005 | President
Ways of promoting democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, the situation in Belarus, the possible use of Council of Europe expertise in Iraq and the fight against terrorism – including the need to adhere to international human rights and humanitarian law – were among subjects discussed with US authorities by René van der Linden during a visit to the United States from 6 to 9 September 2005. In Washington, he met with Mr Alcee L. Hastings, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and US Congressman, to discuss co-operation between the two Assemblies, in particular as regards the observation of elections. He also met with Mr Glyn Davies, the Acting Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, and Ambassador Daniel Fried, Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs. Discussions centred on US policy, as well as the situation in Belarus and in the southern Caucasus. The President invited the US Secretary of State, Mrs Condoleezza Rice, to address the PACE.
09/09/2005 | President
The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), René van der Linden, today expressed his concern at recent statements by the UK Home Secretary, Charles Clarke. Mr Clarke, speaking of the possibility of the European Court of Human Rights finding UK anti-terrorism legislation to be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, had appeared to suggest that such a judgment could lead to a reconsideration of whether or not the UK should remain party to the Convention, since it would contradict the 'consensus' on how rights should be defended. “The European Convention on Human Rights is the heart and foundation of the Council of Europe's human rights protection system,” said Mr van der Linden. “Its effectiveness depends upon its Court, the first international judicial mechanism for human rights protection in the world and a crowning achievement of civilised values. I find it very alarming that a politician may be making statements that could have the effect of undermining the judicial independence of that Court, by stating in advance that an undesired judgment might have negative political consequences.”
08/09/2005 | President
"Greater involvement of parliaments in the work of the United Nations would increase our world organisation’s legitimacy, improve its visibility and enable more effective follow up to decisions taken," PACE President René van der Linden said today in his speech before the 2nd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament in New York. "Of course, the IPU will have a key role to play in the establishment of such a UN parliamentary dimension. Moreover, a global organisation addressing global issues should not overlook the regional dimension: the principle of subsidiarity should not only apply to governmental work but also to parliamentary activities. Regional parliamentary assemblies are essential to ensure that the future UN parliamentary dimension receives direct input on regional-specific issues. As regards follow-up, we shall discuss the proposals made here in our Parliamentary Assembly: a genuine parliamentary body covering the entire European continent. We will also strongly promote their debate in our 46 member parliaments," he said.
05/09/2005 | President
Ways of promoting democracy and human rights in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, the situation in Belarus, the possible use of Council of Europe expertise in Iraq and the fight against terrorism – including the need to adhere to international human rights and humanitarian law – are among subjects to be discussed with US authorities by the President of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) René van der Linden during a visit to the United States from 6 to 9 September 2005.