25/02/2005 | President
The next Council of Europe Summit of Heads of State and Government (Warsaw, 16-17 May) was top of the agenda when PACE President René van der Linden visited Paris on 23 and 24 February. Mr van der Linden argued for a clarification of the roles of the Council of Europe and the EU and warned against the danger of duplicating – at a higher cost and over a smaller geographic area – tasks already being efficiently carried out by the Council of Europe, particularly in the field of human rights, the prevention of torture and combating racism, intolerance and xenophobia.
23/02/2005 | President
"The result of Sunday’s election in the northern part of Cyprus shows the European orientation of Turkish Cypriots, and clearly signals their wish to end the division of the island," said PACE President René van der Linden in a statement today. "I hope these results will contribute to developing the confidence and trust of the Greek Cypriot population in the positive attitude of Turkish Cypriots," he added. Since January of this year, the Assembly has enabled elected representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community to take part in its work.
22/02/2005 | President
René van der Linden today ended a visit to Paris, his first as PACE President, during which he discussed - among other issues - ways of ensuring the success of the forthcoming Third Summit of the Council of Europe (Warsaw, 16-17 May 2005). Accompanied by PACE Secretary General Bruno Haller, he met Senate President Christian Poncelet, National Assembly President Jean-Louis Debré, European Affairs Minister-Delegate Claudie Haigneré, the Chair of the Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee Edouard Balladur and the founding President of “Our Europe” Jacques Delors, among others.
15/02/2005 | President
On the eve of the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, PACE President René van der Linden hailed this event as a crucial first step towards combating climate change. "PACE has made an important contribution towards its entry into force. 45 out of 46 Council of Europe member states are Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and 38 among them, including the Russian Federation, have already ratified the Protocol. Carbon dioxide from Council of Europe members that are also Parties to the Kyoto Protocol amounts to around half of global emissions. This figure illustrates the enormous responsibility that Council of Europe countries have to curb greenhouse gases which cause changes in the climate that are already being felt all over the world," he said.
03/02/2005 | President
Following the announcement of the death of the Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Zhvania, PACE President René van der Linden made the following statement: “I wish to express my deepest condolences to the family of Zurab Zhvania and to the people of Georgia, who have so suddenly and tragically lost one of the key architects of their country’s transition to democratic stability. Georgia has lost its Prime Minister at a time when his energy, political skill and commitment to European values would have been of crucial importance. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe has lost a former member, and a very close friend.”
12/01/2005 | President
"Beyond the strong historical and cultural ties between Mexico and Europe, the Council of Europe can build today on the strong commitment of its Latin American partner who shares its common fundamental values and its raison d’être, to defend human rights, parliamentary democracy and the rule of law, President Peter Schieder said today, speaking at the plenary session of the Standing Committee of the Mexican Union Congress as part of his official visit to Mexico from 12 to 14 January. He stressed that Europe should be more present on the international scene, right there where issues of global concern are decided. "In my view, Mexico is a privileged partner in this endeavour - for Europe in general and for the Council of Europe in particular," he concluded.
06/01/2005 | President
During his official visit to Mexico from 12 to 16 January, Peter Schieder will meet the President and Foreign Minister, party leaders and parliamentarians to discuss Mexico’s relations with the Council of Europe, where it holds observer status. He will also address the Mexican Senate.
03/01/2005 | President
"The people of Ukraine are to be congratulated for having made a clear decision in the presidential election", Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) President Peter Schieder said on 28 December. "They should now unite behind the new President in meeting the considerable challenges facing the country, including its modernisation and reform and its fulfilment of the obligations and commitments undertaken when it joined the Council of Europe. I shall be inviting the new President to address the Parliamentary Assembly at its next plenary session in January 2005" President Schieder concluded.
21/12/2004 | President
PACE President Peter Schieder today warmly welcomed the release of Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, the two French journalists held hostages in Iraq since 20 August. "I wish to transmit to them and to their families our joy and to pay tribute to their courage. I very much hope that their liberation will soon be followed by others", he said.
03/12/2004 | President
Assembly President Peter Schieder today welcomed the decision of the Supreme Court of Ukraine to re-run the second round of the Presidential election. “This decision shows that the rule of law has prevailed in finding a solution to the current political crisis. The re-run of a second round by the 26th December will give the Ukrainian people a new chance to freely express their will and democratically elect their President. A Parliamentary Assembly delegation will observe the re-run of the election, as it did on 31 October and 21 November. I urge the Ukrainian authorities to address the serious irregularities noted by the International Election Observation Mission in order to ensure that the election fully complies with Council of Europe standards”, Mr Schieder said.
02/12/2004 | President
During his visit to China from 3 to 7 December, PACE President Peter Schieder will meet, among others, with Wu Bangguo, President of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Assembly, Gong Xueping, President of the Standing Committee of the Shanghai National People’s Assembly and Zhang Yesui, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs. Talks are expected to focus on human rights, a proposal for an Asian Parliamentary Assembly, and relations between China and the Council of Europe.
19/11/2004 | President
PACE President Peter Schieder today called on the Ukrainian authorities to ensure that the decisive second round of the presidential election on Sunday 21 November is in accordance with Council of Europe standards. The President in particular stressed that it was the responsibility of the Ukrainian authorities to remedy the shortcomings found by the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) during the first round of the presidential election and take all appropriate measures to reduce the risk of fraud. A 20-member PACE delegation will observe the second round in the framework of an IEOM, composed of delegations from the Council of Europe, OSCE and NATO Parliamentary Assemblies, the European Parliament and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE-ODIHR).