15/11/2004 | President
"The Council of Europe is the guardian of what has been called 'democratic security'. This may be seen as a complement to military security, and I would say an equally essential pre-requisite for the continent’s freedom, stability and peace", PACE President Peter Schieder said addressing the 50th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Venice today. He stressed that it was perhaps time to consider extending the death-penalty-free zone of the 46 Council of Europe member states to the whole North Atlantic area, which is supposed to be, after all, a community of shared values.
12/11/2004 | President
Assembly President Peter Schieder yesterday offered his condolences to the Palestinian people, “who have lost their historic leader”. He paid tribute to Yasser Arafat for his “unerring support for the Palestinian cause and for striving throughout his life to enable his people to exercise their fundamental rights, as recognised by the United Nations, and live on their land, in peace with their neighbours, in a Palestinian state.” He finally expressed the hope that, despite the current deadlock, Palestinian and Israeli political leaders will meet their responsibilities and that the peace process will resume.
05/11/2004 | President
PACE President Peter Schieder today welcomed the signing by President Putin of the Kyoto Protocol, the international agreement intended to combat global warming. He welcomed the role which the Assembly had played in the process of implementation of the Protocol, which, following ratification by Russia, would finally be able to come into force. Russia’s signature came just before the 10th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (Buenos Aires, 6-17 December 2004), at which the Assembly would be represented. The Protocol had been ratified by the Duma on 22 September and approved by the Federation Council on 27 October.
29/10/2004 | President
Foreign Minister of Norway, Jan Petersen, in his capacity as Chairman of the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers, Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder and Secretary General of the 46-nation Organisation Terry Davis welcomed the signing of the Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe in Rome today as a significant step in the European integration process.
25/10/2004 | President
“May I say how much I personally admire you individually for your outstanding commitment and for the untiring energy that you devote to living and promoting human rights and peace,” PACE President Peter Schieder told the 2004 North-South Prize winners, Mrs Nawal El Saadawi and Ambassador Stéphane Hessel at a ceremony organized in Lisbon today. “Europe’s place and credibility, but also its stability in this world, depends on its capacity to dialogue and to establish or strengthen links with other continents. I believe that Europe has a major role to play in the construction of a solid interdependence and a world in which peace, security and dignity would be a human right for everybody and where the resources of the planet would be managed with intelligence and wisdom,” he said.
22/10/2004 | President
"Tomorrow’s elections are a very important moment for Kosovo,” said PACE President Peter Schieder today. He called on all communities to take part, reiterating that – for Kosovo Serbs in particular - this was their chance to “have a say in their own future”. Reiterating his statement earlier this month, Mr Schieder said: “This is a chance for Kosovo Serbs to protect their legitimate rights and interests and a chance to build a decent life for themselves and their families, together with all other inhabitants in Kosovo.”
20/10/2004 | President
PACE President Peter Schieder has condemned the reported arrests of at least 30 persons, including opposition leaders, at rallies of opponents of President Lukashenko. "These arrests clearly illustrate that the 17 October elections, which fell significantly short of international commitments for democratic elections, and the illegal referendum, have taken Belarus yet further away from European standards," he said.
18/10/2004 | President
During his official visit to Romania (17-19 October) Assembly President Peter Schieder met with the President, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the President of the Senate. He also attended a ceremony at the National School for Political and Administration Studies (NSPAS), during which he was awarded the degree of Doctor Honoris Causa. Peter Schieder stressed that it was no exaggeration to say that the enlightened and high level education that NSPAS have dispensed to its future leaders has helped to shape the transition of Romanian society from the darkest days of dictatorial rule to an era of the highest democratic standards, respect for human rights, and the rule of law - the essential values enshrined in the Statute of the Council of Europe.
08/10/2004 | President
“The case for sparing the life of the cold-blooded murderers of Beslan, Moscow, Madrid, and elsewhere is neither easy nor a popular one to make. But the Council of Europe is opposed to the death penalty in all its forms, even for the most appalling criminals of this world. Human rights apply to every one of us, without exception”, was the message of Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder to participants in the 2nd World Congress against the death penalty, which took place in Montreal from 6 to 9 October.
04/10/2004 | President
On 4 October, PACE President Peter Schieder made the following statement: “We express our deep concern at recent news from Belarus about arbitrary arrests of opposition politicians, blatant violations of freedom of expression and the repression of independent media in the run up to the legislative elections to be held on 17 October. We urge the Belarusian authorities to do their utmost to guarantee free and fair elections. It must be ensured that all candidates have the same chances. According to my information, one party was already dissolved; others have received warnings and might be de-registered."
30/09/2004 | President
'Today’s green light by the Russian Government for the Kyoto Protocol is excellent news,' said PACE President Peter Schieder. The Assembly is due to debate global warming during its plenary session next week in Strasbourg. 'Russia – and those other states which have taken this step – are doing the right thing for humanity. I now call on the State Duma to ratify the protocol as soon as possible, paving the way for its entry into force.', he added.
28/09/2004 | President
PACE President Peter Schieder today expressed profound relief at the liberation of Simona Torretta and Simona Pari, two Italian female aid workers held hostage in Iraq for three weeks. At the same time, he repeated his call for the unconditional release of all the other hostages in Iraq.