12/09/2005 | Culture, Science, Education and Media
Anne Brasseur (Luxembourg, ADLE), who is preparing a report on cultural diversity in the Northern Caucasus for the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE), is to visit the region from 11 to 17 September 2005. Speaking on the eve of the visit, she said: “The North Caucasus region of Russia has an immense wealth of cultural diversity, its peoples speak some forty languages and belong to six religions. Much of the violence and political instability in the region can be attributed to the systematic neglect of education and the absence of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue. The purpose of my visit is to see what we can do to develop this dialogue.”
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.
07/09/2005 | Bureau
The honouring of obligations and commitments by Ukraine and a debate on forced marriages and child marriages are among items provisionally scheduled for debate at the Parliamentary Assembly’s autumn session (3-7 October 2005). Invited speakers include Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, Secretary General of the Organization of the Islamic Conference, who will speak on the same day as debates on women and religion and on education and religion, and Volodymyr Lytvyn, Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament. Other reports on the draft order of business include the treatment of Bulgarian medical staff in Libya and language problems in access to public health care in the Brussels-Capital region. The Assembly itself will decide its own final order of business only on the first day of the session.
05/09/2005 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
Strasbourg, 05.09.2005 – Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold (Switzerland, SOC), rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), visiting Ukraine from 29 August to 1 September, expressed her extreme concern about the disappearance of new-born babies in the country and allegations of trafficking of babies for adoption and of foetuses for scientific purposes. She called on the office of the principal state prosecutor to shed light on those cases already brought to his attention, to open investigations into any other suspicious incidents and to bring those responsible to justice. Ms Vermot-Mangold said that during her visit she had obtained detailed information on four cases and added that “whatever the number of disappearances, just one case is one too many”.
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.
05/09/2005 | President
PACE President René van der Linden today urged all Council of Europe member states to respond generously to the American appeal for assistance for victims of hurricane Katrina. The President, speaking on the eve of a three-day visit to the US, said: "This is the worst natural disaster in recent American history - and our humanitarian response must rise to this terrible challenge. Europe stands in solidarity with the people of the Gulf coast affected, and we are ready to do all we can to help. In Washington, I hope to find out what is needed. I will then do all in my power to mobilise the 46-nation Council of Europe to help deliver it."
01/09/2005 | Standing Committee
HRH the Princess of Hanover, who is President of the World Association of the Friends of Children, speaking today during the current affairs debate in Monaco on violence and all forms of child exploitation and abuse, said: "The Council of Europe needs the support of NGOs in the fight against the ill-treatment of children in the same way that we - as NGOs - cannot deal with prevention alone. This is why we need the help of your organisation to give us the legal weapons we need to fight ill-treatment of children, whether it is a question of organ trafficking, prostitution, paedophilia, cyber-crime involving children or child soldiers. Each time a child is treated badly, this is a crime against humanity."
01/09/2005 | Standing Committee
Russia and Lithuania should agree jointly on a strategy to protect the Curonian Spit – a UNESCO World Heritage Site in the Baltic which stretches across the coasts of both countries – in the event of any oil spill, PACE’s Standing Committee said today. In June 2004 the Russian company Lukoil began extracting oil only 22 kilometres from the spit. The report by Daniel Goulet (France, ALDE), who chairs PACE’s Agriculture and Food Sub-committee, noted “the good operating conditions” of the Lukoil operation, including its modern technology and skilled staff, but recommended that both countries resolve the issue of who should pay compensation in the event of an accident – in line with the “polluter pays” principle – and do more to co-ordinate their accident response services.
01/09/2005 | Standing Committee
PACE President René van der Linden, speaking at today's opening of the Standing Committee meeting in Monaco, expressed his sympathy and solidarity with the families of victims of this summer’s calamities, in particular the terrorist bombings in London and Egypt, the air disasters, the floods and the devastation caused by fires, notably in France, Spain and Portugal, the hurricane in the United States and yesterday’s tragedy in Iraq. Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis aligned himself fully with the President’s statement.
26/08/2005 | Standing Committee
Strasbourg, 26.08.2005 – The Standing Committee of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) will be meeting in Monaco on 1 September – the first time the Council is organising a meeting in that country since admitting it to membership last October. As President of the World Association of Friends of Children HRH the Princess of Hanover will be participating in a current affairs debate on violence and all forms of exploitation and abuse of which children are the victims.