01/03/2004 | Bureau
Mátyás Eörsi (Hungary, LDR), a member of the Assembly’s Bureau, departs today on a three-day fact-finding visit to Tripoli, Libya, where he will investigate a motion for a resolution alleging inhuman treatment of detained Bulgarian medical staff. Mr Eörsi will report back to the Bureau with any proposals for follow-up to the motion.
01/03/2004 | Political Affairs and Democracy
Both Armenia and Azerbaijan recognise the urgency of resolving the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and have declared their readiness to continue negotiations, said Terry Davis (United Kingdom, SOC) at the end of a five-day visit to the region. Mr Davis, who is preparing a report on “the conflict dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference” for debate by the Assembly before the autumn, met the presidents of both countries as well as senior government members.
27/02/2004 | President
Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder today launched a pressing appeal for the abolition of the death penalty in Japan, following the death sentence passed on Shoko Asahara, the leader of a Japanese doomsday cult, and other members of the cult involved in the gas attack on a Tokyo subway in 1995. “The case for sparing Shoko Asahara’s life is neither easy nor a popular one to make. The Council of Europe is opposed to the death penalty in all its forms, even for the Tokyo subway killer. But human rights apply to every one of us, without exception,” Mr Schieder said.
27/02/2004 | Elections
"The revolution has ended; the new government is now in place. The new authorities came to power promising firmly to establish pluralist democracy in Georgia. The forthcoming parliamentary elections are a crucial test of Georgia’s progress on the road to democracy and will, in large measure, define the relationship and nature of the dialogue between Georgia and the Council of Europe." Giving its conclusions at the end of a four-day “pre-election” visit to Georgia (25-28 February 2004), an Assembly delegation therefore expressed its great concern that the new authorities have not followed up on crucial recommendations it made after the last elections or that were outlined in the resolution adopted by the Assembly during its plenary session in Strasbourg in January 2004.
26/02/2004 | President
In a letter of condolence addressed today to the Speaker of the Parliament of "the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia", Assembly President Peter Schieder wrote: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of President Trajkovski this morning in what appears to have been a tragic accident. On behalf of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly, I extend my condolences to his family and to the families of those others who died. The Macedonian people have lost a loyal servant, and a man who did much to maintain peace and the unity of his country.” President Trajkovski addressed the Assembly in Strasbourg twice (in June 2000 and June 2002). "The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia" joined the Council of Europe in 1995.
26/02/2004 | Monitoring
At its meeting in Paris on 3 March the Monitoring Committee is due to approve a report on Turkey’s honouring of its Council of Europe obligations in which it will decide whether or not to recommend the closing of the monitoring procedure opened in 1996. It will also approve a report on Albania’s honouring of its commitments. Both reports are for possible debate during the Assembly’s spring session. The committee is also due to adopt an opinion on a request to reopen a monitoring procedure with regard to Latvia.
26/02/2004 | News
Meeting in Paris on 1 March, the Assembly's Bureau considered possible forms of dialogue with the Liechtenstein Parliament, as well as a petition concerning the access to health-care in their language of French-speakers living in the municipalities of the Brussels periphery. It also adopted a draft agenda for the Assembly’s spring session (26-30 April 2004).
26/02/2004 | Social Affairs, Health and Sustainable Development
During its meeting in Paris on 5 March, the Assembly’s Environment Committee will deal with reports on the management of water resources in Europe, genetically modified organisms, and industrial hazards.
26/02/2004 | President
“Liechtenstein wishes to be an active member of the Council of Europe,” said Assembly President Peter Schieder today following an exchange of views with the President of the Liechtenstein parliament Klaus Wanger in Vienna on dialogue with the authorities of the Principality. On 26 January, the Assembly had confirmed the decision of its Bureau not to monitor Liechtenstein over recent constitutional changes but instead to start a dialogue with authorities of the Principality on the question. President Schieder will inform the members of the Bureau of his meeting on Monday, 1st March in Paris.
25/02/2004 | Standing Committee
French National Assembly President Jean-Louis Debré will address Council of Europe parliamentarians during a meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly’s Standing Committee in Paris on 2 March. Items on the agenda include bioterrorism and environmental accounting as a sustainable development tool. The parliamentarians are also due to debate a report on links between Europeans living abroad and their countries of origin ;
19/02/2004 | Elections
A five-member, cross-party Assembly delegation, headed by Mátyás Eörsi (Hungary, LDR), will make a “pre-election” visit to Georgia from 25 to 28 February to assess preparations for the parliamentary elections on 28 March. In a January 2004 resolution, the Assembly called for “tangible progress” in these preparations, including measures to ensure more balanced representation on election commissions, simplified voting procedures and secrecy of the vote as well as revision of the voters’ list. A full delegation of up to 30 Assembly members will observe the polling as part of an international election observation mission.
19/02/2004 | President
Parliamentary Assembly President Peter Schieder meets the President of the Liechtenstein parliament Klaus Wanger on 26 February in Vienna. In January the Assembly confirmed the decision not to monitor the Principality following recent constitutional changes, but instead to begin a dialogue on the question. At its next meeting, the Assembly’s Bureau is due to consider what form this dialogue could take.