21/02/2014 Monitoring
Strasbourg, 21.02.2014 – The co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Ukraine have welcomed today’s agreement between President Yanukovich and the opposition – but warned that it must be followed by a wide-ranging dialogue between all political and civil forces on the future direction of the country if there is to be a long-term solution to the crisis.
Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) and Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden, EPP/CD), ending a four-day visit to Kyiv, also demanded a full investigation into responsibility for the recent bloody events on the Maidan. They condemned in the strongest possible terms the use of snipers and live ammunition against the protesters in the square, which they visited as the violence unfolded, observing the shooting at first-hand. “There can never be any justification for a government to use snipers against its own people. This undermines the legitimacy of the authorities.”
They called for a full investigation into these bloody events, and for the prosecution of all those responsible, including those in the chain of command. “There cannot be impunity for human rights violations, whoever commits them, and this is especially true after this week’s horrifying events.”
They expressed their satisfaction that an advisory panel to investigate human rights abuses, initiated by the Council of Europe, formed part of today’s agreement, and welcomed the news that both authorities and opposition have now appointed their representatives. “The panel should have the powers and resources necessary to ensure a full, effective and impartial investigation, and we urge it to begin work soon.”
The co-rapporteurs called on both sides to fully abide by today’s agreement, pointing out that it included three key principles already called for by the Assembly – a power-sharing agreement between government and opposition, early elections, and a new constitutional order to restore the balance of powers between parliament and the President. “We hope this will end the violence and, in the longer term, resolve the crisis and help to restore the legitimacy of Ukraine’s governing institutions,” they said.
“However, this must swiftly be followed up by a wide-ranging dialogue, between all political and civil forces in Ukraine, on the democratic development and geopolitical direction of the country, as requested by the Assembly in its recent resolution. Addressing the underlying structural causes of the crisis will be essential for any long-term solution.” The Council of Europe and its Parliamentary Assembly would have a key role to play in this dialogue, they stressed.
“All of the red lines that were set by the Assembly in its recent resolution have been crossed in the last week,” the co-rapporteurs concluded. “In line with our mandate, we will discuss in the Assembly’s Monitoring Committee, meeting next week in Malta, what actions it should undertake to assist in the resolution of this crisis. We expect to return soon to the country to continue our discussions with all sides.”