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CoE chair Turkish FM Davutoglu skips EU Critics on Cyprus, Press Freedom, Torture: Multi-Culti aims
An original, spontaneous Dialogue held in front of "EuroFora" at the initiative of Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, incoming CoE's rotating Chairman in office for the November 2010-May 2011 semester, before Ukraine takes over CoE's chairmanship for the 1st time, highlighted even better Turkey's wish to downplay growing EU Criticism and controversy, on the occasion of the publication, yesterday, of EU Commission's 2010 Annual Report on Ankara's efforts to comply with EU standards, which focused mainly on the "Urgent" need for Turkey to respect now its Commitments on Cyprus, on Freedom of Journalists and Religion, stop Impunity of Torturers/Killers, etc., highlighting serious Democratic and Political Problems, including Kurdish issue, etc., but also the necessity to prevent "Risks of a Boom-Bust Scenario" in an overheated Economy, as it said, while Ankara clearly appeared to prefer, on the contrary, divert attention elsewhere by focusing towards controversial "Multi-Culturalism", and "Preventive" actions mainly "against Terrorism", (but even on "Violence inside Families"), as well as "Prisons", etc., pursuing a traditional Agenda of the Turkish State, (in addition to CoE's own General Agenda which continues to unfold on the PanEuropean Organizations' and ECHR's institutional Reforms, already started earlier).
In fact, the Turkish Minister skiped EU+ critics on Cyprus, Press Freedom, Torturers/Murderers' Impunity and ECHR judgements implementation in general, preferring rather to focus more on "Multi-Cultural" Societies where "Dialogue" and "Peace" is ensured by a "Strong" order, repeatedly citing "Rule of Law" 1st, and Human Rights 3rd.
Davutoglu's first reactions to EU critics were so more interesting to observe at this moment, that several Warnings were launched, by various but converging sources, that Turkey needs to change "urgently" its stance and start really dealing with issues such as Cyprus and/or Human Rights, "Boom and Bust" Economic risk, etc., before reported "Dangers" might materialize, f.ex. to soon exhaust the still available EU - Turkey Negotiation Chapters, since only 3 could be still opened now, while many others remain blocked because of Ankara's failure to respond to conditions put by the EU, France and Cyprus, etc., and growing popular opposition to its controversial EU bid currently spreading wider on 2009-2010 accross Germany, France, Austria, and Holland as well as Belgium (present EU chair) probably Hungary, Slovakia, etc., after similar moves in Bulgaria, Latvia, Sweden, even among ...UK's voters (as 2009 EU Elections proved, when a marginal small party, UKIP, was suddenly propulsed at the 2nd rang nation-wide, just when it exceptionaly campaigned with the Banner : - "No to the accession of Turkey into the EU !", which already Costs to EU Taxpayers (including Poor People obliged to pay VAT for a piece of Bread or a Shirt) more than 800 Millions € each Year, (even during the present Global Financial Crisis which obliges EU Countries to make Hard Budget Cuts), despite some irregularities or inconsistencies in spending pinpointed by EU's Court of Auditors, so that mainstream Media commentators started to warn this week that Turkey "needs a Miracle in order to prevent a firm Blockade on 2011 or 2012", and others cite several Top MEPs (f.ex. inside the governing German ChristianDemocrat Parties) reportedly asking to clearly "Stop" the controversial EU - Turkey negotiations, after also the recent opportunistic manoevers by Ankara on Iran's controversial Nuclear controversy.
But the 1st move by Turkey's Foreign Minister was to openly ... refuse even to speak on any such EU - related topical issue during his Press Conference at the CoE, together with the outgoing former CoE Chairman, FYROM's Foreign Minister Miloshoski and CoE's Secretary General Jagland, from Norway : - Turkey's "EU process goes on its own Dynamics". "I can defend that, as a Turkish Foreign Minister, but in Brussels, not in Strasbourg", because "here I'am speaking as CoE's Chairman", "I'm representing the whole European Continent", (in fact : even far beyond...), Davutoglu sharply distinguished without modesty, as if he considered that CoE's Human Rights issues might be irrelevant to EU's Copenhagen criteria... --------------------------
- "This is Not New" : "EU Commission has been issuing Reports on Turkey since 1998", Davutoglu replied in a Collegue's Question about EU Commission's 2010 Report's "Criticism on Press and Religion Freedoms" (See infra)...
But, by doing so, the Turkish Minister astonishingly pushed away any distinction between the pro-December 1999 "3rd Country" EU approach, and the Post- December 1999 "Candidate Country" EU approach vis a vis Turkey. (Something which, curiously, fits well with the recent 2007-2010 approach of all those who prefer a kind of "Privileged Partnership" or other "Close Relation" with Turkey, but not a Full Accession into the EU)..
- "This is a Process, and we shall contine our process of ..enlarging Freedoms", including "Freedom of Press and Thought", went on to vaguely add Davutoglu, promissing, however to "Take Note" of EU's findings, and to simply "remain committed to EU and CoE Values on Human Rights", as he said, (instead of promissing a Change in Turkey's traditionaly Oppressive attitude vis a vis Journalists' Freedom). This sounded, inevitably, all more strange, as he said that in Strasbourg only a few weeks after ECHR strongly condemned here the Turkish State for the way it treats, f.ex. the cold-blood Murder of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink, denouncing f.ex. that Ankara knew before the Murder that it was Planned, but did nothing to protect the victim, and, on the contrary, .. persecuted him into Courts, together with some istingators of the Murder, while, even after the killing, Turkish Authorities didn't yet find and punished anyone among their several Agents who had committed various Misbehaviors in relation to the Murder, (See "EuroFora"'s relevant NewsReport, dated September 14, 2010), and just a few Days after the Turkish Courts reportedly took the scandalous decision to treat the only Suspect arrested for Hrant Dink's killing as a ... "Child", so that he can easily escape soon from Prison, (exactly as they had done also for the person they chose to condemn alone as the cold-blood Murderer of Christian-Catholic Priest Santoro, back in 2006)...
- All "this doesn't mean that Turkey doesn't fulfill today these basic EU and CoE Criteria" on respect of Press and Religious Freedoms, the Turkish Minister nevertheless claimed, but without bringing any concerete logic argument or fact to prove it.
In fact, the way Turkey's rotating Chair of CoE's Ministerial Committee wil be handled in Strasbourg, (including, naturally, on Journalists' Freedom) is obviously Crucial for CoE's own credibility, because it's the 1st Time since the landmark PanEuropean Heads of State and Government Summit of 2005 in Warsaw (Poland) which clearly defined CoE's role as being to work on "Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law", (while in the Past it was dealing also with pure Politics and various other issues), that its rotating Chair passes at a State as Turkey, which holds an unquestionable Record of the greatest Number of Condemnations by ECHR for exceptionally Serious Violations of Human Rights, such as Torture/Inhuman-Degrading Treatments, Murders, Enforced "Disappearances", Arbitrary Deprivations of Liberty, Oppression of Press and Religious Freedoms, Outlawing of Political Parties, Forced Expulsions and Usurpation of Refugees/Displaced Persons' Family Homes and Private Properties, Unfair Trials, etc, considering also the notorious fact that most of such ECHR's Judgements have not yet been implemented..
- "CoE is the oldest" paneuropean organisation "based on Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights", admitted from the outset the Turkish Minister, paradoxically ...Reversing the order in the official CoE role's definition, which, on the contrary, clearly puts "Human Rights" at the 1st place, and not at the Last !... (Later he repeated this same change of order, proving that it was really intentional).
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A Good part of the Story, is, however, that Davutoglu, who is sometimes considered by some circles to be more "Open" to Democracy than other Turkish Officials, might have an Ambition to prove, "at the End of" his 6 Months "Test" at CoE's rotating Chair in Strasbourg, that "we are a European Nation defending all the Values of the European Culture", "committed" to Rule of Law, Democracy and Human Rights, as he claimed, i.e. try to use CoE as a Positive show-case of Turkey towards closer EU links. But, in fact, seeing the apparently nervous or hostile, discriminatory/oppressive attitude of some lower-level Turkish agents, certainly in the Past and apparently also today, it doesn't seem certain at all that Turkey might really pass this Strasbourg "Test"...
- However, asked by another Collegue if he intended to use Turkey's rotating CoE Chair in order to prove to the EU Ankara's fitness to eventually become in future an EU Member, contrary to the well known Opposal of France, Germany and (a currently growing number of) other EU Countries, as well as to "change", by the way, Turkey's traditionally difficult situation as "the Bad Pupil in the Classroom" by receiving the more Numerous Condemnations by ECHR for serious Human Rights' Violations, Davutoglu, after smiling a bit, brushed all that aside :
- "CoE and EU are 2 Differend things : We (Turkey) are Not trying to Please any other organization" as the EU. "We are here as CoE Chairman", the Turkish Minister reacted, surprisingly rejecting any EU - CoE link on Human Rights issues, (despite CoE Secretary General, Jagland's traditional stance in favor of closer EU - CoE cooperation in all usefully related issues, and despite the 2007 Report of Luxembourg's Prime Minister, Jean-Claude Juncker, on the demand of CoE's 2005 Summit, on EU - CoE cooperation precisely on Human Right issues). - "CoE itself is the Oldest and most Comprehensive (?) PanEuropean Organisation" and "we (Turkey) shall defend its (CoE's) Culture REGARDLESS of ... the EU", Davutoglu stressed.
Given that Turkish Government's position on CoE's role, during earlier Political Debates in Strasbourg before the 2005 CoE Summit in Warsaw, was that CoE should focus more on facilitating "Cooperation" between Governments, than Human Rights, legitimate questions are raised...
Curiously, (or, maybe, ... significantly !), the Turkish Minister .. forgot, in his answer above, to reply anything to our Collegue's double Question bearing also on the European Court of Human Rights' record-high Condemnations of Ankara's regime, so that the Journalist was obliged to remind him anew this Key point...
- "Of course, we shall fulfill all our responsibilities vis a vis ECHR", was obliged to reply to this Repeated Question Davutoglu, but, Surprisingly, he immediately .. "forgot" again (See supra) everything about Turkey's record-high condemnations for serious violations, (on which naturally beared the question from the start : See supra), and started to speak, on the contrary, about "Reforming"... "the European Court of Human Rights" itself, and not the repeatedly condemned Turkish State !
- ".. A Reform is needed" for the ... ECHR itself, "and we (Turkey) shall accelerate this Reform" of the European Court of Human Rights, "at the Izmir Conference", (the April 2011 controversially-located Ministerial meeting on CEDH, at a city infamous for the 1922 Mass Massacre and "Ethnic Cleansing" described even by the then American Ambassador's testimonies : See infra). - "We (Turkey) shall be active partner, and, in this case, active OWNER (sic !) of the (European) Court" of Human Rights, astonishingly went on to add the Turkish Minister, "and we (Turkey) shall do Everything possible in order to make Necessary Reforms into the Court", he anounced, (inevitably provoking a ...Cold Shiver to all those who knew that Turkey had recently launched a very "Hot" Attack against the ECHR, accusing it to defend too much the Human Rights and asking to .. limit, in fact, its action : See relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReport)...
Apparently remembering, at the last second, that the Journalist's Question was, on the contrary, about the need for Real (and not only on Paper) Reforms inside Turkey itself, in order to abide with ECHR's Judgements, Davutoglu went on to add only a short word also "on Reforms needed both in the ECHR, as well as inb our National (Turkey's) implementations regarding to the ECHR issues", as he called the due Respect of ECHR's Judgements : - "There, (on ECHR's Judgements' implementation) we (Turkey) have a very ..REFORMIST approach IN BOTH senses" (i.e. not only for the Country condemned for serious violations, but also for the PanEuropean Court which dared condemn it)...
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"MULTI - CULTI" Focus :
- "We shall focus on Living Together, in ...Multi-Cultural Societies, during our Chairmanship" at the CoE, underlined the Turkish Minister, echoing and amplifying considerably the "Inter-Cultural and Multi-Cultural Dialogue" thema highlighted by outgoing CoE chair, FYROM's Minister Miloshoski. Advancing much further, Davutoglu anounced Turkish Government's intention to raise that at the level of a "New Approach" for CoE's entire activities, and even to establish a "New Framework" for CoE's role, in the next PanEuropean Ministerial session prepared on May 2011 in Istanbul, as he said, that CoE's S.G. Jagland linked also with "Roma and other Minorities", revealing that he expects from CoE's Ministers to go to Turkey on May 2011 and take "Important Decisions" on that.
- Davutoglu even raised the "Multi-Culturalism living-together" issue to the level of a "New Challenge" in CoE's History, "after the end of the Cold War and its ", equal to the need to "establish regional and global Peace (sic !) on a Strong basis", as he curiously added later, (apparently evoking Conflictual relations where someone should impose a "Strong" Order), but without explaining details... He only hinted that the issue may be linked with "Changes" in the "Polticial Landscape" related with "Global affairs", (i.e. not specific to Europe).
The Turkish Minister also revealed that it was him who had proposed to CoE's Secretary General Jagland, during a "visit in Istanbul", Turkey, to create a "Group of Eminent Persons" headed by Joshka Fischer, former "Green" German Foreign Minister in a Coalition with the "Socialist" Party in the Past, recently employed by a controversial old project for a Turkish NABUCCO Gas Pipeline.
Apparently that might go ..Contrary to the recent Statements by German ChristianDemocrat Chancelor Angie Merkel, and other German politicians, (as f.ex. Bavarian CSU's Head Seehofer, etc), who strongly denounced the fact that "Multi-Culti utterly Failed", threatening to Weaken European Societies by Dividing them in various socio-cultural "Ghettos", where some Groups of Immigrants are obliged to stay separate, (notoriously monitored from networks located Out of the host country) often are even hindered to learn and use the Language of their host Country, while Children are condemned to largely fail in School, etc., risking to provoke serious Problems in the foreseeable Future.. Instead of a socio-cultural "Integration" of all People permanently living in a European Country, so that its Cohesion and Identity could be respected, safeguarded and developed. An idea also strongly promoted by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who has even proposed the idea to adopt it for all the EU, developing Europeans' consciousness and policies based on a common EU Identity
Unless, by a kind of inter-institutional Division of Labor, EU (and its own Member Nations) focuses on "Integration" and on how to create and safeguard Socio-Economic and Cultural "Cohesion" and to help forge EU Citizens' "Feeling of Belonging" to "a Common Identity", shared among Europeans, while, on the contrary, PanEuropean CoE prefers to go towards a much Wider GeoPolitical "Great Area", including both the EU and many Non-EU, 3rd Countries, such as Russia, Azerbaidjan and Turkey, but also Norway, Switzerland, Lichtenstein, etc, soon perhaps also Morocco and Kazahkstan, etc, in addition to USA, Canada, Japan, Mexico a.o. "Special Status"-holding, Non European Friendly Countries, (eventually, in Future, also China, etc), so that it might, indeed, become Logical and Natural for the CoE to focus rather on .. "Multi-Cultural" Groups, simply "living together", side by side, (as it was said supra). But, obviously, only if this might concern mainly the relations with - and inside - Non-EU Countries, and not at all EU Citizens a.o. living inside EU Countries...
Such a move might, eventually, instead of opposing, on the contrary, fit quite well the well-known Idea proposed by French Presidenemet Sarkozy, together with German Chancellor Merkel, in agreement with Russian President Medvedev, to create a kind of "Great Space" including EU and Russia, Turkey, etc., together with the EEA Countries, (Norway, Switzerland, etc.), regardless of eventual EU Accession bids and of their sort. Precisely as "EuroFora" had asked CoE's new Secretary Generaly, Thornbjorn Jagland, at his 1st Press Conference at the CoE, as early as since the beginning of October 2009, where he gave us a very Positive Reply, (See relevant "EuroFora"'s NewsReport), recently reiterating the same Idea in his Speech during CLRAE's Session, end of October 2010.
Meanwhile, Davutoglu's stress on "Multi-Culti" issues, and their rapprochement with "Peace" matters "on a Strong basis" (see Supra), appeared at the same time with his readiness to use CoE's rotating Chair in order to act on "all Frozen Conflicts" :
- "As a CoE Chairman, of course we want to Solve All the Frozen Conflicts", the Turkish Minister replied to a Question of an Azeri Journalist on Nagorno Karabah, but obviously seizing an occasion to spread wider... - "We hope that these Conflicts will be resolved through Peaceful means, Mutual Respect, that's our main (not only ?) philosophy", and "we shall look to all these issues from such a Perspective", he simply said, (apparently frustrating the concerned journalists)...
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Diplomatic overtaking on Cyprus at CoE's corridors ?...
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EU's 2010 Report clearly denounced Turkey's "Lack of progress towards Normalisation" of relations with Cyprus, stressing that "it is Now Urgent that Turkey fulfils its Obligations of Full, Non-Discriminatory implementation" of EU's rules, f.ex. on Customs Union, etc., Warning Ankara that the contrary "will have a continuous Effect on overall progress in the (EU - Turkey) negotiations", and threatens to compromise Air Safety", even "EU- NATO Cooperation", etc. (See Exrepts from EU's 2010 Report infra)
But, on the contrary, Davutoglu (alike Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's statements on Cyprus) appeared rather to Stick to a selective and controversial part of the Past, pointing back to 2004, instead of searching to find efficient Solutions for Cyprus from now on :
A brief (and hardly audible), but interesting Discussion took place between the Turkish Foreign Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu, CoE's chair in office for 11/2010-5/2011, and Cyprus' Ambassador, Permanent Representative to the CoE Euripides Evriviades, right in front of "EuroFora", immediately after CoE's Press Conference :
The Turkish Minister apparently wanted to reply to Evryviades' earlier expressed wish, during a CoE's Committee of Ministers' debate, to ... "become next year (2011) Ambassador to Ankara", as he reportedly said, provoking Smiles even by Davutoglu himself, (in a reference to EU Heads of State/Governments' repeated calls between 2005-2010 upon Turkey to "normalize" its relations with EU/CoE Member Cyprus, stopping to discriminate against, and obstruct Cyprus' related Ships and Airplanes, etc), observing also that Turkey was "well placed" in order to "show an Example", during its CoE chairmanship, by implementing ECHR's Judgements against serious Violations of Human Rights, (as f.ex. those which condemned Ankara for "MISSING" Persons and their Families' on-going Drama, and for usurpating Greek Cypriot Refugees' Family Homes and private properties, since the 1974 Turkish Military Invasion/Occupation of the Northern part of Cyprus), as well as to "withdraw Turkish Military Troops from Cyprus", as UNO SC and EU Parliament's Resolutions repeatedly ask Ankara to do, in exchange of Cyprus Government's acceptance of CoE/EU Monitoring mecanisms able to ensure both Turkish and Greek Cypriots that their elementary Human Rights will be respected, while living in Peace and Safety, (as various other CoE's sources and Officials revealed to "EuroFora").
Davutoglu, who had left CoE's PressRoom before all others participants, and had been walking slowly but earlier at the corridor, suddenly turned around and saw Cyprus' Ambassador running fast to catch up, (too fast, to the point that "EuroFora" lost breath by trying to reach him !), precisely at the moment that he was overtaking the Turkish Minister, advancing rapidly ahead, towards CoE's centre.Smiling, Davutoglou stopped in front of "EuroFora" and addressed himself with a strong voice to Cyprus' Ambassador, while he had just overtaken him, running further ahead :
- "It's" before "Cyprus" that we (Turkey) have (already) done (in the Past) "all these Steps ?", Davutoglu boasted aloud, provoking laughs, by apparently referring to Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan's repetitive claim that Ankara pratically would have "Nothing" to do now for a solution to Cyprus' issue, since it had (according to a well-known Turkish Propaganda) managed, many years back in the Past, to get a Controversial 5th Version of a Draft Plan prepared for Cyprus by a former UN Official, (former British Ambassador to Turkey, of which he notoriously spoke even the language !), which suited Turkey's main interests, but not those of Greek Cypriots, (mainly on Refugees' Human Rights, etc). So that it reportedly obliged them to drop it with a more than 76 % Majority Referendum, for the 1st time in their History, while, on the contrary, Turkey had been routinely refusing several other UNO's Initiatives in the Past, even an official Invitation by former UNO's Secretary General Koffi Annan to start Talks for Cyprus' ReUnification "on the basis of UN Security Council's Resolutions" on September 12, 2001, that the Turkish Cypriot leader Rauf Denktash had explicitly refused (contrary to the former Cyprus' President Clerides, who had accepted and immediately flew towards New York), 1 Week before the 9/11 Deadly Terrorist Attack against New York's World Trade Centre, practically covers up the matter by provoking an unprecedented closure of UNO's Headquarters precisely the Date scheduled for the Cyprus' meeting at N.Y. : 12 September 2001 !... (See "EuroFora" co-founder's Questions at UNO's September 12 and 19 Press Conferences during the 2005 Heads of State/Government World Summit and UNO's General Assembly).
That shady affair had notoriously been exploited by a Turkish Lobby in order to impose Ankara's controversial and impopular demand to enter the E.U., by deciding, on December 2004, to start EU - Turkey so-called "Accession Negotiations", which triggered prolonged, unprecedented Popular "NOs" in a Series of crucial Referenda then, after Cyprus in France, Holland and Ireland, as the only availabe means for a Majority of EU Citizens to practically say "No" to Turkey's impopular EU bid.
In addition, since 2004, EU decided, in agreement with Cyprus' Government, to take the unprecedented measure to start Funding Turkish Cypriots living in the illegaly Occupied northern part of Cyprus, on the main condition that funded projects would contribute to the Official Aim to help the "Economic Integration" of Cyprus as a whole, in order to facilitate its future reUnification, (according to a famous Formula, initiated for the 1st time, in a Question raised by "EuroFora"'s co-founder to the then EU Chairman, Dutch Foreign Minister Botta, which became later-on an official EU Legal and politically guiding text until today).
- It's precisely in his "2001 published Book "Strategic Depth", that " the Architect of Turkey's Multi-Dimensional Foreign Policy, the present Foreign Minister, Professor Ahmet Davutoglu" reportedly gave "the most convincing reason" for which Turkey persists in its illegal Military Invasion/Occupation of Cyprus' Northern part all this time, which might explain why "reUnification Talks are going nowhere", as "GUARDIAN" Newspaper said recently (on November 4, 2010) :
- "Even if there was not one single Muslim Turk over there", (i.e. in Cyprus' Northern Territories, occupied by Ankara's Military since the 1974 incidents), Turkey would have to maintain a Cyprus' Question". Because "No Country could possibly be indifferent to an Island like this, placed in the Heart of its Vital Space" ! (alias "Liebens Raum", according to Hitler's notoriously favorite claim), the mainstream Brittish Media reminds.
- "The Jury is still out !", apparently replied Cyprus' Ambsassador at the CoE. And It seems that, today, "there is an U.S. interest" for a solution of Cyprus' issue, he added.
- "Aha", reacted Davutoglu. - "No, I'm saying that (you) missed (the opportunity, for a Cyprus' deal back) on 2004", he claimed, apparently making a reference to Cyprus A"mbassador's earlier expression wish to be accredited next year (2011) to Ankara, as he had reportedly asked,s (See supra).
- "And we'd withdraw also our Troups from Cyprus", Turkish Ambassador Batibay claimed in addition, joining the laugh. This was supposed to be a reply to his Cypriot collegue' earlier expressed wish for Ankara to stop occupying illegally the northern part of Cyprus, as UNO SC's. and EU Parliament's Resolutions ask it to do, while Cyprus' Government would accept, in exchange, "all kinds of MONITORING", from CoE, EU or UNO a.o. bodies, in order to ensure that everything would go as scheduled.
- "No, (according to the failed Controversial 5th Version of 2004's Draft Plan), we needed ...19 Years for (the withdrawal of all) Turkish troops", critically replied Cyprus' Ambassador, referring to a long intermediary period of Time, during which, a reduced Turkish Military Occupation would persist, while, on the contrary, the State of the Republic of Cyprus would have been immediately abolished, so that if anyone provoked Disagreements and Breakdown of the process, an irreversible Separatist Partition of Cyprus could have been triggered at any moment, since there was No Mecanism able to ensure that a normal situation could be restored asap.
Laughing, Turkish Ambassador Batibay cut short that brief conversation, made at the initiative of Davitoglu, and guided the Turkish Minister away, before entering another CoE's Room, close to Journalists' Pressroom, for some unknown meetings behind closed doors....
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[See infra, "EuroFora"s Brief Notes on : 1) EU Commission's 2010 Report on Turkey, 2 ) HISTORIC BACKGROUND ON CoE - Turkey, 3) Turkey's CoE Agenda (Priorities + Conferences), and 4) "EuroFora" hindered to raise Questions : (+ on dissident Turkish Cypriot murdered Journalist Adali, and on People's protection from EWE)]
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1) EU Commission's 2010 Report on Turkey :
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Meanwhile, EU Commmission's 2010 Annual Conclusions on Turkey, published just Yesterday (9 Nov. 2010), focused mainly on the "Urgent" need to respect now its Commitments on Cyprus, Freedom of Press and Religion, etc. and to avoid the "Risks of a Boom-Bust scenario" in an overheated Economy :
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On Cyprus :
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- "It is now Urgent that Turkey fulfils its obligation of Full, Non-Discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement, and makes progress towards normalisation of bilateral relations with ..Cyprus", stressed from the outset EU Commissioner Fule.
But, on the contrary, "there is No Progress towards Normalisation of bilateral relations with the Republic of Cyprus", EU criticized. "It does not meet its obligation of full, non-Discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement, and has not removed all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including Restrictions on direct transport links with Cyprus. ,
- "As regards the Cyprus issue, .... We (EU) reiterate our call on Turkey to contribute in concrete terms to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue."
- "No one can be satisfied with the current pace of negotiations" between EU and Turkey. In the absence of progress, the Commission recommends that the EU maintains its measures from 2006, which will have a continuous effect on overall progress in the negotiations."
- "There is No Progress towards Normalisation of bilateral relations with the Republic of Cyprus", EU criticized. Turkey "does not meet its obligation of full, non-Discriminatory implementation of the Additional Protocol to the Association Agreement, and has not removed all obstacles to the free movement of goods, including Restrictions on direct transport links with Cyprus. ,
- "Despite repeated calls by the Council and the Commission, Turkey still has not complied with its obligations" vis à vis "Cypus, as outlined in the declaration of the EuropeanCommunity ....of 21 September 2005 and in the Council conclusions, including the December 2006 and ...2009 conclusions", EU Commission denounced.
=> As a result, "Lack of communications between Air Traffic Control centres in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus continues to seriously compromise Air Safety", EU warned
+ Moreover, "..the issue of EU-NATO cooperation involving all EU Member States (i.e. including Cyprus, Malta, a.o.) beyond the 'Berlin plus arrangements' remains to be resolved", while also " Turkey has Not aligned with the EU position on membership of the Wassenaar Arrangement" no more..
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- Also, "a considerable number of formal complaints were made by Greece about continued violations of its airspace by Turkey, including flights over Greek islands. Greece also made complaints about violations of its territorial waters"
- "Turkey ....did not align with the EU in the UN Security Council for additional sanctions against Iran. ......Relations with Israel significantly deteriorated following the Gaza flotilla incident". Meanwhile, "The protocols signed with Armenia to normalise relations are still not ratified."
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Other Exrepts from EU Commission's 2010 Conclusions on Turkey point both on Human Rights, Democracy and rule of Law, as well as on Economy's challenges :
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- "Significant efforts are still needed on Fundamental Rights. : - " The quantity of legal actions against Journalists and undue Pressure on the media Undermine freedom of the Press in practice", added to "Restrictions on Freedom of Expression, and Excessive length of Pre-trial Detention", EU 2010 Report found.
- "On ... Torture and ill-treatment .... Disproportionate use of Force by (Turkish) law-enforcement Authorities continues to be reported, and is of Concern", EU denounced. - Meanwhile, "Ratification of the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT) is still Pending" (!), and "Turkey has Not ratified 3 additional Protocols to the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)"
+ This obviously aggravates the Danges of Abus provoked by the additional fact that, in Turkey, "the High proportion of Prisoners in pre-trial detention remains one of the most significant Problems", while even "Health services in prison need to be improved", as EU noted.
- "Concerning human rights and the protection of Minorities, ....significant efforts are still needed in particular concerning freedom of Expression and freedom of Religion".
- In "Turkey ....In particular, freedom of expression needs to be ensured in practice", because "Turkish law does not sufficiently guarantee freedom of expression in line with the ECHR and the ECtHR case law : "The high number of cases initiated against Journalists is of Concern". Undue political Pressures on the Media and legal uncertainties affect the exercise of freedom of the press in practice. The frequent website Bans are a source of Concern", EU Commission stressed.
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=> Thus, "the Number of Rulings of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) finding that Turkey has Violated the ECHR continued to increase" even recently :
F.ex., "during the reporting period (2008-2009) the court delivered a total of 553 Judgements finding that Turkey had Violated the ECHR" ! "The number of New Applications to the ECtHR went Up, for the 4th consecutive Year : Since October 2009, a total of 5,728 New applications were made to the ECtHR. .....As of September 2010, a number of 16,093 cases were Pending before the ECtHR regarding Turkey.....
- "However, some (ECHR's) Rulings have Not been followed up by Turkey, for several Years", (precisely : more than a .. Decade !)". Even the
Turkish "Government’s announcement that it would address these issues, was Not followed by action", EU Commission denounced.
- In consequence, "the Non-implementation of" certain ECHR's "Judgments has resulted in Deprivation of Liberty for the defendants for several Years, without due process of law", EU observed. "Furthermore, Turkey has Not adopted legal measures to prevent repetitive prosecution and conviction of Conscientious Objectors. Other issues awaiting .. measures by Turkey concern" not only "restrictions on Freedom of Expression, and excessive length of Pre-trial Detention", (See supra), but also the core issue of the need for a "Control of the activities of (Turkish) Security forces, (and of) effective Remedies against Abuse" many times committed by them, as ECHR has repeatedly found, (f.ex. Killings, Torture and/or Inhuman/Degrading Treatments, Enforced Disappearances, Arbitrary Deprivations of Liberty and/or Expulsions added to Usurpation of Family Homes and other private Properties, etc).
These are, indeed, both the Oldest ECHR Judgements (added to New ones), and the more Serious, blatant Violations of core Human Rights, for which ECHR has repeatedly condemned the Turkish State since 1996 up to 2010, but without Ankara taking efficient measures to stop other such violations : An obviously grave issue of Human Rights' contempt, which certainly deserves much better than to be almost ...hidden in a few words, written in Small letters, only ... at the end of a ..Footnote, as some bureaucrat inside EU Commission scandalously did ! (See p. 16 of the 2010 Annual Report)
Moreover, EU also observes that "in the Cyprus v. Turkey case, the issue of MISSING persons, and restrictions on the Property rights of Greek Cypriots living permanently in the northern part of Cyprus, remains Pending", (as well as that of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced Persons' Family Homes and private properties, still illegaly usurpared until now, 2010, since the 1974 Turkish Military Invasion/Occupation of the Northern part of Cyprus).
+ At the same time, "Human rights Defenders have continued to face Criminal Proceedings. Investigations carried out as part of the fight against terrorism have raised Concerns, following the Arrests of Trade union and Human rights activists. The wide definition of terrorism under the (Turkish) Anti-Terror Law
remains a cause for Concern", EU Commission stressed.
- "As regards the fight against Impunity" of Torturers among Turkish Security Forces, an official "Human Rights Investigation Committee noted that NONE of the 35 lawsuits filed against 431 members of the Istanbul Police for ill-treatment or Torture resulted in a Conviction" (!), denounced the 2010 EU Report.."According to the same report, only 2% of Police officers accused of ill-treatment or Torture are subject to disciplinary Sanctions as a result of an administrative Investigation" "The committee concluded that this gives rise to Suspicions about the effectiveness of proceedings initiated against Turkish law-enforcement agents".
- Thus, ECHR has to wait from 1995 up to .. 2010, i.e. more than ...15 Years, in order to find, at last, ... only one (1 !) case of a Turkish State's Agent responsible for Torture and/or Killing to be punished : "This is the 1st verdict where a (Turkish) court has convicted a Senior prison Official" to prison for some years, EU Commissioner Fule noted, speaking of "the case of the Death in Detention of Engin Çeber (who) was arrested for distributing a legal journal .. and "Died as a result of Injuries sustained during Torture in a Police station in Istanbul and Metris Prison on ..2008". Commissioner Fule forgot to mention also the fact that, many times, Turkish Authorities had already pretended to "condemn" a few Officials for Torture and/or Killing, but afterwards they were either Acquitted or their Prison sentences were changed into Fines, subsequently reduced into tiny proportions.! ...
- But ECHR was obliged to "Condemn Turkey on several (other) accounts (for) Lack of an Effective Investigation", in the case f.ex., of members of the Security forces who took part in an operation at (a) Prison.., which had led to the Death of 8 prisoners and injured 6" at Diyarnakir. And Turksy has Not sufficiently "addressed the Backlog of Judicial proceedings", while, "Administrative Investigations into allegations of Torture or ill-treatment are STILL carried out by fellow police officers"
Turkey's "human rights Institutions need to be brought fully in line with the UN Principles", even before they abide with European Values, EU concluded.
----------------------------
- "As regards freedom of Religion, ... the implementation of the law on Foundations ...Delays and (faced) procedural Problems. The dialogue with the Alevis and non-Muslims ....has Not yet produced results. Members of Minority Religions continue to be subject to Threats by Extremists", (in additions to Christian Priests notoriously Murdered in Turkey on 2005, 2007 and 2010 : Santoro, Bible-workers and Mgr Luigi Padovese cases, respectively)
- "Turkey's approach to ...Minorities ....remains Restrictive. Full respect for and protection of language, culture and fundamental rights, in accordance with European standards, have yet to be fully achieved". "Turkey needs to make further efforts to enhance tolerance and promote inclusiveness vis-à-vis minorities."..restrictions remain, particularly on the use of such languages in political life, education and contacts with public services".
- On " the Kurdish issue" Turkey "fell short of expectations". ... The decision of the Constitutional Court to close down the Democratic Society Party (DTP), and a surge in PKK terrorist attacks, also undermined" the situation.
- "It is important that efforts addressing the Kurdish issue are sustained through broad Consultation", EU underlined.
- "The anti-terror legislation needs to be amended to avoid undue restrictions on the exercise of fundamental rights", EU Commission observed, (while even freshly Elected Kurdish Mayors and Regional Counsellors were notoriously arrested, massively jailed and prosecuted since the 2009 Local/Regional Elections in Turkey).
- "The village guard system (often acccused of Killings, usurpation of Refugees' Homes and other Abuses), still needs to be phased out"
+ "Compensation of internally displaced persons (IDPs) ... is Not effective. The government has Not developed an overall national strategy to address the IDP issue and needs to step up efforts to address IDPs' needs."
- In addition, "the existence of numerous Landmines continues to raise Concerns".
--------------------
+ "The issue of Roma has become more publicly debated" in Turkey (which hosts the Biggest Roma Minority among all CoE's members, as CoE discovered recently, after Decades of Ankara's denials) .... However, in the absence of a comprehensive policy to advance social inclusion of Roma, the latter still frequently face Discriminatory treatment inaccess to education, housing, health services and public services"
- Meanwile, "Honour Killings, early and Forced marriages and domestic Violence" still are "serious Problems"... Ensuring women's rights and gender equality in practice remain key challenges for Turkey", where ".... the authorities exercise Excessive controls and continue to launch Closure cases against LGBT associations".
- Drop-outs of Children from Schools remain a source of Concern." + " Although there has been some progress, ....the vast Majority of Turkish Students perform at the Lowest ...levels", EU denounced. "Participation in higher education remains Low by international standards. ... Overall, reforms and increased spending on education are obviously having some positive impact... , but significant Problems persist"
- On "Trade Union rights ....there are restrictive provisions in the current legal framework which are not in line with EU standards and ILO Conventions. Lack of consensus between social partners and government is an obstacle to the adoption of new legislation".
---------------------------------------------------
".. Constitutional reforms on ... the Judiciary. ...now need to be implemented in line with European standards"... "The package of constitutional amendments ....was not preceded by a consultation process involving political parties and civil society at large. Implementation ...in line with European standards and in a transparent and inclusive way, will be key".
- "Senior members of the Armed Forces have continued to make statements beyond their remit, in particular on judicial issues", and "No progress was made in terms of parliamentary oversight over the defence budget"
"In the area of the judiciary .... the Minister of Justice still chairs the High Council and has the last word on investigations." ...
"...Corruption remains prevalent in many areas". Therefore, "Turkey needs to develop a track record of investigations, indictments and convictions."
-----------------------
TURKISH ECONOMY : "Risks of a Boom-Bust scenario" ?
---------------------
- "The Turkish Economy was hit hard by the global financial Crisis", and even now EU observes "rapidly widening trade and current account Deficits,.... Unemployment ...still Higher than pre-crisis levels, and rising Inflationary pressures".
"... fiscal rule ....has been Delayed"
- "Turkey's fiscal Deficit and Debt stock"... "increased".
- "Privatisation" became "Slower".
- "External Imbalances and financing Needs have been growing significantly ..."
- "Inflationary pressures increased considerably, chiefly because of pressures stemming from energy inputs...".
=> Therefore, Turkey must take measures to "minimize the Risks of a Boom-Bust scenario", EU Commission warned.
- "Unemployment rate remains Higher than its pre-crisis levels, and Demographic factors are expected to keep
unemployment High in coming Years."
"The Low capacity to create new jobs, is clearly linked to a skills-Mismatch, between labour demand and supply, as well as excessive labour market regulation"
- "There are Obstacles to market exit and bankruptcy proceedings are relatively
Cumbersome. The crisis has further Complicated the access of SMEs to finance.
"The legal environment, and in particular court procedures, continue to ...create Obstacles to a better Business environment"
"The ... persisting Lack of transparency on the allocation of state aids is not conducive to improving the business climate."
- "Informal economy remains an important challenge".
- " Efforts need to continue to pursue alignment in areas such as Environment, Company law, public Procurement and right of Establishment and Freedom to provide Services. As regards the Customs Union, alignment needs to be completed.
- "A number of longstanding Trade Irritants remain Unresolved, such as conformity assessments checks, import and export
licensing requirements, IPR effective enforcement, ....tax Discriminatory treatment.
- "It is essential that Turkey ...removes a large number of Obstacles affecting EU products that are in free circulation".
- "it is Crucial that Turkey improves (in order) to cope with the acquis.
- "Technical Barriers to trade continue to exist, Hampering free circulation of goods, and (even) New Barriers have been added" !
- "No progress has been recorded in the fields of Services and Establishment. ....The legal framework against financing of
terrorism is still Incomplete.
- "Turkey made No progress on capital movement and payments".
- The alignment strategy needs to be adopted, and Turkey needs to further align its legislation, particularly on utilities, concessions and
public-private partnerships.
"On company law, .... the legal and institutional framework for Auditing is Not yet in place", and. .... the adoption of necessary IPR legislation... is pending. Coordination and cooperation on IPR needs to be improved"
- "Several Obstacles to Market development remain in place" :
"The legislation on electronic Communications, Information society services and audiovisual policy require further adjustments. Agriculture .... policies showed only Minor transition towards the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP)".
- "Turkey Failed to fully remove technical Barriers to trade in bovine products. Slippage in the timetable for accreditation of the IPARD structures also represent a Shortcoming"
- "No progress has been made regarding Rail market opening and Safety"
>>> "The lack of communications between Air traffic control centres in Turkey and the Republic of Cyprus continues to seriously
compromise Air Safety"
- "In the Maritime sector, No progress has been made on becoming a party to international conventions", while "Administrative and implementation capacity remains Limited".
- "In the energy sector, ...further efforts are needed in the fields of natural Gas, Nuclear energy, nuclear safety, radiation protection and State aid.
... Hardly any progress can be reported on direct and indirect Taxation."
-----------------------------------------------
- "In the field of Social policy and employment. ... overall alignment remains Limited and the administrative capacity needs strengthening. A reform to achieve full trade union rights in line with EU standards and ILO conventions is still Pending".
"There are ... Concerns regarding Undeclared work, Low female employment rates, enforcement of the health and safety legislation. A general policy framework to combat Poverty is also lacking".
- "Limited improvements can be reported on the business environment : ... there is still a need to improve the administrative capacity of the institutions involved in the implementation of the pre-accession funds".
".... With respect to anti-Corruption, ...Turkey needs to develop a track record of investigation, indictments, and convictions.
- "No progress to be reported on judicial cooperation in criminal and civil matters. ...Urgent adoption of draft legislation and ratification of signed international agreements is key".... "Commitments to enforce effectively intellectual property rights and the fight against counterfeit goods need to be respected."
- "However, Turkey has made very Limited progress as regards Climate change, and No progressin the area of Nature protection"
----------------------------------------
- "Overall, ...., macroeconomic Stability remains Vulnerable"
"Government authorities still tend to set the Prices in some key areas, including in Electricity and Gas markets, and to a lesser extent in
Telecommunications and Transportation, in particular in rail transportation"
" Privatisations ... Decreased,
from €4.. billion (1% of GDP) in 2008, to €1.. billion (0.4% of GDP) in 2009", and "advanced .. at a Slower pace, due to the Worsening external environment".
- "A Major Impact on Market entry and exit" appeared "in 2009" : the number of newly established firms Decreased by -10%, while the number of firms which were Closed down increased by +8.5%.
- "Foreign owners still face Restrictions in various areas, including Maritime transport, civil Aviation, ground-handling, Road transport, radio and TV broadcasting, Energy, Accountancy and Education. ...F.ex., 25 different Procedures are still needed in order to build a warehouse"! "Market exit is Difficult too, as Closing a Business still takes 3.3 Years on average. Moreover, claimants recover only 1/5 of their claims from insolvent firms. Overall, market exit procedures remain relatively Cumbersome" : F.ex., "Enforcing commercial Contracts remains a Lengthy process, which involves 35 Procedures and takes 420 Days on average" !...
"The specialisation of commercial Court judges is insufficient, leading to Lengthy Court Proceedings. The expert witness system still functions ...without improving the overall quality. Use of out-of-court dispute-settlement mechanisms remains Low".
"Overall, the Legal environment, ... continues to pose ...Obstacles"
-------------
. "Banking sector .. increased its share to 78% of the total financial sector..... However, due to the very strong ongoing Credit Growth ..., regulatory authorities need to remain Vigilant".
- "Domestic Demand ...is also fuelling rapid expansion in ...Account Deficit, pointing to the return of persistent Imbalances in the Turkish economy". ...
- "At the same time, potential growth in Turkey is being Held Back by high Inactivity, and Insufficiently broad... productivity".
------------
- During the crisis, Investment Decreased and gross fixed capital formation (GFCF) fell ...in 2009.... FDI inflows ..fell by about -20% in the first half of 2010, compared with a year earlier".
- "For many years Infrastructure investment has been Hampered, by the need to consolidate public finances, and the Failure to cut lower-priority spending. Inadequate infrastructure is increasingly affecting economic activity", so that "there is a Risk that" it, ("including for Power supply"), could Hamper the economic Recovery" : => "Gross Electricity Consumption Growth has averaged some +7% in each of the last few years, and extra Power-generating Capacity is being constructed, albeit with some Delays".
"Although the official government target was to increase research and development expenditure to 2% of GDP by 2010, R&D expenditure remains much lower, on just 1.4%.
-------------
- "Market liberalisation has Not advanced in Agriculture". Moreover, "the sectoral shift from agriculture to services and industry was Reversed by the Slowdown in economic activity", Thus, "the share of Agriculture in overall employment increased from 23.. % to 24.. % between December 2008 and December 2009" !
- "Both industry and construction saw their relative shares of total Employment Decline, by a combined total of -1.5%."
- "The quality and frequency of data on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) remained Poor. Various ...the share of SMEs in total banking sector Loans Decreased from 23% at ...2008, to 21.4% by ...2009. ""ééééééEarmarked Funds of €500 million were Underutilised, as only 7 SMEs had received credit guarantee support by ..March 2010.
- "The large Informal sector, which is fuelled by Weaknesses in Tax and expenditure policies, as well as in Law enforcement, remains
an important Challenge"
=> "Overall, the crisis Slowed Down, or even Reversed structural shifts in economic activity", and "Complicated access to finance for SMEs".
-------------------------
+ "There has been No tangible progress in the field of State Aid. As transparency in the decisionmaking process remains Low, it is still Difficult to judge the rationale and consistency of the individual decisions taken". "Adoption of the commercial code has again been Postponed. The Absence of transparent Monitoring of state Aid, and of supporting policies to reduce Distortion, continued to have an Adverse effect on ...competitiveness in the economy. Public Procurement policies continued to be Undermined by Exceptions to the regulatory framework. Overall, state intervention continued to be Untransparent, which might have had a Negative effect on Competition".
- In consequence, "Turkish ...total value of Exports.... Decreased to about 47.. % of GDP by the end of 2009, from 52.. % in 2008".
+ "EU’s share ... in Turkey’s Exports Decreased from 48% in 2008 to 46% in 2009.... Simultaneously, Turkey was somehow able to diversify its exports towards Other Regions : The share of Exports to African and Middle East countries ... increased from 10% in 2008, to over 20% in 2009", obviously starting a move towards elsewhere in the World.
-------------------------------------------
2) HISTORIC BACKGROUND ON CoE - Turkey :
Turkey has been a CoE Member since the Cold-War period, when USA's priority notoriously was to boost NATO allies vis a vis former "USSR" and other "Socialist" Countries' Warsaw Military Pact, but stayed inside CoE even after the End of Cold War, the reUnification of Europe, the dissolution of Warsaw Pact, and EU/CoE Accession of all former Central Eastern European Countries, including Russia's CoE entry, as well as Armenia's, Georgia's and Azerbaidzan's) etc., while former EU applicant, French and Spanish-speaking Morocco (which hadn't any Borders with Russia to deploy NATO troops), stayed out, and is currently trying to cooperate with some CoE's projects, as well as former "URSS" country Kazakstan, etc. Meanwhile, CoE gave also Special Status to other, clearly Non-European Friendly Countries, such as USA, Canada, Japan, etc., even Mexico..
The previous time Turkey took over CoE's rotating chair reportedly was back on 1992, long before a 2005 CoE Summit gave to the Strasbourg's Organization the Mission to focus on Human Rights, Demoracy and Rule of Law, (i.e., by a coincidence, when "EuroFora"s co-founder was just starting to work at EU/CoE Press sector). A series of CoE Member Countries had lodged a Collective application to the ECHR against the Turkish State for serious Violations of Human Rights in the Past, during the Military Government of the 1980ies, (as they had done also against the former Military Chunta in the 1970ies in Greece, which had been obliged to withdraw its CoE Membership), while a former CoE Director of Legal/Human Rights affairs had reportedly considered to provoke a similar move of Membership withdrawal for Turkey back in the 1960ies , during an exceptionally hard clash against an Elected Government notoriously culminating even at the Killing of an elected Prime Minister in Ankara). Since then, the only InterState applications versus Turkey were lodged to the ECHR by Cyprus (concerning manifold Human Rights' violations linked to the peristing Turkish Military Invasion and Occupation 1974-2010), and by Denmark, (concering Torture inflicted to a Refugee from Turkey who preferred to stay in Denmark and focus, instead, on his Danish Nationality, as he had declared to the Press during the 1990ies)
But it's the 1st time in History that one and same CoE Member State gets, at the same period of time, both Presidencies of CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, (chaired by EDG group's MEP Mevut Cavusoglu, instead of the initially scheduled since 2005 Russian MEP Margelov, former Chairman of the same EDG Group, who was pushed to withdraw : Comp. f.ex. Margelov's statements to "EuroFora"'s co-founder, published on 2004), and of CoE's Ministerial Committee, (chaired by Foreign Minister Davutoglu), concentrating an unprecedented amount of institutional Power, that several EU and other European Countries will be carefully watching to check if the current Turkish Government will be smart enough to avoid falling to the trap of the temptation to commit any eventual Abuse against Freedoms, even inside the PanEuropean Organization.
---------------------------
3) Turkey's CoE Agenda (Priorities + Conferences) :
Turkey's CoE Priorities for the 6 next Months, explicitly add,
beyond CoE's own General Agenda on continuing the 2009 engaged institutional Reform of the PanEuropean Organisation and of the February 2010 initiated ECHR internal Reform (see "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from the Interlaken Ministerial CoE Conference, organized under the Swiss CoE Presidency on February and ECHR President Jean-Paul Costa's replies to our Questions at the concluding Press Conference),
mainly Ankara's declared choice in favor of "Multi-Culturalism" and "living together", side by side, instead of united in an "Integrated" Society with Cohesion and common Identity, as, on the contrary, mainstream EU Member States, f.ex. Germany, France and many others wish, at least for the European Union area, as German Chancellor Angie Merkel, supported by many Politicians and People, recently stressed, by notoriously denouncing the "utter Failure" of "Multi-Culti" and focusing, instead, on EU's vital need to succeed social "Integration").
During its rotating CoE Chair, Turkey intends to oganize a series of Conferences mainly on "Prisons" (2), and Tools allowing to act on suspicion to "Prevent", even before any "Terrorist" act might be committed, as well as in favor of a "Multi-Cultural"/"Inter-Cultural" "living together", and Immigrants (curiously ..ommitting even to mention the well-known key-word of Cultural and Social "Integration", at least of Immigrant's Children !), as well as on "Violence in Families" (an issue traditionally pushed by Turkish Authorities since 1999-2003, and now co-organized by a Local Turkish representative in Strasbourg, near Switzerland, where a Refugee, escapee from traumatizing Torture in Turkey, was atrociously Killed in Brutal Attacks by Policemen intruding inside his own Family Home, apparently manipulated by Anonymous Slandering by shady spying "neighbours", as Swiss Media Videos revealed), etc., ambitioning to conclude, at the last minute, with a Conference immitating the famous ..Swiss Government-hosted Ministerial gathering on ECHR Future at Interlaken (See "EuroFora"s NewsReports from the spot, with ECHR President Jean-Paul Costa's replies to our Questions, etc), but astonishingly choosing to host a Human Rights meeting in a City where notorious Massacers took place in 1922 against its historically Majority Greek population, provoking massive "Ethnic Cleansing" shortly after the Armenian Genocide, as even an American Ambassador eye-witness described in a famous Book : Izmir (called Smyrne for Thousands of years), instead f.ex. of non-controversial Antalya, that PACE Chairman Cavusoglu had told "EuroFora" that he preferred, (etc.), shortly before passing over CoE's rotating chair to Ukraine on May 2010.
------------------------------
4) "EuroFora" hindered to raise Questions : (+ on dissident Turkish Cypriot murdered Journalist Adali, and on People's protection from EWE)
When we raised hands during the incoming CoE's Turkish Chair, at first, there was no response. Instead, the speech was given to a visiting Turkish Journalist who asked whether the exceptional fact that both the Presidents of CoE's Parliamentary Assembly and of its Committee of Ministers "are Turks", and at the same time - something never seen before, for any other CoE Member Country, (not even Russia, whose turn was initially for Assembly's presidency, for which Moscow had been waiting since 2005, with the then Chairman of EDG Group, Margelov : Comp. Chairman Margelov's statements to "EuroFora"'s founder, published since 2004), but was, instead, given to Turkey in 12/2009 - might change and "mobilize" something in the CoE, as she said.
Immediately afterwards, when "EuroFora" anew raised a hand in an even more Visible way, suddenly, a Turkish Official at the CoE changed attitude at that precise moment, deciding to anounce that now, there will be only "a Last question", and gave the speech again to another ... (resident) Turkish collegue !.
Our intention was to raise 2 Questions :
1) Given the exceptionally tragic loss of many Lives of Poor, innocent People in Turkey by the 1999 Earthquake, as well as other Extreme Weather and/or Geological Events elsewhere in Europe and in the World, including this 2010 Summer, (f.ex. Killer Heatwave in Russia, Floods/Landslides in Pakistan and China, etc), would the Turkish CoE chair consider useful to activate CoE's EUR-OPA PanEuropean Mecanism dedidated to struggle (with the use of the latest High-Tech RST) against Natural and Man-made Major Hazards ?
2) While EU Commission's 2010 Report on Turkey focuses its Criticism on Press Freedom Violations, denouncing too many Harassment against Journalists, Turkey is also the only CoE Member State strongly condemned by ECHR for lack of Efficient Investigation to find an punish those responsible for the cold blood Murder of a Journalist (in the case we wanted to raise : Dissident Turkish Cypriot Journalist Kutlu Adali, shot by 5 Bullets at the Head in the Occupied Terriories of Cyprus), which seems ready to escape from any control by CoE's Ministerial Committee on the implementation of ECHR's judgement, without even having found neither the motives of the Murder, nor any suspect ! Could he act so that Justice might be done, without so obviously Dangerous Exceptions on ECHR Judgements' implementation in cases of Journalists' Murders ?
EU + Church : Human Lives + GeoPolitical stakes on Iraq Christians Massacre ask International action
Geopolitical and Human Lives' stakes after an atrocious Iraqi Christians' Massacre, plead for European/International action, stressed many Top MEPs and Religious Leaders, while this week's Facts, taken all together, were sheding light on the Trans-National context in the Brutal Killing of many innocent Christian worshipers at an iraqi Church, strengthening the importance of Pope Benedict's call "to stop all violence" by "uniting the forces of all good-willing People, National and International Organizations" :
It's at the eve of an exceptional Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's visit to EU Member Cyprus, that unknown Gunmen invaded a Syrian Catholic Church in Iraqi capital Bagdad, taking Hostages many People, with revendications against Christians at the larger Middle East area, particularly Egypt, resulting into 58 killed, (included 2 Priests) and 67 wounded, after a controversial intervention of Iraqi and US soldiers which triggered explosions.
Only a few Months earlier, this same year, it's also at the eve of an exceptional visit to Cyprus by Catholic Pope Benedict XVI, due to hold a Synod of Christian Bishops from the entire Middle East area, that the Head of the Catholic Church in Turkey, Mgr Luigi Padovese, was atrociously murdered, beheaded by a Turkish man reportedly crying "Allah Akbar", who had reportedly a dispute about the victim's planned trip to Cyprus, for unknown yet reasons. (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/bishoppadovesemurderinturkey.html )
Most Christians living in Iraq are located to Oil/Gas strongholds such as Mosul, Kirkuk and Bassorah. (See MAP) There where another Deadly Explosion, this same week, targetted Kurdish People at Kirkuk, while another 30 Kurdes - Shiites were killed at Diyala just 1 Day before the Church was attacked...
- "Of particular concern is the fate of Mosul's ..Christian population. While security in much of the country has improved, Iraq's divided 3rd city remains an open wound and a reminder of the country's governing elite's inability to agree on Oil and Federalism", reported UK Media. Almost half of Mosul's Christians were reportedly obliged to flee already after a 2008 wave of violence against them.
The community of the Syrian Catholic Christians who were targetted by the brutal Gunmen and reportedly killed mainly after exchange of fire with a controversial Iraqi - US soldiers intervention, was traditionaly headquartered at Mosul, near Syria, the Oil-rich city of the Kurdish Iraqi Autonomous Region bordering Turkey, which, in recent years, claimed supposed ties to a so-called "Turkmen" tiny group, and where many innocent People have been killed during the recent years by various Bomb-Explosions attacking Markets, squares, and other Public areas, in an obvious aim to terrorise and chase away the local mainly Kurdish and Arab population.
The Syrian President, in his 1st ever visit to Cyprus this week, reportedly highlighted also "projects for Energy transport" and "Ships", while an eventual renovation of a pre-existing Iraq-Syria Pipeline can lead to the Mediterranean Sea facing EU Member Cyprus, which has one of the greatest commercial fleet of Ships in the World and prepares a Liquefied Gas Terminal, thereby creating the Cheapest, more Direct and Faster Oil/Gas Transport link between Iraq and Europe : I.e. much better than a controversial, too Long, too Expensive, and too Dangerous, (because of threats by Earthquake, Kurdish a.o. Conflicts, Turkey's trend for political Blackmails, and risks to be ...Empty) Gas pipeline old project throughout Turkey, etc., earlier backed by an old U.S. lobby,
At the same time, various external political interferences were reportedly attempting to disrupt peaceful exploitation of important Oil/Gas resources which begun to be discovered and anounced by Noble Energy Deep Sea drilling company (Texas, US) all along the arc of Coasts which starts from Egypt and continues to Gaza and at the rest of Israel, up to Lebanon and Syria, as well as along Cyprus' southern Seacoasts, (confirming in 2010 a pioneer hypothesis that Eastern Mediterranean has similar Huge Energy Resources underSea as in the Gulf of Mexico, that "EuroFora"s co-founder had initially launched, after a scientific EuroGeology Conference organized in Strasbourg, already as early as since February 2002)...
Turkish Foreign Minister Davutoglou was visiting this week precisely Iraq, whose various political factions, interlocked during many Months in a complicated struggle for Power since the March 2010 Elections, have just agreed a part of an eventual compromise, due to be finalized at a Summit, next Monday, at Erbil : another city with a Christian minority, located at the Kurdish Autonomous Region of Iraq.
The Massacre of Christian worshipers occured at a crucial moment, while tensions were growing around long talks for a Government agreement in Iraq, between those who claimed to underline its Unity, and others, who apparently preferred a compromise between various Ethnic groups, each concentrated in differend Geographic Areas, before an overall accord might be eventually reached by all involved next Monday.
----------------
(See MAP) Christian communities still remain eveywhere around Bethleem, Christ's birth-place, at the Palestinian area in nowadays Israel, more than Iraq in Syria, Lebanon, Jordany and mainly Egypt, facing predominantly Christian EU Member State Cyprus (the 1st country in History to become officially Christian). But they have practically vanished in Turkey, even if its tiny Western Part, and mainly Constantinople/Istanbul city at the other side of the Aegean Sea, notoriously was, for more than a Thousand Years, a main Capital of Christianism in Europe (330-1453)?
But, even Turkey-friendly new German President Christian Wulff, launched recently a call in Ankara to better respect Freedoms of the few Christians who still remain in the Country, after many were obliged to leave after Brutal Incidents on 1922, 1955, (etc.), up to the 2005, 2007 and 2010 cold blood Murders of Catholic Priest Sentoro in Trapezunt, Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink in Istanbul and 3 Protestant Bible-workers in Anatolia, and even the Head of the Catholic Church in Turkey, Mgr Luigi Padovese, in addition to ECHR-condemned restrictions obstructing Religious Education, Church Buildings and properties, etc., making Christians eveyday life difficult :
- Wulff, the first German president to visit Turkey in a decade, stressed the freedoms Muslims enjoy in Germany and urged Islamic countries to reciprocate : - "We expect that Christians in Muslim countries have the same rights to live their faith publicly, educate new clergy and build churches," he said in a speech at Turkey's parliament, Press Agencies reported.
--------------------------------
The strange fact that some unknown Extremist "Islamists" have reportedly started to harass Christians in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. Military Invasion and Occupation, (strongly incited by former UK "Socialist" Prime Minister Blair), is astonishing, simply because the Head of the largest Christian Community in the World : the Catholic Pope (then John-Paul II, close collaborator of which was the current Pope Benedict) had notoriously ...opposed the War, so that, normally, Catholic a.o. Christians should have Good relations with Arabs...
----------
Pope Benedict strongly denounced, immediately after this week's deadly incident, "a very Serious Attack", with "Ferocious", and "Senseless", "Brutal violence" which "aggressed defenseless persons, gathered in the House of God, ... home of love and reconciliation", and "tear(s) the peoples of the Middle East".
Expressing his "close affection to the Christian community, again aggressed" in Iraq, he "encourage(d) all pastors and faithful to be Strong and Firm in Hope".
"Renewing" his "appeal for Peace", he observed that, in order for "efforts" to produce a "result", and "put a stop to all Violence", "all" must "join forces" : "Men of good will, National and International organizations".
_________
- In an "Appeal to our Brothers in France", dated November 2 (i.e. one Day after the massacre), 5 Bishops from Iraq ask help from the French Bishops, currently meeting at Lourdes :
- "The Slaughter which took place in the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation in Bagdad, with 58 killed, including 2 young Priests, and 67 Wounded, including a Priest, has shaken us deeply", and the fact that "an incident of such a magnitude is provoked just after the Synod" (on Middle East Christians, held at the Vatican, in Rome) "shocked us even more", they note.
- "We need your Prayers, and your Moral and Brotherly support"... "We need your compassion, in front of all that which affected the Lives of Innocent People, Christians and Muslims. Stay with us, stay with us, until this scourge goes away", they ask.
- Because "your Friendship encourages us to stay in our Land, to perseverate and hope". Otherwise, "without that, we feel alone and isolated", they warn. "God protect us all", they conclude.
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- In reply, French Bishops' President, Mgr Vingt-Trois, expressing the moral "support and friendship" of "France's Catholic" Christians, "profoundly shocked by these dramatic events", stressed that "we support your legitimate desire to stay in your Land, where Christians were present since the first centuries" A.C., i.e. more than 2.000 Years.
- Wishing that "God's spirit strengthens and encourages you, and grows in the Heart of all People, of whatever Religion they might be, a desire of real Peace and Justice", Mgr Ving-Trois concludes that "the International organisations" should "take measure of your distress, and act firmly".
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- EU must "offer all our support in helping" Iraqi "Political Leaders" to "achieve the... objectives" of "Peace, .. resolution (of) differences, ..Stability, Freedom and the rule of Law", that "the People of Iraq", who "have suffered greatly", now "deserve", stressed the Chairman of EU Parliament's Delegation for relations with Iraq, British Conservative MEP Struan Stevenson, (of the New Governemental coalition of Conservatives and Liberals, many of whom had notoriously opposed the 2003 Military Invasion and Occupation of Iraq, contrary to former Labour PM Blair, whom they had criticized).
- Qualifying as "deeply Troubling", the "growing unrest" and "Vicious ...attacks" in the "Recent.. upsurge of violence" in Baghdad with "the Massacre of innocent Christian Worshippers last Sunday", he criticized "the continued failure to form a Government almost 8 months after the Iraqi elections has provided a vacuum which the men of violence are quick to fill", and "urge(d) an end to the stalemate" by "appeal(ing) to all political entities in Iraq to increase further their efforts for the rapid formation of a non-sectarian government of national unity, that embraces and represents all factions in Iraqi society".
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EU's High Representative on External Action, and EU Commission's vice-President, Brittish Baroness Cathy Ashton (Socialist) was prompt on issuing a statement by her Spokesperson, Maja Kocijancic, (dated "Nov. 1") "condemning this unaccepable attack against innocent Catholic worshipers", which "killed and injured a large number of innocent civilians", stressing that "the right of all religious groups to gather and worship freely must be protected."
However, this initial EU Commission Spokesperson's reaction, which "reaffirms" its "full support for the population of Iraq", and "calls on all Iraqi political entities to work together against the threat of violence and terrorism", obviously didn't yet tell a spade a spade about the brutal attacks against Christians, lacking also a clear reference to any European and/or International Organization's action to come, and should apparently be taken only as a hasty, incomplete 1st step.
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Meanwhile, the President of EU Parliament's largest Group, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul of Strasbourg (France), stressed his group's "Concerns" for all "Eastern Christians" in general, citting several Middle East Countries including Turkey, (where 2004, 2006, 2007 and 2010 Murders occured : See supra) :
- "The attack on 31 October is the most tragic which has ever been committed against Iraqi Christians, present in Mesopotamia for 2 Thousand Years", observed Daul.
- "it is estimated that the number of the Christian community has gone down by more than half (-50%) over the last 7 years, only representing between 250,000 and 400,000 people or less than 3% of the Iraqi population. Since 2003, Christians in Iraq are in Despair of being no longer able to live there", he observed now, (after already the 2004 - 2008 Bomb attacks in Mosul, etc., see supra).
- "Many Christians have left" Iraq, and, "at this rate, in 10 or 15 years, we risk having No Christians left in Iraq, (in a kind of "Ethnic-Cleansing" brutal operation which inevitably reminds recent Darkspots also in Europe, f.ex. in Cyprus' Occupied Territories since the 1974 Military Invasion by Ankara's Army, in some former Yugoslavia's areas in W. Balkans, etc), whereas they have a Role to play in the Reconstruction of the Iraqi identity", Daul concluded.
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But the serious Human Rights issues and the probable GeoPolitical stakes behind the series of Criminal Aggressions against Christians, Kurds, Chiites, etc. and other populations concentrated mainly at the Northern Oil-rich Areas of Iraq, close to Turkey and Syria, (See supra), as well as the inadequacy of the current Iraqi authorities' reactions in front of the obvious need to protect innocent Human Lives from Death Attacks and an entire Historic Community from the risk to practically "disappear" at its ancestral land, obviously point to the need for a resolute European, Paneuropean and/or International form of action.
EU President van Rompoy's d. Spokesman to EuroFora: Mid-Term Election won't affect USA-EU Summit
(Updated) * EU President Herman van Rompoy's deputy Spokesman, Jesus Carmona, replying to "EuroFora"'s Questions on the forthcoming EU - USA Summit in Lisbon (Nov. 20), said that, in principle, it wasn't expected to be influenced by this week's Mid-Term Elections' results in the USA, but didn't exclude a special "mood" concerning US President Barak Obama, (as the American Press had already noted).
However, since the recent Brussels' Summit, (October 28-29), concrete details for EU's position appeared still unclear (See infra), while Turkey was reportedly attempting to use an adjacent NATO Summit in order to provoke some pressure on EU Countries mainly to push aside Ankara's obligations on Cyprus' issue, which was due to be examined, meanwhile, by UNO's Secretary General Ban Ki Moon at another meeting organized at New York on the eve of NATO and EU-USA Summits (Nov. 18).
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- "Do you think that the recent Elections in the USA might have any impact on the (forthcoming) EU - USA Summit, or it doesn't have absolutely anything to do" with that ?", "EuroFora" asked van Rompoy's d. Spokesman.
- "I don't think that the current (U.S.) Elections will have an influence on the Trans-Atlantic Agenda", we are talking about "differend" things, stressed EU President's d. Spokesman, Carmona, in reply.
- This being said, however, "obviously, I also don't know the Mood of (U.S. President) Obama", but "that's something differend", he added, in what might be a reference to Obama's recent notorious statements about his reaction to the results of the US Congress' Elections, largely won by the Republican Party, but also of his call and promise to try to work for "Bi-Partisan" cooperation, as well as to make some "Midcourse Corrections" on certain Policies.
- Usually, "when we are dealing with TransAtlantic relations, (National) Elections have nothing to do with that", Carmona added in conclusion. - "We are not dealing (in Lisbon) with TransAtlantic Elections : Nothing to do with that", he estimated.
This seems close to U.S. State Secretary, former 1st Lady, Hillary Clinton's reported reaction that National "Politics stop at the Borders"....
But U.S. President Obama himself has acknowledged that 2010 Mid-term Elections necessitated certain "corrections" and "adjustments" of US Policy, on which he intends to discuss with the elected Republican leadership. This might iclude, among others, also efforts to make visible "progress" trying to follow the example of Rev. Martin Luther King on upholding Human Dignity and Rights "everywhere", as he added shortly afterwards, i.e. Foreign Policy-related issues.
At any case, inside EU Parliament, whose forthcoming mini-plenary sesssion is due to discuss Next Week the up-coming EU-US Summit's main "Priorities for Cooperation" between the two partners, many MEPs clearly felt that it's important to note that this debate "takes place at an actual political moment after candidates for the US Congress and Senate stood for Mid-Term Elections", as, f.ex., the largest Group, that of the European People's Party, observed.
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But if Obama really wants to start "cooperating" with the 2010 winner GOP, it seems difficult, this time, to satisfy all Turkey's desiderata, after a systematic, virulent slandering attacked personaly Republican candidates with an unprecedented blatant Interference by a Turkish Media called "The young Turks" inside USA's National politics, which constantly tried to ridiculize the American "Republican Party", the "so-called Christians", (as they named American People's values movement), even "the Bible", harassing them with Personal Attacks, gross insults, etc.... There is no other Foreign Country or Ethnic Group, not even the biggest ; f.ex. Russia, China, India, Brazil, South Africa, Australia, Canada, etc, or the E.U. , which ever dared interfere so shamefully and systematically in the internal affairs of the U.S., spending money in R-TV studios, staff, etc, to launch attacks against American Politicians under a Foreign Ethnic Banner.
Turkish Media's personal attacks against USA politicians, particularly Republicans, and mainly against American values' popular movements, extended even to the detriment of the topical issue of "BiPartisan Cooperation" between GOP and Obama after the 2010 Mid-Term Election, (which inevitably touches also upon Foreign Policy, including EU - USA relations), by slandering a leader of GOP's new Majority in the House of Representatives, John Boehner, taxing him as an "Hypocrit" (sic !). This came in addition to Moral Values, Cultural Identity, immigrants' Integration, a.o. issues that the Turkish lobby also ferociously attacked during the latest Elections, (apparently not only failing to convince, but also ...stimulating People to vote against its gross propaganda, as results showed)...
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Despite Republicans' win of a Majority in the US House of Representatives and at least 6 Senators more, as well as most States' Governors, etc. in the 2010 Mid-Term Elections, however, Polls reportedly showed that Obama remains largely popular inside his Democratic Party followers, and could even be re-elected on 2012 if he faced McCain-chosen former GOP vice-Presidential candidate Shara Palin, with 52% against 44%.
But if the Republicans' 2012 Presidential nominate was former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, the 2007-2008 revelation of GOP's Primaries who ended 2nd after succeeding to lead a hard race at the 1st place even without any Money to spend, then, he would clearly win with the same large margin of 52% against only 44% for Obama, the same CNN Poll revealed. No 3 of the 2008 race, Millionaire Mite Romney might also win v. Obama, but with - 3% less (only 50 to 45 %), the poll found. Another possible 2012 contenter is former House Speaker Newt Gingrich.
Huckabee, (who cultivates a "Charismatic" personality, as Obama did, and is also a former Priest), has insisted much more on "Soft Power" than on Military alone, and on "how to win Hearts and Minds" of the People, both inside America and Worldwide. In his biggest text on Foreign Policy, he had focused also on the need to fight against threats to expand violent Islamist extremism. Most important : He has notoriously close links with the 2010 Mid-Term Elections' winner popular movement composed of "Tea party", "Citizens United", "Families for Values," a.o. grassroots Citizens' groups, which mushroomed and developped further mainly after 2008, and he is also traditionally open for National and General Interest compromises and selective cooperation with current U.S. President Obama, as he has already declared.
Sometimes, concrete "details" might be important : - "A Pew Research Center/National Journal poll released Oct. 25 found majority approval of .... GOP agenda item.. (on) allowing more Oil and Gas Drilling off US Shores", CSM reported. This obviously could mean a lesser U.S. need to insist on far away Oil/Gas issues, located f.ex. in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, etc, and related Foreign Policy matters, (including, f.ex. a controversial, too costly, too dangerous, and rather ...empty gas pipeline zig-zaguing through Turkey), diminishing, in Future, Washington D.C.'s Past pressure on European and other allies to swallow, at any price (be it Financial, Political and/or Moral : i.e. on Human Rights, etc) the desiderata f.ex. of an eventually transit State as Turkey, etc...
Meanwhile, according to the Turkish Press, "Secret" bargaining was allegedly pushed via EU Commissioner on Enlargment Fule, in order to press for more Chapters to be opened in EU - Turkey negotiations, despite Ankara's persisting refusal to comply with its obligation to stop discriminating EU Member Cyprus' related Ships and Airplanes, contrary to EU Summits' repeated, crystal-clear calls all these years (2005 - 2010), as well as to prevent pre-existing and/or new EU Countries' Governments from raising any problematic issue which might affect EU - Turkey negotiations' already slowed pace, (or the huge sum approaching 1 Billion € that EU Taxpayers, including Poor People via VAT, are paying to Turkey each year, instead of investing in EU High-Tech RST and other EU Productivity enhancing assets, even during the present times of hard Financial "Cuts" in all EU Countries).
The reported Turkish lobby's concern might go, in particular, not only for France, Germany, Cyprus, maybe Greece and/or Austria, etc., particularly after the June 2009 EU Parliament Elections' issues, but also for New, center-right Majority Governments which have recently won National Elections in several EU Countries during 2009-2010 with a more Critical Agenda, apparently more conscious of the Economic, Education, Cultural/Historic Identity, Human Rights, GeoPolitical, a.o. issues notoriously raised by Turkey's controversial and impopular EU bid, (f.ex. Hungary : 1/2011 EU Chair, Belgium : current EU chair, Holland, Slovakia, Latvia, Bulgaria, etc., while also critical political oppositions were growing even in the UK, Greece, Austria, Sweden, etc).
- According to Brittish "Socialist" Newspaper "The Guardian", Turkish "Deep State"'s usual mouthpiece, Hurriyet, reportedly revealed that Ankara would attempt to exploit the Missile Defense plans "to its advantage" by opposing them unless USA "increased American pressure on France and Germany to unfreeze Turkey's E.U. membership bid". "Washington thought about that too, and that's why one of the Top Agenda items in the U.S.-E.U. summit, ...right after the NATO summit, is going to be Turkey's E.U. Membership" impopular demand, it warned.
Turkey had notoriously blocked for more than a day NATO's 60th Anniversary Summit, on April 2009 in Strasbourg (See "EuroFora"'s Newsreports from the event), refusing the election of its new Secretary General, former Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen, by demands against the Press Freedom of a Kurdish R-TV accused by Ankara to support Violent Separatism, asking a job for a Turkish Official, and other NATO concessions...
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A usually interlinked issue notoriously is Turkey's Veto against almost any kind of EU - NATO cooperation involving all EU Member Countries, including Cyprus, that Ankara still refuses to recognize, despite a long-standing and crystal-clear, official call by EU Heads of State and Government to normalize its relations with the Cypriot Government, officially launched as early as since September 2005 already, confirmed and reiterated several times by EU Summits since then, and expected (according to reported leakages the Turkish Press itself) to be anew stressed in the forthcoming EU Commission's 2010 Annual Report on Turkey's efforts to meet the European Standards, due to be published next week on Tuesday, November 9.
- "Cyprus' issue is one of the most important priorities because it has a wide impact also on EU - NATO relations, from Kosovo up to Afghanistan", characteristically claimed the experienced Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, in reply to an "EuroFora" co-founder's question when he had the responsibility to chair CoE and EU successively during the same year (2008), speaking at a CoE Committee of Ministers' Press Conference in Strasbourg.
German Chancellor Angie Merkel has also pointed out that a solution needs to be found in this issue, long before she anounced, recently, (after UNO's vote, on October, for Germany to become a Security Council's new Member for 2011 and 2012), her intention to "visit Cyprus from January 2011".
Merkel's 2011 official visit to Cyprus is naturally important, because of Germany's obvious influence on EU issues, particularly augmented thanks to the recently confirmed close personal and political links with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in the famous Franco-German EU "motor", (France being already present at UNO's SC as one of the 5 permanent members, so that during 2011 - 2012 Paris and Berlin will be able to work together also inside the New York - based International
Organization), and considering UNO's recent vote for Germany's entry inside the S.C.
The last Merkel's visit in Cyprus was focused only on another, differend aspect of the Strategic EU Member island : that of Germany's leading role on the EU's Maritime force destinated to Monitor Libanon's SeaCoasts vis a vis Israel, (which was hosted in Cyprus' Pafos Seaport, etc), after a UNO's 2006 Decision, taken in order to avoid any more Libano - Israeli border conflicts, gave a Monitoring mandate including to an International Terrestrial Peace-keeping mission initially headed by France.
But, even before Merkel's forthcoming 2011 visit to Cyprus, UNO's Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, reportedly invited both Cyprus' President Demetres Christofias, and the Leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community (living in the Northern Territories of Cyprus' Occupied by Ankara's Military), Dervis Eroglu, currently engaged in on-going inter-communal talks) to come and meet him at New York on the 18th of November 2010, shortly after UN Chief's relevant statements made in reply to "EuroFora"s questions at his October Press Conference in EU Parliament in Strasbourg (See : .... ).
Turkey, in a Contradictory move, reportedly claimed to be anxious for a kind of settlement, after notoriously draging its feet for Decades on Cyprus' Political and/or Human Rights' issues since the 1974 invasion/occupation of the island's Northern part, to the point that Ankara had even backed a Turkish Cypriot leader's blunt ...refusal to participate in a High Level New York meeting, droping invitations by f. UNO's Secretary General Koffi Annan to start Talks for Cyprus' ReUnification on the basis of UNO Security Council Resolutions, on September 12, 2001 : It's only by exploiting the coincidence of the blockade of Airplane flights, provoked by the 9/11 Barbaric Terrorist Attacks' mass killings, that Turkey avoided EU reactions then... During more than 35 Years since the 1974 Turkish Military Invasion and Occupation of Cyprus' northern part, Ankara didn't ever accept any UN proposal, with the only exception of a Controversial 5th version of a Draft Plan for a Cyprus' Deal which had been prepared (without EU presence, except briefly at the end) mainly by a "Socialist" Brittish UN Official, speaking Turkish but not Greek, with some strange personal links on GeoPolitics and Economy, who was dismissed by Annan after this Draft's failure, on 2005, (and replaced by a UN Official which had monitored Appartheid's End in South Africa : Ismail Gabari, that he appointed UN undersecretary general for Political affairs : See his statements to "EuroFora"'s co-founder, September 2005 at New York). But, on mid-2010, the Turkish side reportedly provoked a "Deadlock", by asking Excessive Derogations against< Greek Cypriot Refugees' Human Right to return to their Family Homes and Ancestral Land, and to restore or compensate their Private Properties, as well as for a long foreign Military presence, a Separation of the Country's Natural Resources, etc., stressing a "2 States" Agenda instead of the Official UNO' aim to focus on Cyprus' ReUnification.
Thus, Ankara's alleged sudden hurry, might just be a reaction probably made under EU indirect pressure and repeated calls for Ankara to fullfil, at last, the Commitments it has undertaken to stop Discrimination against Cyprus since 2005, (when it started Negotiations with the EU), but notoriously failed to meet until the December 2009 initial Deadline, and still refuses to honor even towards 2010's end, while in 2012 Cyprus is due to take over EU's rotating Chairmanship...
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- Questioned by "EuroFora" about details on "EU's position in the forthcoming Summit with the USA", van Rompoy's d. Spokesman Jesus Carmona acknowledged that it had not been made "known" in public "exactly", and offered to "call back" later on, after checking carefully, so that he "might be able to help" with some concrete info.
According to the tight-lipped official "Conclusions" of the October 28 - 29 Brussels' European Council, the 27 Heads of State/Government simply "exchanged views" and "discussed" the "key political messages" that Van Rompoy, together with Barroso, "will promote" in the EU - USA Summit, as the text says.
But it wasn't clear after Brussels' Summit what "exactly" would do the Heads of State/Government of the biggest EU Countries, considering also that the forthcoming NATO and EU - USA Summits, following eachother in just a few Hours' short distance on November 19 and 20 in Lisbon, (Portugal), are notoriously due to focus largely also on Security - Defense and Politically related issues, which are mainly at the hands of sovereign States, (as f.ex. U.K. - France Summit between Brittish Prime Minister David Cameron and French President Nicolas Sarkozy highlighted, particularly on Defense Industry and High-Tech matters, in their joint Press Conference in London).
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+ Another issue which might, eventually, be evoked at the EU - USA Summit could be the EU - US Data Protection Agreement, that EU Parliament will discuss next week, while EU is reportedly prearing negotiations on airplanes' Passenger Name Reports with the US, Canada and Australia, where MEPs, starting to use new powers given by Lisbon Treaty, reportedly want to "remind .. the Principles ..to keep in mind during the Talks" and to "be fully informed on ..developments".
CoE+EU Local Democracy watchdogs CLRAE+COR Heads Whitmore + Bresso to EuroFora on Ukraine Elections
Both CoE's and EU's watchdogs on Local and Regional Democracy, CLRAE and COR's Presidents, Keith Whitmore and Mercedes Bresso, speaking to "EuroFora", stressed the importance for a European Monitoring of Sunday's Elections in Ukraine on the spot, and pointed at its aftermath, in the middle of a fast-moving EU/CoE reform of legal structures, political interests and leaders' choices, whose real stakes will appear only with the results of today's activities in the forthoming few Months, even before Ukraine takes over CoE's rotating Chairmanship from May 2011.
Ukraine is currently involved in Trade and other negotiations with the EU, keeping the aim to progressively advance towards a closer, strategic partnership and/or an EU accession strategy, while also welcoming Russian Prime Minister Putin this week for important deals, and promissing to be a "trustworthy" and "stable" strategic transit country for gas Energy links between Russia and the EU, in the run up to a forthcoming EU - Ukraine Summit later this year.
It's so more important for this EU/CoE check of 2010 Ukranian Local Elections to be efficient, serious; balanced, just and fair, that extremely contrasting Press reports currently go from claims with gross insults against the Ukranian Government, condeming the vote as rigged and undemocratic even before it takes place, up to lenient assurances that almost all will be clean and proper...
Complicating things for Objective Observers, a Turkish lobby's notorious anxiety to find pretexts for a Controversial, too Expensive, too Long, (uselessly zig-zaging far away from Europe), and too Risky (exposed to Conflicts, Kurdish a.o., Earthquakes, Political Blackmails, lack of sufficient Gas, etc), old Pipeline project pompously titled "Nabucco", has an obvious interest for Ukraine's EU - Russia Gas link to be seen as untrustworthy and couldn't really dislike some trouble up there...
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It's in the middle of all those "hot" GeoPolitical factors, largely cited by numerous mainstream Media all over the World, from Europe up to the USA and even Australia, etc., that CLRAE's new President, Keith Whitmore, an experienced Brittish Liberal representative from Manchester, gave to "EuroFora" an Interview on several Topical issues, including the forthcoming Ukranian Elections :
- "It's a very Important" Mission for "for the Congress" of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), stressed from the outset its new President.
- "Ukraine has gone through much Changes, for Democracy, during the recent Years", observed Whitmore.
- "Most were for Progress, but there have been some Backward Steps as well", the experienced Head of CoE's watchdog for Local/Regional Democracy carefully warned.
- "We (CLRAE) have a very distinct Role to make sure that we teach the New Democracies on the track of Democracy : That is very important. "Sometimes we don't give sufficient help to some of the new democracies, to get their democracy to flourish", he added, referring mainly to the former Central-Eastern European Countries, many of whom have become, meanwhile, also EU Members.
- But, keeping for the moment away from directly Political issues, Whitmore prefered to cite an example in needs for "Training" : - "F.ex., in my own country, (the UK), with Local Politicians, we have Local Improvement Agencies, to assist Counsellors in the way they work. But, we don't do that effectively, I think, in some of the New Democracies. I always felt very strongly that we need that kind of Training" : F.ex. - "We need counsellors to speak, to actually put forward what their needs are, and I've seen situations where Counsellors have spoken to Government Ministers, and haven't been able to put forward the case themselves that they need to put. And that kind of training, f.ex. when you have to speak to Ministers, to focus on what you want, particularly when these things are on Negotiation, and the talents (skills) of negotiation, are very important". Therefore, "Yes, I agree", that we (CLRAE) could develop something accross these lines in cooperation with the EU, as "EuroFora" suggested, Whitmore concluded as a matter of a general orientation.
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Keith Whitmore personally has an extensive, recent Experience on Politically "delicate" issues, as former President of CLRAE's "Institutional" Committee, and was the man chosen in 2010 in order to start Monitoring also the obscure but obviously important issue of a large Number of Kurdish elected Mayors and Regional Counsellors (including 2 former CLRAE Members) who were arrested shortly after winning the 2009 Local/Regional Elections in Turkey, closed to Prison since then, and currently prosecuted to Turkish Courts under accusations to allegedly have spoken in favor of "terrorist" organizations, according to some Turkish Officials.
These 2009-2010 exceptional incidents since the latest Turkish Local/Regional Elections coincided with a strange "disappearance" until now from Strasbourg of the then CLRAE President, Yavuz Mildon, (a Turkish politician himself, with firm positions in Political issues, but kind and smiling in personal contacts here, who had succeeded to win a human sympathy from many, including "EuroFora"), after he reportedly faced a sudden problem of "Blood Pressure" in Turkey which apparently left him seriously handicaped.
Meanwhile, under the acting CLRAE Chairmanship by the experienced Chamber of Local Authorities' President, Dr. Jan Micallef from Malta (ChristianDemocrat/EPP), CLRAE had organized 2 Public Hearings in Strasbourg on the on-going Problems for Local/Regional Democracy in Turkey, (but not yet a full Plenary Debate and Vote on a Report with a Resolution, unlike to what is usually done also for all other CoE Member Countries, such as Ukraine, Russia, and many EU States), while Ankara has yet to apply a landmark CoE Resolution adopted by the CLRAE as early as since 1997, and vainly confirmed in a 2007 Strasbourg debate...
Questioned on his 2010 findings after a recent Monitoring Visit in Turkey and a CLRAE Committee Debate held in Belgrade during the Summer behind closed doors, (see relevant "EuroFora"s Publication with the statements Whitmore had given us just before that), Whitmore appeared unusually tight-lipped, at least for the moment : - "I have to speak first with the Turkish Delegation this week in Strasbourg", during CLRAE's Autumn Session. - "I know that there have been many frustrations about this, and there is also the long-standing Kurdish issue, etc., but I think that we'd better Wait and see" what may happen, at least for the moment, he simply told us this time.
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Apparently reflecting somehow a GeoPolitical coalition behind Whitmore's election with a large majority as new President of CoE's PanEuropean watchdog for Local and Regional Democracy, after a particularly "hot" competition (See separate DraftNews, already send to "EuroFora"'s Subscribers/Donors), the CLRAE Delegation sent to monitor the Ukrainian Elections this Sunday, is headed by Austrian Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Socialist), with Rapporteur Nigel Mermagen, from the Chamber of Local authorities, and Speaker for the Regions Doreen Huddart, (both Brittish Liberals). By a coincidence, it's also Brittish Liberal Christopher Newburry, a serious CLRAE Member (See Newburry's earlier statements to "EuroFora" on Citizens' participation and other issues, already sent to Subscribers/Donors), who is reporting this week in CLRAE's Plenary Debates on Russia too.
After holding several High-level meetings scheduled with Ukranian Officials since 29-30/10/2010, the CLRAE Team, (composed of 19 Elected Representatives, cooperating together with 4 Members of EU's Committee of Regions, who had already visited Ukraine earlier this Month for a Pre-electoral check), plans to form 10 separate groups to be deployed in various Cities, meeting with Elected representatives, candidates and NGOs, before observing the Elections on Sunday 31/10/2010, and anouncing its main conclusions in a Press Conference at Kiev on Monday, November 1st.
A Report with a draft Resolution on CLRAE Teams' conclusions is due to be prepared in the following Months in view of a final Public Debate and Vote at CLRAE's next Plenary Session "on March 2011", said to "EuroFora" CLRAE's Head of Communication and International relations/Elections observation, Renate Zikmund from Austria.
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Recent developments seem to have, meanwhile, augmented CLRAE's relevance in relation to the EU, as indicated to "EuroFora" the new CLRAE's Secretary General, the EU-experienced Andreas Kieffer from Austria :
- "We (CLRAE) have agreed with EU's Committe of Regions to have regular contacts and, in particular, provide them with all our Monitoring Reports on Local and Regional Democracy, f.ex. Election monitoring on the spot, etc", in all CoE Member Countries, including on EU Candidate and/or EU Neighbouring Countries, CLRAE's new Chief Executive Officer told us earlier in Strasbourg.
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EU's Committee of Regions' President, Mercedes Bresso, speaking later to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg, confirmed her interest "to cooperate with CoE's CLRAE" and to use, indeed, "CLRAE's Reports on Elections' Monitoring" - "Yes, it is an objective Field of work of the CLRAE, because they have a clear mandate and large experience, she observed.
- "But, often, it's useful that our (EU's COR's) Members participate also directly on the spot", as, f.ex., this time in Ukraine, where EU is sending its own Observers, together with CLRAE's team, the Committe of Region's Chairwoman pointed out to "EuroFora".
The issue might even affect EU's Strategy, since COR's President said to "EuroFora" that Local/Regional Elections' Monitoring, would be included also in a "Forum" she is currently preparing with the incoming Hungarian EU 2011 Chairmanship on EU's "Eastern Strategy in general", including Western Balkans, Ukraine, and other neighbouring countries, scheduled in Budapest before "Spring 2011", (i.e. almost at the same time that CLRAE's is due to hold a public debate and vote on its Report on the Ukranian Elections : See supra).
The Budapest event could also pave the way to the creation of an Eastern Partnership "Assembly, similar to ARLEM" (for the Union for the Mediterranean's area), due to have both a Parliamentarian and a Local/Regional representatives' section, for which already exists an EU Council's official "Mandate", "EuroFora" was told by Bresso.
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- In the foreseable Future, "we (CLRAE) intend to focus more on CoE's core business, which is Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law", and, therefore, "Monitoring", f.ex. of Elections, and checking "Good Governance" will come at the forefront of CoE's watchdog on Local and Regional Authorities, its new President, Keith Whitmore stressed from the outset, speaking one day later in front of Strasbourg's permanent journalists, including "EuroFora", (Comp. other Whitmore's statements in reply to "EuroFora"'s questions on different issues at this occasion, sent earlier to Subscribers/Donors).
- CLRAE "has a unique role in Monitoring" Local and Regional Democracy, and this should be the "No 1 Priority" of CoE's PanEuropean watchdog. Moreover, a 2009 CLRAE Resolution made it clear that "the Human Rights situation will be examined during the Monitoring of Local/Regional Democracy in any CoE Member Country", stressed during this week's debates CLRAE's Rapporteur on the 2011-2012 Priorities, experienced Dr. Jan Micaleff, former acting CLRAE President, and unfortunate candidate for a fully-fledged Presidential mandate, won by Whitmore after a particularly "hot" competition.
- This is "New", because it implies to "move beyond Standard-setting" only, contrary to the Past, since "our intention is to pay more attention to Human Rights" : Indeed, - "We (CLRAE) have become increasingly aware of the fact that we cannot have real Democracy without Human Rights' respect", because "Human Rights are the sine qua non of Democracy", Micaleff concluded.
Without contesting the overall result of a CLRAE vote largely in favor of Whitmore, backed by the heads of 3 Groups, Micaleff (who got some 35% of votes) and the Heads of the Italian, French and Dutch EPP delegations etc. appeared upset on the alleged circumstances in which he was denied backing from the leadership of his own Group, the largest inside CoE : that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, (which, despite its name, has 18 Turkish, i.e. ..Muslim Members, compared to only 14 for the Biggest EU Country : the 90 Millions-strong Germany, and only ..4 for France, while an exceptionaly high proportion of CLRAE Members : 33%, are Independents), reportedly because of a previous "Agreement" between Groups on rotation and post sharing, according to a usual practice inside CoE's various bodies, (f.ex. its Parliamentary Assembly, etc), which, however, is not always absolute, (as the election of new CoE's SG, Jagland, proved).
While it might, eventually, have some relevance to CLRAE Monitoring in Countries as f.ex. Turkey, (some Officials of which, had, in the Past, reportedly argued that CLRAE's mandate was limited only into checking Elections and/or Laws, contrary to this "new" 2009 CLRAE development, which explicitly stresses also CoE's general concerns for Human Rights, f.ex. to check if any Local/Regional elected representative faced arbitrary arrest, torture and/or inhuman/degrading treatments, unfair trial, violation of his/her freedom of expression, etc), however, it wasn't yet obvious if that exceptional moment of competition between 2 long-standing CLRAE mainstream politicians, who, as both said, were "Friends" and used to "work together" since 1996, might, eventually have anything to do with the imminent Ukranian Election and its aftermath, or not.
---------------------------
At any case, it's a fact that the most Critical of all vis a vis Ukraine this week in Strasbourg obviously was CoE Assembly's Chair, Mevut Cavusoglu (2010-2011) from Turkey :
- "Ukraine must fulfill is commitments to the CoE", the PanEuropean Organization for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, stressed from the outset Cavusoglu, who knows wery well what it really means, considering Turkey's notorious grave violations of Human Rights, International Law, etc...
- "There is no pretext for Ukraine not to go on with more Reforms", since, after the Internationaly Community acknowledged that "the Presidential Elections were fair", "he has a clear Majority in Parliament", he argued.
- Therefore, "the country should take advise of Venice Commission", CoE's watchdog on Constitutional Law and Elections, (which has recently issued also an important Report on what must change in the Turkish Constitution in order to bring it in line with Democratic standards, that Ankara notoriously refuses to follow)...
- Nevertheless, Cavusoglu went on to criticize Ukraine stressing that "Corruption is a Problem", while "there are also other issues", and the "Opposition must be involved", as he asked.
- It's for all those reasons that, "of course, (31 October 2010) Local Elections are a Test for Democracy in Ukraine", he concluded, speaking at CLRAE's Plenary session in Strasbourg, which is currently supposed to be checking the accordance with Democratic principles of the exceptional fact that, in Turkey, most ethnic Kurds elected Mayors and Regional Counsellors were arrested immediately after the 2009 Elections, jailed for 1,5 Year, and currently prosecuted...
PACE's 2010-2011 Chair also condemned "Islamophobia", found "Unacceptable Speaches" in "France" on some issues, stigmatising what he called "Hate Speech", (a pretext often, abused by Turkish and other oppressive Officials in order to muzzle and harass various Political Dissidents, as, f.ex., the Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink murdered on 2007); and called to "implement CoE's Resolutions", (that Ankara notoriously neglects for more than a Decade, particularly on grave Human Rights' violations found by ECHR)...
Cavusoglu went on to denounce "Problems in the Western Balkans", including "in Albania and Bosnia", etc., but found ..."Progress in Turkey", mainly because of a controversial recent Reform on nomination of Judges, strongly denounced by the Opposition, despite a persisting refusal to drop the Highest Threshhold in CoE's 47 Member Countries for representation in Ankara's Parliament, (more than 10 % throughout all Turkey !), regardless of the notoriously persisting (some International NGOs even say : "aggravating") practice of Torture and/or Inhuman/Degrading Treatments, and despite ECHR's September 2010 landmark Judgement's findings, in the famous case of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink's Murder, that Turkish State Officials "knew" about the Plans to kill, but didn't warn nor protect the Victim, .. prosecuting him, on the contrary, in a joint move together with his future Murderers, who, later-on, appeared (even in Photos) to benefit from scandalous sympathies or complicities amidst some Turkish Officials still persisting until today (2007-2010) to cover up all those who planned and incited the cold-blood brutal killing, (according to ECHR's judgement) ..
----------------------
Ukraine's forthcoming 2011 CoE Presidency "crucial" also for the EU and all Europe, because it will negotiate EU's Accession to the ECHR, avoiding Differend Human Rights' standards in an otherwise separated European continent with a "2 Speeds" Apartheid on Citizens' freedoms...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
However, Ukraine seems particularly important today for the CoE and the EU, not only because of its unique Geopolitical location, its EU - Russia Oil-Gas transit links, its unquestionably European History and Culture, its Airplane and Rocket High-Tech know-how, its Mineral resources (Uranium, etc), its abudant and complementary Agricultural products (wheat, etc. : The real cause of the famous Troye War in Ancient Greek History, because of the control of the Ship routes between Ukraine and the rest of Europe, through the International Straights of Dardanelles), the Ukranian channel to Danube's delta, additional to Romania's Seaport, able to ling Central Asia's Energy Sources, through the Black Sea, to EU's Rhine river Industrial Franco-German a.o. Heartland, etc.
But even more because Ukraine will take over, for the 1st time in History, CoE's Presidency from May to November 2011, and it's precisely during that period, i.e. under Ukranian CoE Chairmanship, that EU is expected to make an Historic Agreement with the CoE on the concrete mecanism which will allow the EU to accede to the PanEuropean Convention of Human Rights, scheduled by EU's Lisbon Treaty which entered into force since December 2009, as CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland revealed :
- Indeed, speaking at CLRAE's Plenary, Jagland anounced that he expects for such a landmark EU - CoE Agreement (on the concrete terms under which EU will accede to the ECHR) to be concluded "before the Summer of Next Year : 2011", (i.e. during Ukraine's forthcoming CoE's Presidency), so that the Ratification process should be completed asap.
- Jagland made it clear that, in fact, it's "a Crucial issue that EU accedes to ECHR, because, otherwise, after EU Lisbon Treaty's Fundamental Rights Charter's recent entry into force (12/2009), this would Risk to develop a Differend case-law on Human Rights by the Luxembourg (EU) and Strasbourg (CoE) Courts, resulting in 2 Differend Levels of Human Rights' respect, Dividing CoE's Countries in 2 Different parts on Human Rights' issues" (for EU Members, and Other Countries) , as he warned.
- That's why "we hope an Agreement before Summer Next Year" ( 2011 : i.e. during the forthcoming Ukranian CoE Presidency), concluded CoE's Secretary General.
---------------------
By a coincidence, it's precisely at the moment and at the exact location where a CLRAE Member was in Dialogue with CoE's SG Jagland on whether and how could be avoided such a Risk to Divide the Continent into 2 areas with Differend Levels of Human Rights' respect, one of CoE's ECHR (threatened to become Lower, extending to Third, Non-EU Countries) and another by EU's European Court of Justice (expected to become Higher, but only for EU Countries), that the Head of Cyprus' Delegation to the CLRAE, former Minister Andreas Christou, was shown by the cameras to take his nearby seat...
This visible fact inevitably triggered a Symbolic "flash" to whoever follows EU/CoE issues, obviously warning also of a similar Risk to push for "Double Standards" among CoE and/or ECHR's practices if they differ too much (according to some Lobbies' notorious interests) between CoE Member States, pressing f.ex. some to respect some Principles, at the same time that others are allowed to grossly violate them.... (Comp. also supra).
F.ex., strongly criticize and threaten Ukraine for this or that error (even if some might be at least partly true, eventually), while at the same time practically closing eyes on Turkey's notoriously grave violations of Human Rights, including on Cyprus' Refugees, "Missing" persons' Families, etc., would be an obvious "Double Standards" stance threatening to put CoE's credibility in danger... Thus, if CoE is really interested into avoiding a Human Rights' Apartheid separating the Continent in 2 Different parts, (as his S.G., Jagland warned : See supra), then, logically, it should also take care for its own Principles for Democracy and Human Rights' Values to be equally applied throughout all its 47 Member States, without any (silent but obvious) exceptions or deviations..
***
EU Budget Commitee Chair f.Minister Lamassoure to EuroFora: Heads of State debate on EU Funds Future
Top Political Debates, at Heads of State/Government's level, should start now on Strategic choices involving Funds in EU's Future, and this will become permanent until discussions open on the MultiAnnual EU Financial Perspectives on New Needs seen for the 1st time at EU's 2011 Budget, after Lisbon Treaty's entry into force extended EU's Activities, stressed EU Parliament Budget Committee's President, former EU Minister, Alain Lamassoure, in reply to "EuroFora"'s questions, together with experienced German ChristianDemocrat MEP Reimer Böge, competent for relations between Annual Budgets and Financial Perspectives, confirming "EuroFora"'s earlier publication on various moves to open Debates on EU's Future.
For the 1st time in History, MEPs don't ask more Money for next year (2011) from EU Governments, but, instead, to open Democratic Debates, at Top Political Level, on Europe's Future, as it can be seen through the concrete viewpoint of EU's Multi-Annual Financial Perspectives, Lamassoure anounced and Boege developed further.
Current National Austerity Budgets, imposing sometimes impopular restrictions in order to overcome Public Debts, (as, f.ex., 500.000 civil servants' jobs suppressed in the UK, retirement age extended 2 years more in France, draconian measures in Greece and elsewhere, etc) don't allow EU to ask for more than a simply stable 2011 Budget, without any augmentation, and even with a small decrease due to the inflation.
But, on the contrary, there is a real and new need to start debatting, from now, on what will be done in the forthcoming years, throughout all the foreseable Future, without limiting things only to 2011, but going much further than that, including the post - 2013 and post - 2014 period. Because New Challenges (f.ex. the Global Economic Crisis, Global Warming, etc), and New EU Activities added by the recent entry into force of Lisbon Treaty (f.ex. Space, Defence/Security, External Service, etc), as well as New vital Infrastructures, (f.ex. innovative Energy Networks, such as Liquefied Gas Sea/River transport, Solar mega-projects, etc), obviously require more and/or new Financial resources during the forthcoming Years.
---------------------------------------
Various interesting and "hot" issues, sometimes of outstanding Political importance, may emerge out of such Debates on EU Funds' Future : - F.ex., when new British Prime Minister Cameron takes the hard decision to cut 500.000 jobs at the Public Sector on 2010 in order to make necessary Economies sparing rarefied money from needless expenses, how could he justify to the Public Opinion, at the same time, calls for the EU to obey to USA President Obama's attempts to impose the notoriously unpopular and controversial Turkish EU bid, which would cost a fortune, an uprecedented Huge Amount of EU Taxpayer's Money wasted only for Ankara's desiderata, as some EU sources had already speculated, shortly after 2012 ?
Thus, "EuroFora" asked Lamassoure and Boege, the two Top Franco-German MEPs representing EU Parliament's Budget Committee, while also participating in the SURE Committee on Financial Perspectives, 2 "related, but Independent Questions" :
(A) - First, to make it crystal-clear "if" they really "wish for a Debate to reach up to the European Council, i.e. at the level of Heads of State/Government, in order to have an overview, "vue d'ensemble" (in French) or "uberschict" (in German), over all kinds of issues, including Political".
(B) - Moreover, "EuroFora" also asked them what Time Horizon had their move : - "Up to which (Time) limit do you wish to extend the EU Financial Perspectives' review : 1, 2, 3 Years, or more, perhaps to fully open (now) all this issue" of the next Financial Perspectives' MultiAnnial Period, (f.ex. +2014 - 2023) ?
--------------------------------------
- "The Time has come for a Political Debate at the European Council level", i.e. among EU Heads of State/Government, stressed the President of EU Parliament's Budget Committee, Alain Lamassoure, in reply to "EuroFora"'s 1st question :
- Even if It's for EU Council to choose how and at which level it will decide, nevertheless, it's a fact that, "for the 1st time, in EU Parliament, the Negotiations for the Vote and for the Conciliation (with EU Council) on EU Budget 2011, were Politically driven by the Presidents of MEPs' Groups, which already convened 4 times in our presence, and will convene anew, Wednesday Evening, together with EU Commission's President Jose Barroso and Budget's Commissioner Levandowski, and it's also EU Parliament's President, Jerzy Buzek, who will chair MEPs' Delegation at the process of Conciliation with EU Council Next Week", Lamassoure observed in reply.
- "I.e., in order to adopt this (new) Stategy, EU Parliament had to advance further and Higher than its Budget's Committee alone", he noted. Because, "if we wanted to merely stay at the traditional annual Budgetary process, then, we would have used only the Budget's Committee, as usual. But, "since we want to go Further than that, then, the Political Guidance is that of EU Parliament's Highest Authorities".
- "Now, a similar Logic goes also for our interlocutors (i.e. EU Council, representing EU Member States' Governments) : - "If the (EU) Council's Budgets Ministers thinks that it might have a Mandate to accept the Political Agreement that we (MEPs) propose, then, naturally, I'd be very Glad, because that could simplify things. But I would be very much Surprised...", he warned.
- "Therefore, we are convinced, including the Presidents of MEPs' Groups, that this issue should go up to the European Council", i.e. up to EU Heads of State/Government. - "And the Agenda fits well" to that, given Next Week's Brussels EU Summit of 28-29 October, i.e. precisely at the beginning of the 3 Weeks-long MEPs - Governments "Reconciliation" proces on 2011 EU's Budget.
----------
- "Moreover, if we look at the (Historic) Precedents, each time that a Serious Budgetary Problem", and/or "a problem of (Financial) Resources emerged, it was the European Council (i.e. Heads of States/Governments) which took over".
- F.ex., already, "the 1st grave Crisis faced by the "small" EU Community (initially composed only out) of 6 (Member Countries), the (famous) "Empty Chair" Crisis, provoked by (former French President) General De Gaulle, was, precisely, about (EU's) own (Financial) Resources : We shouldn't forget that", the experienced Lamassoure reminded.
- And, "the 1st time that European Council had real Discussions on (EU's) own Resources, because there weren't enough resources to fund EU's Budget, it was during the Fontaineblau EU Council, back in 1984, when (former UK Prime Minister) Mrs Thatcher, had pronounced her famous Formula : - "I want my Money back !", and she had obtained the Brittish Rebate", he also recalled.
- But, since then, "for 25 Years, there was no more Political Debate at the European Council on how to fund EU Budget", Lamassoure regretted, (while also ommitting to mention the famous June 2005 Chirac - Blair clash over EU's Financial Perspectives, when German MEP Boege was, precisely, EU Parliament's Rapporteur on Budgets, and sharply Critical vis a vis Blair's EU Chairmanship, that he had sharply denounced speaking then to "EuroFora"s co-founder).
- "And I'm convinced that, after the new EU Lisbon Treaty (which entered into force after December 2009), after all that which happened" meanwhile, "after having adopted the Europa 2020" Economic Strategy, "etc., and given also the current Deadlock in which we are in order to fund EU's Budget", in consequence, the "Time has come for the European Council (i.e. Heads of State/Government) to take over this issue", EU Parliament's Budget Committee's President concluded. "It's better that it examines this issue at a normal moment now, instead of" being obliged, later-on, to do so in a Future Emergency, "during a Hot Crisis atmosphere", Lamassoure warned.
- "However, this is not for us, MEPs, and EU Parliament to decide : It depends from EU Council to inform the European Council i.e. Heads of State/Government, if it feels the need", he added carefully.
- "But, in fact, the (current) Agenda fits well" for this kind of moves, "and it's good if we (EU) could seize the opportunity offered by the EU Agenda", the competent Top MEP pointed out, obviously indicating that this could and should be done by EU Heads of State/Government from Next Week's 28-29 Brussels' EU Summit. --------------------------
Reimer Boege, who is EU Budgets' Committee's Rapporteur on Financial and also Member of SURE Committee competent to decide on EU's next 2014-2023 Financial Perspectives' period, replying to "EuroFora"s second question (See supra), stressed from the outset that EU Parliament wants a "Permanent Review" of EU's Financial Perspectives :
- Even if "the proposals presented today, (Tuesday, October 19), by EU Commission, do not include a Review or Revision within EU's Financial Perspectives up to the end 2013", nevertheless, "on the other hand", f.ex. "the case of ITER (EU's Pioneer Multi-Annual RST Research on Nuclear Fusion's Energy), shows clearly that, in fact, we (EU, already) are at a Permanent situation of Revision","and this already took place in the framework of Past Years' EU Budget", f.ex., on 2008, 2009, "to remind you the 5 Billion (Economic) Recovery Plan, and on the Food facility, on the special case of GALILEO (Satellite Navigation System), etc. which are projects of clear European Added Value".
- Now, "without a Revision (of the current EU's Financial Perspectives), and without using all Budgetary tools, we cannot resolve the case of ITER", he observed.
- "And there will be also Next Year's (2011) cases as well : F.ex. "there will be more Transparency, how to fund the (EU's recently created Diplomatic) External Service, not just by an Amending Letter or Budget, but also with a MultiAnnual approach, and Other Questions will come on the table as well, of course, to prepare New Projects, f.ex. when EU Commissioner Oettinger will come, I think on February (2011) on Energy Policy, and Energy Networks, f.ex., there will be also a discussion on how to fund it as well" :
- "Shall we (EU) Wait until 2014, (i.e.... 3 Years Later !!!), or is there, let's say, a Starting Period, which has to be Implemented already in this (2007-2013) Financial Perspective ?", Boege wondered.
- Even if "we had not foreseen" that, simply "because Lisbon Treaty (which opens the way for such New Projects) was not foreseen within the Existing Financial Framework (2007-2013)", explained the experienced German MEP.
=> - "So", at any case, it's inevitable that "there will be a Permanent Revision Debate, within the MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives, whatever the outcome of the Institutions' (current) discussions might be", Reimer Boege stressed.
- "But, now, EU Parliament has a Stronger Position as far as the Financial Perspectives and the Annual Budget is concerned, and we shall use this debate, specially, as our Chairman (Lamassoure) just described, as far as the Engagement of the Groups' Presidents, and of EU Parliament's President is concerned :
- "We (MEPs) want to strengthen a Real Political Debate with the EU Council"'s Heads of State/Government, he confirmed.
- Even if, "in the Past, the Council has always tried to avoid a Political Debate", nevertheless, "I think that, what we (EU Parliament) develop now as a New Strategy will help us to force the (EU) Council to come to a Real Political Debate about the Challenges" in EU's Future, as they can be already seen through the "EU Budget", (comp. supra).
+ Speaking later to "EuroFora" after the proposed New Mechanism inserted in EU's 2011 Budget (See supra) was largely adopted by EU Parliament's Plenary on Wednesday, Boege stressed that MEPs "want a real Political Debate with EU Council on the forthcoming Review of EU's MultiAnnual Financial Perspectives", and "the (Future) Challenges of EU Budget".
Co-Decision's process moves Faster under the new EU Lisbon Treaty : EU Parliament votes the Budget only 1 time, instead of twice in the Past, and MEPs and Governments must agree, reaching a Compromise "in 3 Weeks", otherwise "it all starts from scrap", Lamassoure warned.
Meanwhile, in order to obtain its Political Aim to open a forwards looking Poliical Debate on EU's Future Perspectives, EU Parliament imagined a new Technical device, (consisting of adding several "New Lines" for more Funds in the 2011 Draft Budget, often citting forthcoming Years' foreseeable Needs and/or resources, but without entering any Numbers, so that EU Council's Governments would be obliged to ask MEPs to drop these new budgetary lines, thereby engaging in Discussions also on EU's Future activities...
-----------------
New EU Activities, f.ex. on Space, Defense/Security, EU's External Service, Climate and Energy policies, as well as Scientific/Technologic Research, etc., are expected soon, particularly after Lisbon Treaty's delayed entry into force (12/2009).
+ All these, and other new Challenges, should convince the EU to start debatting the creation of some New Funds and/or EU's own Resources, Top MEPs have recently stressed, (including the President of the largest Group of MEPs : That of ChristianDemocrats. Joseph Daul, (See earlier relevant NewsReports)
- New EU Resources, including, f.ex. teje post-2012 Tax on CO2 Emmissions Trading, could grow up to 30 - 50 Billions € per Year, i.e. a big Gift decided at EU level, so that there is no reason for it to be eventually totally absorbed by EU Member States, instead of funding EU Budgets, Lamassoure pointed out.
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- Sarkozy Counsellor to EuroFora : Economy/RST, Security and G8-G20 in France-Germany-Russia Summit
- EU Parliament to start debating EU's Future via 2014-2023 Financial Perspectives and 2011 Budget ?!
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They voted to "freeze" UK Government's draft to put People in jail for 42 Days on "anti-terrorist" suspicion without charge, or they abstained. Don't they look suspect ?
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CoE's debate on UK controversy stirs PanEuropean check of anti-terror suspects' imprisonment
Former Leftists of the Sixties would boil in hot water if they heard PACE's debate on the controversial 42 days detention without charge, currently drafted by the British Government :
A "Socialist" Government, a Socialist PACE Rapporteur and a Socialist Chair of PACE's Legal Committee, opposed a .. "Conservative" amendment (supported by .. Liberals, Democrats, etc), to freeze the measure, in order to protect Citizens' Freedom, by "waiting" until CoE's Venice Committee checks its conformity with Human Rights' principles.
"Left"'s support to Conservative-Lib.Dem's criticism, wasn't enough to obtain a majority, nor to make things as they were back in the good old days, when "Left" and "Right" had a clear meaning, as "liberty" and "restrictions"...
Conservatives and most Democrats were joined by the Left in voting for the "freeze", as well as Liberal Paul Rowen, while Socialist MEP Ivan Popescu, an experienced MEP from Ukraine (PACE Member since 1996-2008) abstained. But most Socialists, added to a few Liberals and EPP's Right, voted against.
Fortunately, someone inside PACE had the wise idea to shorten the Debate for less than 1 Hour, and put it on the Agenda only at the end of an exceptionally busy day, towards the end of the Evening, when most MEPs had already gone to taste wins and foods at various Receptions all around Strasbourg's "European" area : As a result, not even 42 MEPs weren't present..
Socialist Lord Tomlinson accused the leaders of the PanEuropean Assembly, in its highest body : the "Bureau", to "lack wisdom" by deciding to hold a Debate on an issue that neither the Socialist Chair of the Legal Committee, nor its Socialist "reluctant Rapporteur", did "not want to do", ...
Finally, everybody (critics and supporters alike) was happy to agree, in substance, that the controversial measure "may" gravely violate Human Rights, and therefore, PACE asked Legal Experts of Venice Commission to check UK Government''s plans.
But this might take more than .. 42 Days to do, since PACE's Rapporteur asked the Experts to enlarge their study in a PanEuropean comparison of all that is happening on "anti-terrorism" legislation in 47 CoE Member Countries, including Russia, Turkey and Azerbaidjan..
Bad lack : "The existing 28 days’ detention without charge in the UK is, in comparison with other CoE member countries, one of the most extreme : In Turkey, the period is 7,5 days, in France 6 days, in Russia 5 days, and in .. the U.S. and Canada just 2 and 1 days respectively", denounced Democrat MEP Ms WOLDSETH from Norway..
"Numerous respected human rights organisations, including Liberty and Human Rights Watch, have expressed serious concern" "The proposed legislation ...could easily lead to extensive abuses. ...Detention for 42 days means six weeks in which one is taken away from one’s family, friends, home and livelihood only to be let off without being charged. That will destroy lives and isolate communities", she added.
- "3 years ago, the UK Government sought to increase the period of pre-charge detention from 14 days to 90 days. Not long before that, it had been only 7 days. There was a vigorous debate ...and a ...compromise was reached of 28 days. We have to ask whether there are proper safeguards in place to extend the period to 42 days. I suggest that there are fatal flaws", reminded British Conservative Clappison.
- "What sort of society holds someone in detention for 42 days and does not have to tell the person who is in prison why they are there, or explain the suspicions that arose and led to their detention? What sort of society believes that that is the way to treat its citizens? That is an appalling injustice, ...A 42-day detention period will not make the UK safer. Instead, it will be the first step to giving in to terrorists; it is saying that we are prepared to sacrifice our democratic rights and the principles for which we have stood for centuries", criticized British Liberal Michael Hanckock
"Comments made ...by Norwegian delegates are unfortunate", replied British Socialist MEP Ms.Curtis-Thomas, accusing them to "besmirch the reputation of our police force, which is one of the Best in the World", as she said, believing that "there are significant safeguards ...to ensure that individuals are not subjected to unlawful detention"
PACE "has serious doubts whether ...the draft legislation are in conformity with the ...case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. A lack of ..safeguards may lead to arbitrariness, resulting in breaches of ... liberty and ...right to a fair trial". PACE "is particularly concerned that: ..the judge ..may not be in a position to examine whether there exist reasonable grounds for suspecting that the arrested person has committed an offence;"; that "... representation by a lawyer may be inappropriately restricted or delayed;" that "information on the grounds for suspicion of a person ...may be unduly withheld.. ;" that this "may give rise to arrests without the intention to charge;", and; in general, that "prolonged detention without proper information on the grounds for arrest may constitute inhuman treatment", says Klaus De Vries' Report, adopted with 29 votes against zero.
Records don't say if it took him 42 Days to draft his Report, but, at least, he knew why...