newsitems

 

Speaking  to "EuroFora" on the sidelines of CoE's Global Annual Economic Debates in Strasbourg, the experienced Head of the biggest Economic Organization in the World, the enlarging OECD, who has just been re-elected for 5 more Years (2011-2016), Angel Gurria, outlined his vision for Global Governance organisation and for the way out of the Global Crisis :

- "We are going to be Growing", and get "Out of the Recession, OK", OECD's Secretary General stressed from the outset, both for €uroZone and World's Economy, before dealing with the two most crucial Questions currently raised, which are the way that a New Global Economic Governance could be practically organized, and how to absorb Unemployment fast enough :

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 On the first point, Angel Gurria replied to an "EuroFora" question on the prospects for OECD's role in the present trend towards a Global Economic Governance, particularly since 2007 G8 Heads of State/Government Summit at Heiligendam (Germany), where it had been officially suggested for OECD to start helping the implementation of several G8 decisions, by observing, that, meanwhile, the Global context has "evolved since Heiligendam" :

- In particular,  "the G-8 (initially unique format) has evolved....into a G-8 doing mostly Security, Strategic and some Development issues", while, "now, Economic, Trade and Financial issues are going into the G-20+", he pointed out.

-" So" that, recently,  "there have been some Proposals to create a Secretariat for the G-20+, but I don't think that there is any Consesus for that" yet, he estimated.

- In consequence, "My Proposal is that we should create a closer, tighter Network of International Organisations, that would serve as a Support to the Country that is Hosting" the rotating Annual G8 - G20+ Chairmanship, he suggested.

- "And this is an idea that (German Chancellor) Angie Merkel is also proposing : We (OECD) have met with her several times to talk about this", Angel Gurria revealed.

Speaking later at CoE Assembly's Annual debate on OECD's forecasts for the International Economy, he presented his main Conclusion on "what we have learned from the (Global) Crisis", by strongly endorsing a message jointly supported by French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angie Merkel as well as other EU or Foreign Countries' Leaders (Comp. "EuroFora"'s NewsReports as early as since the beginning of 2009 from a Sarkozy-Merkel sponsored International Conference on the "Need for a New Global Governance"), that, in fact, the 2008 USA-triggered Financial Crisis was "a Massive Failure of Regulators", so that, now, a kind of Global Economic Governance would have to be collectively worked out, in one way or another.

- Thus, "an important conclusion that I draw from the crisis", is that, "as (German Chancellor) Angie Merkel says :  - "Get together and Coordinate, speak in 1 Voice on certain Issues, in a sort of Cross-Fertilization process, and, then, you'll be more timely, accurate and powerful, nobody could ignore you" , observed OECD's Head, in reply to an earlier observation by German MEP Erich Georg Fritz on what he called "the G8 initiative on Closer economic Co-operation between Countries – the Merkel initiative".

- "We (OECD) have been pushing for that. I call it the creation of an "Observatory for Policy Coherence" : "Not a new Bureaucracy, or a new institution", but "simply, a much better Co-ordination among the International Organisations ...already participating" in Global Economic Governance issues, Angel Gurria reiterated.

While Merkel explicitly supported these days also Sarkozy's proposal to fight against Speculation on Raw Materials, from Agriculture and Food, up to Energy and Industry, during the forthcoming Annual Presidency of the G-8 and G-20+ by France, (November 2010 - November 2011), on the contrary, Gurria didn't comment a complementary proposal by CoE Assembly's vice-President, Head of the Greek Delegation, and experienced former Chairman of PACE's Economic Committee,  MEP Costas Vrettos, speaking on behalf of the Socialist Group, to create a kind of "New International body, a kind of Court in order to Monitor all these New Legislation" about Global Economic Governance, as he said in substance.

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    - On the second point, that of Return to Growth, Angel Gurria, speaking to "EuroFora" at first specifically about the €uro area, estimated that, although you already have "a Good Performance in some €uroZone Countries, such as Germany etc.,in order to have a better "2nd half of the Year" 2010, "probably, some of the Monetary Policy Accomodation will, perhaps, stay a little bit longer, and, may be, the beginning of the Fiscal consolidation in some Countries could be delayed" a little bit, "until the Growth is more established", as he advised.

    - "We are going to be Growing", and get "Out of the Recession, OK", OECD's Head confirmed.

    - But, "in general (i.e. on the Global Economy), we (OECD) see a Middle-Term Scenario of relatively Low Growth and High Unemployment and High Deficits, in OECD in general", he warned.

 - "The problem is that (Growth) is gonna be Slow, and the Unemployment is not gonna be absorbed" fast enough, "so you are going to see Relatively High levels of Unemployment for a Long period", he estimated.

- "This is very Typical, and Not Surprising", particularly "when you have a very Steep, but also very Fast drop Employment", back "on 2008-2009, then, Recovering is always very Slow", he observed, saying that this forecast was based also on Historic Experiences, f.ex. "in the Other Cycles also in the Past", as he explained.  - "Without exception, if there is a very Deep Drop, in a relatively Short Period of Time, thenn it took Longer to Recover in Pre-Crisis levels".

- Persistently questioned by "EuroFora", in concrete terms, "How Long, approximatively, at least in the Past ?", Gurria replied - "I don't know" exactly, but "this has taken 5, 6 or 7 Years in the Past to Recover the level" that existed before a Crisis, as he calculated. - "So, this (2010+) is not going to be an Exceptional point", but rather a well known phenomenon, according to OECD's Head.

- That's why, "we are going to need Good Structural Policies in order to be able get out of this kind of mediocre scenario", he advised. Because, in front of such challenges, "you can Improve things by Structural Policies : " For that purpose, "then, you gave to get Back to the Fundamentals :"  I.e. "Education, Research and Development ; Labor Market (reforms) ;   Markets ; "Competition" ; "Innovation" and "Green Growth", (etc).  

 Angel Gurria remained steadily upbeat on "Green Growth"s potential, since the last we had seen him :  - "We (OECD) have got a Mandate on Green Growth, since May 2010 and  "we shall publish a Final Report" on the (forthcoming) May (2011) Ministerial Summit" in Paris' OECD's Headquarters, Angel Gurria anounced to "EuroFora".

- "It's the only way to go : It's desirable", because "it's Good for the Environment, it's also Good for the Budget(s) to have Low Carbon energy, i.e. Not subsidizing the consumption of Fossil Fuels ; and it's also Good for Business, because you can create New Technologies and New Jobs", he pleaded.

That's one reason more for OECD's Chief to be present at the forthcoming UNO's Climate Change Summit at Cancun, Mexico, in view of which, "we are working hard with the Mexicans to produce a Report on Cities, as well as about Financing the Effort against Climate Change" : "The differend Instruments for Funding", "looking at the Modalities, because there are differend ways of Financing", and "How you can reduce the Cost, encouraging everybody to participate, so that it becomes the Low-Cost Alternative", etc. : I.e. one of the most thorny but also "Key"-issues, as Copenhagen UNO's Climate Change Summit revealed , (Comp. "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from Copenhagen, December 2009).

- "Our (OECD's) Conclusions, of course, is that you have to have a Price on Emisssions, on Carbon (CO2) : "We need, absolutely, a Price for Carbon". Because, "without a Price for Carbion, you can't get any result". We need a "Carbon Price", "whether you have a Tax, or whether you have a permit for Selling of Emission Rights, like an Auction, etc".

Finally, questioned by "EuroFora" on the Economic significance of some Scientists' claims that "Carbon could become itself a source of Energy", (comp. f.ex. Professor Amouroux's INTW with "EuroFora", already sent in DraftNews to Subscribers/Donors), Angel Gurria didn't deviate at all from where he was heading for :

 - "We (OECD) have to advice on the most important Technological issues that we have to work on, and especialy on Technology of Carbon Capture and Storage : If you can succeed there, then, you can see what you can do with Carbon ! But first you have to avoid it from going up" to the Atmosphere.. he smiled,  pragmatically open to any eventual future innovation....

CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland from Norway (2009-2014), speaking to "EuroFora" after his landmark visit, the very day of the 9/11 Deadly Mass Terrorism's Anniversary, to Struthof NAZI Camp nearby Strasbourg, where was reportedy practiced the infamous "Night and Fog" policy on "Missing" People taken from all over Europe and submitted to atrocious Deadly "Tests" by some monstruously unscrupulous "Dr. Mengele" at a Hospital's Labo, in addition to hard exloitation at nearby Mines, stressed the importance to support such organizations as the European Centre for Deported Resistants, based there, in order to save the Memory of such Atrocities, as also a joint Franco-German Project scheduled to start from October 6, timely tries to contribute (See infra).

But, in practical terms, this also means, that it has become Urgent today to collect and safeguard key eye-Witnesses' precious but fragile Testimonies, as the case of a group of visiting Norwegians a.o. survivants indicated.

Such moves are particularly needed now that CoE's new task is less to "spread Liberal Democracy", as it did in the latest decades of Enlargements, but much more to "Deepen" the "Fight for Human Rights' respect" particularly among the 800 Millions of People throughout its 47 Member States, as Jagland added later-on, on the occasion of ECHR's 60 Years (See infra).

Significantly, Jagland's statements to "EuroFora" on the Struthof NAZI Camp were made while the International Red Cross Committee organizes this week at the CoE in Strasbourg  an emotional authentic Photo Exhibition on "Missing" People's tragedy also in more recent events, such as the bloody conflicts provoked in ex-Yugoslavia, where methods used to try to solve Victims' Families' drama were compared f.ex. with other, differend and less efficient methods imposed on the older issue of Cyprus, but also to relevant, much more proactive developments recently going on in Latin America, (f.ex. on ending total Impunity of those responsible for Kindapings/Torture/Murders, etc).

Choosing the Anniversary of the 9/11 Mass Terrrorist Attack which killed Thousands of innocent People at New York's World Trade Center, Airplanes, Pentagon etc, just before crucial CoE Committee of Ministers' meetings in Strasbourg on monitoring the execution of ECHR's judgements, including by Turkey on Thousands of "Missing" People and Hundreds of Thousands of Refugees/Displaced persons in Cyprus, CoE's Secretary General decided to really put into practice in 2010 a suggestion initially made by "EuroFora", back in 2009, just a Day before and a Day after he was elected, (See Jagland's replies to relevant "EuroFora"s Questions on his 1st Press Conference at the CoE, Autumn 2009 : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/jaglandagg1.html )

The case of a 91-92 Years old survivant of that NAZI Camp's former detainees, Norwegian Painter Rudolf Naess, who became famous mainly  by an eye-catching Historic Painting, picturing Struthof Concentration Camp's barracks among the Cloudy Mountain Tops, which was chosen by the European Centre of Deported Resistants to serve as a Cover for its Press files given to "EuroFora", before we hand it over to CoE's new Secretary General the day of his 2009 Election, illustrated well enough the risk to lose for ever key eye-Witnesses :

-  The Artist "Painter" Rudolf Naess "is (still) alive", but he is aged now "92 Years old", and, therefore, could not come to Strasbourg with the group of other Norwegians former detainees, and was obliged to stay in Norway, CoE's Secretary General revealed to "EuroFora"..

Therefore, one can easily imagine that the Time has come to Urgently try to take all possibly useful Testimonies by all those precious Eye-Witnesses who are still alive, but obviously without any guarantee that they will be able to speak for a long time anew in the future..

Jagland confirmed to "EuroFora" that he "spoke about the importance of "Witnesses", as a matter of general principle, applicable everywhere" exceptionaly grave Crimes have been committed : - ""Yes !", he positively answered.

- "We must remember", and "keep .. Memory alive", stressed on September 11, CoE's Secretary General, who is also President of Oslo Committe on Nobel Peace prize, recently attributed to USA's new President, Barack Obama, (See Jagland's relevant Statements to "EuroFora", published in 2009), during his visit to Struthof NAZI Camp, together with many Norwegian and others survivants, (including a former Prime Minister, as Jagland himself), where he highlighted the importance to save "Witnesses' .. Testimonies".

"EuroFora" was 1st to inform Jagland about that NAZI Concentration Camp's existence, as well as of the former Prisoner, Norwegian Painter's impressive Tableau, when we gave him personally, as well as to the Norwegian Ambassador, a hard copy, precisely of that NAZI Camp's Press File with a Cover picturing a Painting of Struthof by Rudolf Naess back on 2009, before raising later-on, at the 1st Press Conference of the new CoE's Secretary General in Strasbourg, early October 2009, also a Question on the atrocites allegedly committed there, by the "Nacht und Nebel" ("Night and Fog") infamous NAZI Decreet on "MISSING" People, added to a systematic "Collection" of various "Specimens" from all over Europe and beyond, (as the astonishing List of Struthof's former prisoners attests).
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    - "It was an Important event. I've never been in Struthhof before !", a sincerely moved Jagland told "EuroFora" now, even long after the visit of the impressive High Mountainous, isolated ressort.

    - "It was because there was a huge Norwegian delegation" among "the survivors of Struthhof that visited the (NAZI) Camp, and I decided to accompagny them", CoE's Secretary General explained now to "EuroFora".

    By a Symbolic Coincidence, the Wind blew Struthof's Flag when Jagland visited, on the Anniversary Day of 9/11, in such a way that only the Letters which form the key-word .. "TRUTH" were visible !  (See the astonishing Photo, as provided to "EuroFora" by CoE's services)..

    - In fact, "it was important to pay tribute to the Norwegians who had strived to survive, and also to the Organization which is working in order to keep the Memory of the Holocaust alive, in Norway as well as in all Europe", Jagland stressed in conclusion.

      - "The International dimension of Struthof's "European Center for Resistants/Deportees", is currently growing in practice, and we aim to develop it further, said earlier  to "EuroFora" its Director, Mrs Valérie Drechsler,  after we visited  crossing a group of young students from Denmark.            

    In fact, Struthof's NAZI Camp was also part of a "Network" including various other Concentration Camps close to MInes where many Minerals were exploited by Forced Labor of Detainees in "appalling" conditions of Hygiene which reportedly "provoked several Epidemics", most of them being located inside nowadays Germany, such as the  Neckar Valley villages, near Mosbach, where the German Authorities currently prepare to build a Museum after the first Findings made since 1998.

    For this purpose, an "Agreement of Scientific Cooperation" was recently signed between the European Center of Deported Resistants and interesred French and German Universities' Researchers", and a Symbolic Ceremony wil take place Tomorrow, October 6, to deliver "Granit" Stones taken from Struthof to the Neckaretz NAZI Camp : These "links forged between those working in France and those working in Germany, consist in a message of Fidelity to History, paying Tribute in the Honor of the Victims, in Brotherhood", said a Statement issued by the European Center of Deported Resistants' Director, Valérie Dreschler.

    The European Convention on Human Rights opened a way for the creation of an Unprecedented Machinery for the protection of 800 Millions of People now at the CoE, which is unique in the World, and became much larger, (f.ex. including also other CoE's watchdogs against Torture, Intolerance/Discrimination, etc), observed Jagland  next day at the opening of an exhibition on ECHR's 60 Years.

    But, while CoE's priority task during the latest Decades was mainly to spread Liberal Democracy in an Enarging PanEuropean area, on the contrary, now that Enlargement has almost come to an end, CoE's new mission is mainly to "Deepen" Human Rights' respect throughout all its Member States :

    => That's why "the Fight for Human Rights" is not just a thing of the Past, but a very Topical issue Today, in order to make sure that the Democratic and Humanistic Values really go deep in everyday life, making it possible for People to live together on the basis of some key Human Rights' values, concluded CoE's Secretary General.

(Partly Updated).

Speaking to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg at the eve of a Germano - Chinese Summit with Chancelor Angie Merkel and Prime Minister Wan Jiabao at Meseberg,  the Foreign Mnister of Germany, Guido Westerwelle, agreed that Beijing might get in Future a special status in Strasbourg's PanEuropean organization of the CoE, (which already has as Full Member Russia, etc), eventually inspired from that previously given also to Washington DC, Montreal, Tokyo, etc., completing soon after 2010 an Historic trend triggered since 1995-1996...

- "We shall speak about that", Germany's Foreign Minister positively replied to "EuroFora"'s question on whether he found "useful" for China, who currently is "the only UN SC Permanent Member without any kind of status at the CoE", while, on the contrary, in addition to the USA, Canada and Japon, even Mexico has already got a Special CoE status, as we reminded, (while Russia is Full CoE Member), to get a special CoE link, in one way or another.

A similar suggestion, to tailor a special CoE status for structural relations with China, has already been done recently by the Head of France's Delegation at CoE's Assembly, the mainstream MEP of the Governing UMP Party, Jean-Claude Mignon, (See "EuroFora"'s earlier publication).  

Recently China approached CoE mainly through Sport (including Anti-Doping and Ethic Standards' issues) and Education matters, particularly on the occasion of the 2008 Beijing International Olympic Games, following, mutatis-mutandis, a similar path to that which had been previously followed by former Central-Eastern European Countries, including Russia,

- "But", this must be done "on the appropriate Time", Guido Westerewelle carefully added, on the Special CoE Status issue.

- And the right moment hasn't come yet, since it's "not now",  Westerwelle concluded for the time being, obviously keeping the issue Open for the foreseeable Future, according to relevant developments.

EU - China Deals might be eventually brokered also during the forthcoming G-8 and G-20 Chairmanship by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, after unanimous support expressed by the September 2010 EU Summit, and particularly extended talks and statements also by German Chancelor Angie Merkel (Comp. relevant "EuroFora"s publication).

 

Meanwhile, Germany's Economic Boom, stronger than expected, allied to France's solid, steady trend to Growth, also more than scheduled, together with Debt reduction and Investment for Innovation, added also to several other good results in various other €uroZone Countries, giving EU a stronger say in the forthcoming Bilateral and Global Talks with Major Economic Partners, such as USA, Russia, China, Japan, India, etc. Germany, with its strong Economic growth, is contributing to EU's  economic stabilisationas a whole, also because Germany isn't only EU's biggest exporter, but even the biggest Importer, and this affects positively many other exporting countries, the Foreign Minister observed.

However, as he earlier said for Russia, in reply to a MEP's question at CoE's Assembly, such Strategic Partnerships "are not only for Energy" a.o. Economic Issues, but extend well beyond that, allowing to deal with Democratic States "also on the resolution of various Conflicts" around EU and elsewhere in the World.

Westerwelle also invited "EuroFora" to "look first at my (official) Speech" at CoE's Assembly, where it is underlined that "Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law" are "at the base of Germany's Foreign Policy" and "not contrary to Economic Interests" but parallel, as he stressed in Strasbourg before speaking later-on with CoE's SG Thorbbjorn Jagland about Turkey, that ECHR recently condemned for the Murder of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink, revealing that Turkish Authorities knew the Murder Plan, but did nothing to prevent it, (on the contrary, even colliding with the Group of Extremists planning to Murder the Dissident Journalist into harassing and persecuting him at the Courts, threatening his Press Freedom), while also still covering up with scandalous Impunity until now, 2010, several Turkish State Agents involved, (See other NewsDraft, already sent to "EuroFora"s Subsrcibers/Donors, and "EuroFora"s 14/9/2010 Publication on ECHR's landmark judgement).

€uroZone's and all EU's 500 Million Citizens' strong Economic, Scientifico-Technologic and progressively, potentially Political Development, giving a stronger say in Global issues,  would have been impossible without the "ReUnification of Europe" which was the real Historic meaning of "Germany's ReUnification", as repeatedly stressed Westerwelle, confirming "Germany's commitment for Europe", both at the CoE, (speaking in its Parliamentary Assembly, after inaugurating an impressive High-Tech. Digital Exhibition  on the Fall of Berlin's Wall and German ReUnification), as well as at a well attended, large Reception in Strasbourg's Historic University, (the same one which had, in its glorious History, attracted even, whose statue is still standing in front of it), amidst a series of events for the "1st German Days in Strasbourg" organized by the Franco-German Foundation, headed by experienced former Ministers Andre Bord and Lothar Spaeth.

(NDLR : For various other statements by Westerwelle on topical issues to Journalists at the CoE, including "EuroFora", see DraftNews already sent to "EuroFora"'s Subscribers/Donors, and, for his Speech at CoE Assembly's Plenary, see full Copy available at the Internet in CoE's website. As it is well known, as a matter of Principle, always practiced during more than 17 Years of work in the European and PanEuropean Press, "EuroFora" focuses mainly on Original, first-hand News, and never pastes late Copies of texts already published in full at the Internet and/or given in reply to other journalists' questions and available to anybody worldwide).

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UNO's Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, is due to visit, for the 1st time, Strasbourg, on the occasion of ECHR's 60th Anniversary, later this Month, at the same time that EU Parliament will be debating on the External European Action Service and on the Global G-20 Summit, "EuroFora" learned from CoE's official sources.

The exceptional event is scheduled to evolve further into an open Debate on ECHR's Future, after Speeches by CoE's Secretary General Thornbjorn Jagland and ECHR's President Jean-Paul Costa, with the participation of all Heads of various CoE's Monitoring bodies, competent to check if Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law are really respected in Practice, (f.ex. Ministerial Committee entrusted with the control of ECHR Judgements' execution by CoE Member States, PanEuropean Committee to prevent Torture, Human Rights' Commissioner, CoE's watchdogs on Minorities' protection, against Discrimination and Intolerance, etc).

UNO itself has started to advance towards a progressively greater importance on Human Rights issues than in the Past, particularly since its 2005 Summit at New York, on the International Organization's 60th Anniversary (1945 - 2005), when it created a Human Rights' Council at nearby Geneva, (comp. "EuroFora"'s co-founder's News-Reports, exceptionally from New York then).

At the same moment, ECHR is also involved in an on-going internal review and quest for ways to forge adequate mechanisms for a satisfactory monitoring of the way its recent Reforms work in real practice (after Interlaken's Ministerial Conference : See "EuroFora"'s NewsReports from the Swiss city on February 2010, and 14th Protocol's entry into force), as ECHR's President, professor Jean-Paul Costa recently revealed to "EuroFora", (See September 2009 DraftNews already sent to "EuroFora"'s Subscribers/Donors).

Among various crucial issues, October 2010 ECHR Strasbourg visit will timely come for Ban Ki Moon shortly before his reportedly important November 2010 Report on the 2009-2010 efforts to solve the Cyprus' issue through direct talks between Cyprus' President, Demitres Christofias, and the Leader of the Turkish Cypriot Community (in the territories of Cyprus' still Occupied by Ankara's 1974 invasion Army : initially Mehmet Ali Talat, and recently Dervis Eroglu, reportedly more "hardliner"), whose hardest points include mainly Human Rights' issues, such as that of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced Persons' right to Return at their Family Homes and Ancestral Land, as well as to Restitution of their Houses and private properties, or, if this is really impossible, at least an adequate Financial Compensation, according to ECHR's  1996-2010 long case-law

In fact, a great part of ECHR's credibility, and more generally, of the European System of Human Rights' protection, (i.e. CoE's Committee of Ministers monitoring  of the implementation of ECHR's judgements included), is at stake in these Cyprus - Turkey ECHR Judgements on Refugees, "Missing" Persons, Enclaved People, etc., because they have become, meanwhile, not only a well established case-law for CoE's 47 Membe, r States, but also World-wide Standards, from which have been inspired some of UNO's most important advances on Human Rights' issues, (such as, f.ex. UNO Rapporteur, Professor Paolo Sergio Pinheiro's (from Brazil) famous "Principles" on Refugees/Displaced Persons' rights, which have been edited in a UNO Handbook at nearby Geneva, officially signed by UNO's SG, and UN High Commissioners on Human Rights and on Refugees, etc. : See Pinheiro's statements to "EuroFora""s co-Founder, published elsewhere on 9/2007).

But, some controversial recent rulings by ECHR's Chambers, and/or their interpretation by some inside CoE's Committee of Ministers, by apparently departing from earlier ECHR's case-law, have notoriously raised several Question-marks, particularly in  order to know ifEurope will continue to have Better Human Rights' Legal Standards than other Regions in the World, or whether it will be out-paced, for the 1st time in History, by other, Foreign bodies in other areas of the World, which seem thus to claim now  comparatively stronger Human Rights' principles :

- F.ex., while the Experienced UNO's f. President of "Enforced Disappearances" Committee at nearby Geneva, Professor Corcuera, had clearly stressed to "EuroFora"'s co-founder that, in case of "Missing" persons' dramas, "the Violations of Human Rights are of a "CONTINUING" character, (i.e. can be invoked in front of an International Court by Victims' Families) as long as it has not yet been found what really happened to the "Missing" Persons, and those Responsible for their enforced disappearance have not been found and punished", (precisely as ECHR's traditional case-law also underlined), on the contrary, a 2009 prejudicial ruling by an ECHR chamber decided an unprecedented rejection of Greek Cypriot "Missing" People's Families' applications to Strasbourg versus Turkey's persisting refusal to give any information on these crucial points, on the pretext that, on the contrary, a certain period of Time had elapsed, meanwhile, (curiously throwing the Responsibility for the scandalously prolonged Uncertainty to the Victims, and not on the Turkish State's persisting refusal to even discuss these points)..

At the same moment, unearthings and re-burrials reportedly accelerate on Cyprus' "Missing" people, without doing any Forensic Examination in order to find what really happened to the Victims and who might be Responsible for their fate, contrary to ECHR's well established case-law and opposite even to what is currently happening in Latin America (f.ex. Argentina) where former Officials are arrested for Torture - Inhuman/Degrading Treatments of People Murdered back in the 1970ies, and even (what is the most important)  threatening to destroy Evidence of Crimes, as experienced Officials of the CoE, and/or Amnesty International, a.o. already warned "EuroFora" in reply to our relevant questions.

However, it's obvious (also by South Africa, ex-Yugoslavia, Latin America, post-NAZI Europe, and other concrete examples all over the world, that an adequate way to get the Truth out on what happened to "Missing" Persons, find and punish at least some among those Responsible for eventually Grave Human Rights Violations, at least symbolically, is a necessary condition for success to any sincere effort to establish Stable Peace and long-lasting Reconciliation between People who suffered from such tragedies, by giving a kind of Guarantee that such horrible Crimes will never happen again in Future.

+ Moreover, on Refugees' Human Rights to restitution, or, at least compensation for their usurpated Homes and private properties, as well as their Internationaly recognized Right to return back to their Family Homes and Ancestral Lands, (a principle for the application of which, the famous former UNO's High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio de Mehlo, had notoriously worked for Decades throughout the World, from Africa up to Eastern Timor, etc., until he was astonishingly killed at Iraq, shortly after reportedly preparing a massive return of Kutdish Refugees at Northern Iraq area, often revendicated also by Turkey because of its Oil/Gas deposits), another recent ECHR's decision on Cyprus and Turkey astonishingly seems to downplay and largely restrict most of ECHR's traditionaly established principles, (See relevant Critical Analysis made by "EuroFora"'s publication on concrete points).

So that UNO's famous Handbook (and adopted Report) on the well-known "Pinheiro's Principles", obviously inspired by ECHR's traditional case-law, obviously risks now to become, on the contrary, much more advanced than what some want to allow vis a vis Turkey's obligations inside the CoE, which threatens to become dramatically ess..
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This context appears even more important, given the fact that, as Ban Ki Moon, also previous UNO SGs  visited officially Strasbourg always on exceptional moments :

-  Boutros Ghali did so, back in 1995, on the occasion of a landmark EU Parliament's debate on the "State of the Union" and EU's foreseeable Future, and returned later-on as a former UN SG, strong of his experience, (See Boutros-Ghali statements to "EuroFora"'s cofounder then).

- Koffi Annan visited both CoE and EU Parliament on october 2000, i.e. just after Turkey had been given a controversial "Candidate" status at December 1999 Helsinki Summit, while UNO's Secretariat was pushed by some Governments to launch attempts to put practically aside the Cyprus' issue, so that Turkey's impopular EU bid has no problems. (Comp. Koffi Annan's long reply to "EuroFora" co-Founder's question in his Press Conference at EU Parliament, attended by many Journalists from allover Europe).

- But, since the election of UNO's New SG, Ban Ki Moon, it will be now (on October 2010) his 1st venue in Strasbourg, which was visited, until now, only by his Deputy SG, Dr. Asha-Rose Migiro, who participated in EU Parliament's activities, (See UNO deputy SG Migiro 's statements to "EuroFora"'s co-founder, given on that occasion).
Meanwhile, "EuroFora" got Ban Ki Moon Spokepersons' replies to our questions, both from his initial Spokesperson, Michele Montas, (f.ex. at 2007 G8 Summit in Heiligendam, Germany, and on 2008, on the sidelines of the "Union for the Mediterranean" Summit in Paris), and from his New Spokesman, Martin Nesirky (experienced former OSCE's Spokesman, f.ex. after Berlin's November 2009 Summit for the 20 Years since the fall of the Dividing Wall, in view of OSCE-related, possible developments, and on December 2009, at the immediate aftermath of the Copenhagen UNO Climate Change Summit : the biggest in UNO's History, as Ban Ki Moon himself observed).

Many other Statements/Replies to our Questions by previous UNO's Secretary Generals and/or other Top UNO's Officials were given to "EuroFora"'s co-founder on relevant issues on several other occasions, at various other locations and/or opportunities, such as, f.ex., Koffi Annan's replies he gave us at Baden Baden (Germany) on 2004, and in Paris (France) on 2006 ; UNO's former Director for Political affairs, Ibrahim Gambari (New York, 2005) ; UNO's High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres (Strasbourg/CoE 2008), UNO's new SG on Peace-Keeping operation, Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, Alain Le Roy (Paris 2008), etc.

Ban Ki Moon's exceptional venue at the CoE in Strasbourg on the occasion of ECHR's 60th Anniversary is an obvious and timely Symbol of the fact that both the PanEuropean mechanism for the protection of Human Rights and UNO's own credibility and efficiency approach a kind of Historic cross-roads and a moment of Truth, tested in real practice, needing to find new ways to avoid Errors of the Past (f.ex. 2002-2004 attempts to practically white-wash Turkey on Cyprus' military invasion and persisting occupation, particularly by a former rather unbalanced UN Official, even speaking Turkish but not Greek, and apparently involved in some dubious interest networks, who was dismissed by Koffi Annan during Summer 2005, and/or a former EU Commissioner on Enlargement, accused to disregard EU Principles, who has just been hired by Turkey's Export Trade board, etc), which had notoriously resulted, inter alia, also in an unprecedented Blockade of EU's institutional development (f.ex. Majority Abstentions in 1999-2004 EU Elections, 3 "NO" to EuroReferenda since May 2005, etc).

In order to have a better chance in Future, it's obvious that both UNO and EU/CoE need on such crucial issues involving core principles of Human Rights and International Organisations' independence, objectivity and credibility, a much more "clean", honest, creative and innovative approach, able to provide well-balanced results, safeguard at least the essential among key principles, as well as to look further at the Horizon towards less makeshift, shaky recipes risking to stir soon even worse contradictions and conflicts, but, on the contrary, for real reconciliation, reunification, and stable Peace.