newsitems

    - "It is important" that "we ...start debates on ECHR's future", "in order to ensure the application of Human Rights standards in the same way throughout all the European continent", and "take initiatives" to "bring in New Ideas that will make the system more efficient", stressed the incoming CoE President in office, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey in reply to "EuroFora"s questions

    At the same time, Rey, also expressed CoE's "will" to act for the protection of Natural Environment, and Freedom of Press, as she added in reply to other "EuroFora"s queries. evoking  "concrete" measures in real practice, during the 6 Months of the Swiss CoE Presidency, (November 2009- May 2010), that she presented together with CoE's new Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland.

    Her first reaction was vis a vis an "EuroFora"s observation on the plight of Refugee' Children, revealed the same Day at a crucial ECHR's Hearing in Strasbourg : The real cases of 3 Greek Cypriot Children, brutally obliged to flee from their Familiy Homes after the Turkish Military Invasion and Occupation of the northern part of Cyprus, and still hindered by Ankara to return, while the Father of 2 of them died in 2005 waiting for ECHR's judgements, which sometimes take 10, 15 or 20 Years to be issued and have not yet been fully applied, as it in the Onoufriou and Ariana Lordos affairs.

    The move timely came when CoE's Committee of Ministers just adopted Guidelines for the protection of Children from violence, the same day of ECHR's crucial Hearing of 8 Greek Cypriot Refugees' cases, and at the eve of UNO's International Day of action for Children on the 20th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, on Friday 20.

    This naturally incited the incoming CoE President-in-office, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey, in reply to our questions, to promise more imminent moves to "strengthen" the system for the protection of Human Rights in 2010, in order to better protect European Citizens' rights, in such and other cases.

    - Today, while you anounced that No 1 Priority of CoE's Swiss Presidency will be Human Rights, and that the Ministerial Committe adopted Guidelines for Children's Rights, at ECHR's Hearing (on Cyprus' Refugees) we've just seen that Children expulsed from their Family Homes when aged only 2 or 7 are still hindered to return, and, meanwhile, saw their Father die, waiting for ECHR's judgements, which in such cases sometimes take 10, 15 or even 20 years to be issued and applied, "EuroFora" denounced at a CoE's Press Conference, to which participated also the new CoE's Secretary General Jagland. Is there any hope, during your Presidency, (i.e. up to May 2010) to make the whole System for the protection of Human Rights, from the Court up to the Committee of Ministers (i.e. inclusing execution of judgements), more efficient, in order not  to have this kind of situations in the future ?", we asked.

Facts were revealed on the sidelines of an ECHR's Grand Chamber Hearing, exceptionally attended also by many Judges from various other Countries.

    - "If You are asking me whether there will be Initiatives that we could take during the Swiss CoE Presidency in order to produce results, which could give a message to strengthen ECHR's efficiency, "my reply is "Yes", otherwise, we wouldn't undertake anything !", sharply replied to "EuroFora" the incoming CoE's President-in-office, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey.

    - "Of course, we (i.e. the incoming Swiss CoE Presidency : November 2008 - May 2010) we shall try to bring in new ideas in order to make the system (i.e. ECHR and Committee of Ministers, as "EuroFora" had asked) more efficient", she promised.  

   - "In order to ensure than all Citizens in Europe, who have a pending case (at the ECHR), will have a (real) right to a  judgement" on time. she stressed, in reply to "EuroFora"s"question on a Greek Cypriot Refugees'  Family where the Father had tragically died before his expulsed Children and wife could even be heard by ECHR in Strasbourg...

    - "This is an essential commitment of the CoE", she stressed

    - Advancing further,  CoE's new President-in-office launched a call for more "Political involvement of other CoE's Member States" to boost ECHR's efficiency. "- "We are counting also, very much, on that", she stressed.  

 - "This (panEuropean) Court is important, in order to ensure the application of Human Rights standards in the same way throughout all the European continent", and "we must start debates on ECHR's future", culminating on decisions due at a High-level Ministerial Conference at Interlaken on February 2010, she added.

    But "it's not in just 6 Months of Swiss CoE Presidency that we believe to be able to fully achieve such a task, on which we are working together with our Slovenian predecessors, to try to stregthen (ECHR's efficiency), and which, I want to believe, will be continued by the presidencies which will come after us", Micheline Calmy Rey added, with a typically "French" style irony on the lips about the forthcoming ... Turkish CoE chairmanship : November 2010 - May 2011..

    ECHR's final judgement in the 8 new Cyprus' cases heard today, is due to be issued "in about 5 or 6 Months", i.e. during the Swiss CoE Presidency, said meanwhile to "EuroFora" ECHR Grand Chamber's Legal Director Vincent Berger.
--------------------------
    On the sidelines of Strasbourg's ECHR's crucial Hearing, which has mainly to judge Turkey's attempt to block access of Greek Cypriot Refugees to Strasbourg's European Court, by obliging them to go first to a controversial "Commission" set up by the illegal Turkish Occupation regime in the Territories controlled by Ankara's Foreign Army, "EuroFora" learned by Refugee Children themselves their plight :

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

    F.ex. Nicos and Demetrios Onoufriou, were young Children aged only 2 and 7 years old, when they were brutally expulsed from their Family Home at Morphou, Occupied by Turkey's Army and hindered to return since 1974. Now, they were in Strasbourg with their Refugee Mother, Eudokia, to ECHR's Hearing, waiting for Justice to be done.  But their Father, Charalambos, had died meanwhile, on 2005. - "Every Sunday, the poor man tried to cross to the Occupied Territories and look at our Home from far away, with pain and sorrow, but hope", they said to "EuroFora".

    Similar story with small Ariana : a baby girl aged only 2, living with her Family in an appartment at Famagusta's beautiful Seaside, when, suddenly, they were obliged to flee the invading Turkey's Military in 1974, and now they can only look the Ghost Town from far away behind the fences, blocked by the Turkish Army :  - "ECHR's judgement on Loizidou gave us hopes", said her Father, Demetrios Lordos to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg. "Our Family was earning its living by the work done in Famagusta's Hotels", now a Turkish Military area of No-mans-land, added her Mother.

 

The initiative to call for a "High-Level, new Poliical boost" to a far-reaching EuroCourt's reform, was taken by ECHR's President, professor Jean-Paul Costa himself, as he anounced to Strasbourg's Journalists including "EuroFora" in a Press Conference in Strasbourg as early as since January 2009 (Comp. relevant "EuroFora" publication from the larger event).

As CoE's Director on Legal and Human Rights' affairs, Philippe Boillat told earlier "EuroFora", the Interlaken PanEuropean Conference is due to attract the active participation of several Foreign and Justice/Home affairs Ministers, Top Legal Experts, European/International NGOs, etc.. A crucial Report currently prepared by CoE's inter-Governemental Legal Experts (CDDH) is expected to present draft proposals to CoE's Committee of Ministers "from November, or so".

On the same occasion about Children's Rights, the out-going CoE's chair, new Foreign Minister of Slovenia, Samuel Zbogar, and new CoE's Secretary General Thorbjorn Jagland, jointly stressed also that, as a matter of general principle, "Nowhere in Europe should teenagers be detained as a result of political and security issues".

This was said on the occasion of denunciations for "prolonged detention of teenagers by the de facto authorities of South Ossetia", vis a vis which they expressed their "deep concern". South Ossetia's or Russia's reply is not known.

Given the fact that "teenagers", (considered as "children" according to CoE's standards, but not according to Turkish law), are notoriously held in controversial conditions in Turkey's detention centers, as EU Commission's latest, October 2009 Report denounced, in addition to the recent (Spring 2009) arrests of young demonstrators at the South-East areas, apparently CoE's leadership believes that this principle applies also to Turkey, and not only to Russian ally South Ossetia, unless the ommission of Ankara here might mean that Turkey is "nowhere in Europe",  to follow the statements' wording.. As facts clearly show, no other logical conclusion seems possible.

    Meanwhile, replying to other "EuroFora"s questions on other topical issues included in the Swiss CoE Presidency's Programme, Foreign Minister Calmy-Rey also anounced that :   

 -  "On Natural Environment, there is certainly a commitment from our side. There is certainly a Political will to send a message. And of course the will to start a work which will be, we hope, continued afterwards", (i.e. even after May 2010).

    She was responding to "EuroFora"'s observation that "on natural environment, among the Swiss CoE Presidency's priorities, is also the Bern Convention on the protection of Wildlife, with a 2 Days Conference in Bern on its 30th Anniversary, while, recently, CoE's Assembly voted for the recognition of a "Human Right to a Healthy Environment", and Russia is preparing to host in Moscow, during the Swiss Presidency, the 1st Ministerial Conference on the PanEuropean Convention on "Landscape", indicating a growing CoE interest for Nature.
--------------------------

     - And "on Freedom of Expression", "speeches are not enough", Micheline Calmy-Rey observed.

    - "Swiss People are pragmatic : So, in concrete terms, we are going to put at the disposal of CoE's secretary General  an Officer, to closely work together" on that area, she anounced, among other practical measures.

    Thus, "we shall try to strengthen CoE's SG Jagland's secretariat, who has the same Priorities as us, on Freedom of Expression and Press. "So I hope that our joined forces can make together a difference", she concluded.

    It's interesting to note the fact that CoE's New Chairwoman in office said that in reply to "EuroFora"s question on "On-line Media", as "EuroFora", for which CoE's Assembly recently denounced various serious problems against Freedom of Press, (evan after the famous Gongadze muder case in Ukraine, where the On-Line editor was found atrociously murdered, 3 suspects being arrested meanwhile, but not the mastermind yet), followed, also, by some possibly "positive" moves by certain CoE Member States, as, f.ex. France in 2009, to create a "Status for On-line Media Editors" (See previous relevant "EuroFora" publications).

*Berlin/ACM/- Merkel's party's vice-President on EU/Foreign Policy, Andreas Schockenhoff, said to "EuroFora" that the new Governing Coalition in Germany (2009-2014) wants for the EU to clearly remind Turkey, on December 2009, that, in order to avoid a "Deadlock", "Pacta sund servanda" on Cyprus, Human Rights and other commitments, according to the warning she had issued  in reply to our Question when she became Chancellor, at her 1st Press Conference in the French Presidential Palace "Elysee" in Paris, since November 2005.

This was announced in the framework of a larger exclusive Interview given to "EuroFora" by the Governing party CDU/CSU's vice-President in charge of European and International affairs, MP Andreas Schockenhof,  Chair of the Franco-German Group of MPs, after the new Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, presented the European and Foreign Policy at the national Parliament "Bundestag" in Berlin, for Debates on the New Government's 5 Years Program (2009-2014), opened yesterday and closely followed Chancellor Merkel herself, which concludes on Thursday afternoon.

 The move came after the more than 20 Heads of State/Government Berlin  Summit for the 20th Anniversary since the fall of the Wall which divided the German Capital as the "Green Line" still divides Nicosia, where, in addition to Merkel, French President Sarkozy, British Prime Minister Brown, Cyprus' President Christofias, Greece's PM G. Papandreou, etc., were also present US State Secretary Clinton and Russian President Medvedev.

   The time has come now, on "December 2009", to do "exactly" what Chancellor Merkel had said, since 2005, (in her reply to "EuroFora"s question on Turkey, with the principle that "Pacta sund servanda" : i.e. that what has been agreed, must be kept also in practice), stressed Schockenhof : 

    - "Concerning EU's Enlargment, we (Germany) have to insist that, .. when we design Agreements, we have to fullfil them".

    - "The Turkish State is obliged to fullfil all the principles of the Ankara Protocol (in extension of EU - Turkey's Customs Union, which prohibits discrimination among all EU Member States' related Ships and Airplanes' Freedom of trade), but they didn't deliver, since more than 4 Years".

    Therefore, "we (EU) have to be very Frank and very Open : It's part of European Values to respond to mutual obligations", he stressed

    - "In 2006, certain Chapters of EU Negotiations with Turkey were frozen, with the anouncement that we would reconsider" the situation "on this December" 2009.

    - "So, this has to be done in the meeting for EU Foreign Ministers in December" 7, at Luxembourg, "and my (Governing) ChristianDemocratic Group is expecting them to say very bluntly that the agreed obligations have to be responded to".
-----------------------------------------
    Schockenhoff was asked by "EuroFora" to build upon his earlier statement at the Bundestag that Turkey's controversial EU bid seems running  "soon" "towards a Deadlock".

    He warned MPs to act timely and strongly, by "expressing our views with Determination during the negotiations", "if we don't want to return again" to "the bad experience  that we recently had with the premature accessions of Bulgaria and Rumania" :  "This is a clear admonition that we must make ourselves, ....  an Exact Picture over the state of the preparation of the candidate, and formulate, on that basis, our expectations at the negotiation process" If it's not done "before the start of the negotiation process", then,  "we must especially, ... express our position with determination ... during the negotiation process".    

 - "In that context", Schokenhof was "grateful to the Foreign Minister (Westerwelle) for not conceding to the "pressure exerted by the Swedish EU Presidency".  but, on the contrary, to "to work further on a carefully formulated (EU) stance".

    This applies not only to Iceland''s and FYROM's candidatures, on which Oli Rehn wanted to decide at the (EU Council ) "meeting of December 7", but especially "on Turkey" :

    If "it's true" that "the negotiations (had) started", back on 2005, "with the goal of accession", it's also certain that "they are Open-ended", i.e. could result into another alternative, (fex. a privileged partnership, etc), he observed. 

    - Indeed,  "already, they run possibly at a Dead point", which may come "soon", Schockenhof anounced.

- The fact that "negotiations do not make headway", raises Questions : - "Does Turkey really wants to get into the EU?"  he wandered., observing, in particular, Turkey's persisting failure to meet its commitments on Cyprus :

- "I must clearly stress that, for (the Governing German party) CDU/CSU expects that (EU) Foreign Ministers take a Decision on the 7th of November, ,that contains the clear political message, that, when EU says: Commitments must be kept" ("Pacta sund servanda"), it seriously means it", he concluded, strongly applauded.

But, the fact "that Turkey has refused for more than 3 Years to apply Ankara Protocol, as EU Commission assessed recently in its 3rd progress Report, does NOT speak for the will, to accept EU Rules and Values", he denounced.

- ""The EU Foreign Ministers", after already "frozing 8 Chapters, on the 11th of December 2006", "planned a new Decision for the coming December (2009)", "should Turkey always not apply the Ankara Protocol",  he reminded. But, "this is not recognizably the case", he critically observed. "That's why" action must be taken now, Schockienhof concluded, attracting widespread applaudissments of many MPs.

- At the same time, "when the Turkish Prime Minister calls the Iranian president Ahmadinedschad a friend in public, although he denies the Holocaust", or agrees on Sudanese President's claim that a Muslim would never commit Genocide, this already shows a lack of understanding of European Values", he added.
------------------
    The new German Government-related move at Berlin's Bundestag timely comes just a day after the Heads of State/Govenrment Berlin's Summit on the 20th Anniverasry of the Wall's fall, where Italian Prime Minister Berlusconi met Chancellor Merkel, and shortly before EU Parliament is due to debate and vote on Political Committee's President, Italian ChristianDemocrat MEP Gabriele Albertini's 2009 Report on Turkey's acts to comply with EU standards later this month in Strasbourg.

    It's a surprising, but significant Fact, that, among more than 600 MPs from various political parties, nobody contested Schockenhof's critical observations on Turkey's failure to comply.

Only one "Green" MP, Dr. Frithjof Schmidt, merely tried to throw a part of the responsibility upon he growing opposition inside the EU against Turkey's controversial EU bid :  - "One should consider whether the (negative) developments in Turkey don't have to do also somewhat with that there the perception prevails, it would become EU joins given Turkey, with regard, among other things, to this new Government's refusal"', he claimed.

Obviously,  Dr Schmidt ...forgot that Merkel's "new government" dates only from 10/2009, and not from 2005, while Turkey's refusal to stop discriminating vis a vis Cyprus-related airplanes and ships continues for almost 5 Years (2005-2009).

  Meanwhile, Diplomatic sources  from the French Presidential Palace "Elysee", speaking to "EuroFora" observed that "some people think that Germany might have somehow changed its position on Turkey", since Merkel was notoriously opposed to Ankara's controversial EU bid, even if this remains to be seen in real practice.     

But they agreed with the "fact" that, as "EuroFora" observed, in the new coalition's compromise Program, that Merkel passed with the Liberals,  the Focus is now put on Turkey's failure to respect EU Conditions, pointing at any EU candidate's duty to "fully implement all its commitments", (as Liberals had already themselves stressed at the eve of September 2009 German Elections).   

And that, in this regard, (contrary to the previous compromise with the Socialists), now, the new, Christian-Liberal Program does NOT claim that Negotiations with Turkey should "continue" whatever happens, leaving, therefore, a possibility for EU - Turkey negotiations to be suspended, freezed or stopped.

    Even front-runner candidate Croatia had its EU negotiations recently "freezed" over a simple bi-lateral issue with EU Member Country Slovenia, and talks re-commenced only after an interim agreement between the two countries. (See relevant "EuroFora"'s Publications with statements that gave us both the Croatian and the Slovenian Presidents, Mesic and Tuerk).
---------------------------
+ Westerwelle's promisses to "play collectively" in the EU, and "respect Small/Medium EU Countries".
--------------------------------
     All this obviously opens interesting possibilities for timely coordination between all EU Member States' concerned, inclujding Small/Medium EU Countries as Cyprus or Greece, etc., and Germany, before the December 7 EU Foreign Ministers' meeting at nearby Luxembourg, for the preparation of the December 10 and 11 EU Council.

     It also fits well with New German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle's official anouncement, earlier this week at the Bundestag, of his will to "link" Germany's policy "into the European politics" :  - "We want Joint actions.. No "Solo"", he stressed.

    Moreover, "Europe is not only a concert of the Big countries", Westerwelle stressed.  "In Europe, there are No "Small" countries.  ... "Respect before all EU Members States, big or "small" : that should become our style" in diplomacy.

    And he cited as a first example his intention to "visit" not only France, but also Luxembourg, etc.

    - "Now that Lisbon Treaty is applicable, that means that the influence of Germany is more important than before, because we have Majority voting (and not Unanimity between the 27 EU Member States, contrary to the Past), and that means that we have even more Responsibilities for the Small and Medium-sized States, because this concerns Europe", Schokenhoff explained afterwards to "EuroFora".

    - "This was a Principle for the previous Christian-Liberal Government with Kohl and Genscher : whenever we back the interests of Small and Medium EU Member Countries, it's in our interest. So, we don't want to have any predominance of the so-called "Big" EU States. Our Neighbours, the Small and Medium EU Member Countries have equal contributions to European integration".

    - "That's why I congratulated the New (German) Foreign Minister", Guido Westerwelle, "who visited Poland and the Benelux States. This was Symbol for a New Orientation of this new Govenment, compared to the former Foreign Minister", Socialist Steinmeier, he concluded.

    Westerwelle's promises and Schockenhoff's statements at the Bundestag were both made in the presence of Chancellor Merkel.

***

 - A PanEuropean Security deal could be decided "before the end of 2010" by an OSCE Summit, said to "EuroFora" well informed sources from French President Sarkozy's entourage, after he met in Berlin with Russian President Medvedev.

    Sarkozy, since he was EU Chairman, had initially proposed, in agreement with German Chancellor Merkel, the organization of an OSCE Summit to discuss a PanEuropean Security deal, in exchange of Russian President Medvedev's promise to stop moves to deploy Nuclear Missiles at Kaliningrad, in reaction to US plans for an anti-Nuclear "Shield" in Europe, when they had met at Nice, on November 2008, before the G-20 Washington Summit.     

A first opportunity for the Franco-German leaders to discuss that with new US President Obama was given at NATO's Summit in Strasbourg, April 2009. Shortly afterwards, OSCE Ministerial meeting at Corfu decided to start a preparatory work to explore concrete possibilities in this direction since July 2009.    

Obviously, Berlin' s 9 November 2009 Summit, topically held just after the ratification of EU's Lisbon Treaty which created 2 Top EU jobs to fill, and at the eve of crucial OSCE and other International political meetings on PanEuropean Security issues on December 2009, didn't only serve Symbolic purposes.    

At the same time,  US - Russia Nuclear Disarmament agreement START (signed in 1991) expires at the end of  2009, inciting new US President Obama and Medvedev (who are due to meet in Asia in a few days) to re-negociate a new agreement soon.

  

 
    Symbolically, during all the public part of Berlin's Summit, European Heads of State and Government continuously faced a heavy ...Rain, which obliged them to walk and speak to the People under huge ..Ombrellas, inevitably reminding the Nuclear protection issue...

  Astonishingly, the rain started to stop only when a fake "Wall of Dominos" was pushed down by EU Parliament's President Buzek, EU Commission's Presidents Buzek and Barroso, as well as Lech Walesa and Michail Gorbarchow, saluted by a Fireworks' spectacle at the Brandenbourg Gate, followed by a long diner among Heads of State/Government, hosted by German Chancellor Merkel, at last free to discuss unoficially but topically all "hot" issues...

 

    Medvedev's expert, Sergei Prikhodko, reportedly confirmed to Russian Press Agency "Itar-Tass" that Berlin visit was "in line with" efforts to prepare a "New panEuropean Security Treaty".

    As for Foreign Minister Lavrov, he confirmed Russia’s interest in making a new European Security Treaty legally binding for everyone : - “We will promote our proposal, including within the Russia-NATO Council meetings  due to take place in the beginning of December,” he reportedly said.
-----------------
    Even if US President Obama was physically absent during Berlin's Heads of State/Government contacts, (except from a last-minute, surprising Video-message at Brandenbourg gate), USA's State Secretary Hilary Clinton was 1st among all Foreign Politicians guests to arrive in Berlin, for the longer stay of all, starting as early as since Sunday afternoon, (even before EU Parliament's President Buzek).

    - "Security" figured as No 1 among the "issues" "about" which new German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, "talked in detail" with Clinton, as he stressed in a brief Press Conference at the German Foreign Ministry.  But they didn't reveal in public anything about Nuclear Arms and European Security related to East-West and US - Russia matters, focusing, instead, on a few Press Questions only about Iran and Afghanistan.

    However, Clinton also met in Berlin with the OSCE Chairman-in-office, new Greek Prime Minister Georges Papandreou, who currently prepares a crucial OSCE Ministerial Summit at the beginning of December in Athens.
    ------------------------------------------

    Precisely, the December 1 and 2 OSCE Ministerial meeting in Greece was indicated by French President Sarkozy's sources to "EuroFora" as a possible date for decisions on the main issue.

    The move could create "a common space for Security and Cooperation between the US, EU and Russia," according to the French Presideny's sources. (Or, as Medvedev reportedly said : a kind of "Forum" to discuss Security issues, "“both by NATO member states and European countries that are not NATO members”. “Otherwise, non-NATO states will not feel quite comfortable anyway").

    Experienced Diplomatic Observers, pointed out to "EuroFora" that "now seems to be the right Timing, because no NATO Enlargement is planned for the moment", so that Western countries don't suspect any Russian attempt to stop an eventual NATO's extension in the following months, and this simplifies things.

    The issue is of outmost importance and interest for the European and International Policy of the new German Government, revealed to "EuroFora" Merkel's Governing party, CDU/CSU's vice-President in charge of Foreign Policy, experienced long-time Chairman of the Franco-German Group of MPs, Andreas Schockenhoff, in the framework of a larger, exclusive Interview at the Bundestag, the German Parliament, which started to debate the policy of the New Government, a day after Berlin's Summit :
    - "The 2 pilars of German Foreign Policy are European Integration and Trans-Atlantic cooperation", he stressed from the outset.

    - "On Disarmament Policy, we (Germany) are Ready to withdraw all Nuclear items which are still stocked on German soil", Schockenhoff declared.

    - "But not Unilaterally, but within an International Disarmament Agreement, and within the "New Strategic Concept" of NATO", he added.

    - "So : Clear confirmation for Disarmament, but not as Unilateral National  step, but imbedded in NATO's New Strategic Concept, and imbedded in International Disarmament Agreements",  the CDU/CSU Bundestag Spokesman on Foreign Policy resumed.

    Earlier at the Bundestag, as CDU/CSU Foreign Policy speaker (with the longest intervention of all : 23 minutes !), Schockenhoff said that his "CDU/CSU Parliamentary Group strongly supports American President Obama's vision to create, step by step a World free of Nuclear Weapons".  

    - "This fully corresponds to our tradition : Helmut Kohl and Hans Dietrich Genscher had begun in 1982 with the goal to "Create Peace with always Less Weapons".  In his Government's time Europe was largely freed of Medium and Short-range Weapons".

    - "Now we want to continue this Process, and at the same time also dismantle the Nuclear Weapons remaining in Germany, in close concertation with our Allies and in the framework of Disarmament Agreements".   

 - "During this legislative period (2009-2014), ..we will press for Arms' reduction and Disarmament. Because we must prevent.. New Rearmament Dynamics to emerge", he warned.

However, on the OSCE side, the matter is delicate, since "an OSCE Summit needs the agreement of all 56 Members States", and always necessitates very "careful preparations", while it still remains to be seen how the forthcoming Kazahkstan's OSCE Presidency might present officially its wish to host a Summit on 2010, said afterwards to "EuroFora" OSCE's Spokesman, Martin Nesinsky.   

 - "Since Summer 2009, OSCE Ambassadors are regularly working on the "Corfu process", (from the name of the island where the current Greek Presidency's hosted the latest OSCE Top Political meeting), which examines all Security issues which might be covered by a future OSCE agreemennt : Not only Political and Military, but also related to Democracy and Human Rights, Technology, Environment, Health, Eco-social matters, etc. It will depend on Foreign Ministers, meeting on December in Athens, to check the work done, and eventually debate, finalize and decide. But it's hard to guess now what may happen then", OSCE's spokesman added to "EuroFora".

    There has been No OSCE Summit since the last one, held in 1999 at Istanbul, and that's why some Member Countries say that time has come now to hold a new one, while other Member Countries, without denying this fact, say that it would be premature to organize a Summit if something substantial is not ready for Heads of State/Government to debate and decide, Nesinsky concluded.

    To help prepare OSCE Ministers' "muscles" for such a "heavy" diplomatic exploit,  the 2009 Greek OSCE Presidency symbolically prepared the forthcoming December 1 and 2 OSCE Ministerial meeting at the former ...Olympic athletic games' area, which hosts not only performant Media Broadcasting facilities, but also an International Athletics' Museum...

Will 2009 OSCE Foreign Ministers be performant enough to break a diplomatic record, on panEuropean and trans-Atlantic Security ?
 

He spoke on the sidelines of the Berlin Summit with more than 20 Heads of State/Government, including French President Sarkozy, Russian President Medvedev, USA's Secretary of State Hilary Clinton, etc., for the "Freedom Feast" organized 20 Years after the fall of the "Cold War"s Division Wall, which opened the way for Germany's and Europe's reUnification (1989 - 2009).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       
    So, "I think that we are going (fex.) to see a Foreign Policy that is very much involved in matters that are on the table, as, absolutely, yes, Freedom" and Human Rights, he agreed with "EuroFora". - "The question is..: - "Do we have a kind of Foreign Policy that enables other People to be as Free as we are now ?"
--------------------------
    Merkel's personality came naturally at the focus of the European geopolitical scene, particularly since she succeeded to win both 2009 Elections at EU Parliament and at the Bundestag, becoming for the 1st time the unquestionable Head of a coalition between Christian and Liberal MPs strongly led by her party CDU/SCU, with "a new government" and a "new program" for the next 5 years period 2009-2014, largely free to apply her own political choices. Contrary to the past 4 years (2005-2009) during which she had to handle a delicate balance in a mutually sterilizing 50 - 50% cohabitation with the Socialdemocrat party, now fallen in an abysmal electoral low.

     5 successive Berlin events, in which German Chancellor Angie Merkel chose to take an active part before, during and after the Heads of State/Government Summit, throughout Sunday 8, Monday 9 and Tueday 10 of November, with their various, original but converging main contents, indicated that Haibach was probably right :

    Each one of these events highlighted, one after another, several characteristics embodied by historic events in Merkel's personal background, closely interwoven with Germany's and Europe's History, present and Future Challenges : Resumed in a few words, it's Press, Politics, Religion, Science and People

    Merkel kicked-off the series of events around Berlin's Summit since Sunday eveneing by responding to a "private" invitation at a gathering organized by Civil Society organizations at the other side of Berlin, in Villa Schoeningen, facing the Glienicke Bridge, which was the Western "Charlie point" during Germany's Cold War division. "EuroFora" remembers that it's close to this area, at the nearby Historic Glienicke Castle, that Merkel had welcomed the 1st Franco-German Summit shortly after she initially became Chancellor, on December 2005.

    Bought in 2007 by Media Publisher Axel Springer's CEO, in charge of Newspaper "Die Welt", Mathias Döpfner, and a Banker, Villa Shoeningen inaugurated on November 8, 2009, a "Freedom Museum", reminding how Germany overcame both the anti-Jewish "progrom" and the Cold War Division, as he observed, amidst several Media People :  Merkel herself, a former Press-Spokeswoman of former Chancellor Kohl, Polish Foreign Minister Sikorsky and Mathias Döpfner himself, both former Journalists, Telekom-Chief René Obermann, TV-Moderators Maybrit Illner and Günther Jauch , Mrs Friede Springer, Magazine BILD-Chief Editor Kai Diekmann, Song-writer Wolf Biermann, etc.

    - The Art of speaking about real History "needs Fredom", stressed Merkel, and, "as Greek Statesman Perikles said : "The secret of Freedom is in the Courage". That fits well what we are speaking about today, i.e. Citizens' courage to revolt against dictatorships and speek free, as "guaranteed by Democracy". But the courage to fight for Freedom is  also needed today, in what we do in politics, in order to act to ensure that human dignity is not humiliated at our neighborhood, or to jointly act in the European Union all together, beyond narrow nationalistic interests.

       Shortly afterwards, that same Sunday evening, Merkel joined the Political quarter, at down-town Berlin, with EU Parliament's President Jerzy Buzek, Bundestag's President Dr. Norbert Lammert, the head of Germany's delegation to EU Parliament, Hans Gert Poettering, Ministers Jung and Westerwelle, etc., as well as many Ambassadors from European and allied countries, from Belgium or Greece up to Canada, etc., as well as Politicians, MPs and European Journalists, at a Music Concert organized by the German Parliament for the 20th Anniversary of Berlin Wall's fall in  the huge transparent modern building of Paul Löbe House, at the riverside.

    Bethoven's "Heroic" symphony, played by the Central Germany's Radio Orchestra, was dedicated by Bundestag's President, Dr. Lammert, to today's Civic rights Movements and Human Rights Defenders.

    In particular, "Shoot to kill" policy, murdering simple, innocent People just because they attempted to cross or simply walk along a Dividing Line cutting through a Capital City and separating its inhabitants in 2 parts, was strongly denounced now in Berlin, as it was last week in Strasbourg by ECHR on Cyprus' cases : (See previous "EuroFora" publication on ECHR's judgements)

    - "It is with profound Respect that we welcome tonight among us the Mother of the last man shot and killed at Berlin's dividing Wall", announced the President of Germany's Parliament, Norbert Lammert.

    He reminded that the last tragic killing at Berlin's Wall took place  "on February 1989", while ECHR noted that deadly shootings at Cyprus' "Attila Line" took place "in 1996".

    The move came just a week after ECHR strongly condemned Turkey for the persisting (until today : 2009) total Impunity of Turkish Soldiers,who killed unarmed youngster Stelios Panayi, aged only 19, while  walking in broad daylight towards his Turkish Cypriot compatriots calling them "Brothers", and gravely wounded peaceful old Woman Georgia Andreou, aged 60, while she was simply watching the bloody killing of unarmed demonstrator Solomos Solomou at the "Green Line". Andreou, after suffering for years from physical and moral traumas, died before ECHR's judgement.

"    As Bundestag's President stressed from the outset, at a meeting with EU Parliament's President, Buzek, speaking in front of Journalists present in Berlin including "EuroFora" :  -- "Now, we have to look at other, remaining walls" in Europe and elsewhere in the World.

    Symbolically, the European Political gathering at the Bundestag took place in front of a Giant Painting, by Karl Götz, called "Junction", and inspired by the "Emotion" and "Dynamism" of the Wall's fall, which opened the way for Berlin's Citizens to be reunited together.

    But new German Foreign Minister, Guido Westerwelle, was not yet sure, and simply smiled, without refusing "EuroFora"s suggestion to participate to CoE's Ministerial Session, next week in Strasbourg, during which Slovenia will pass the Presidency of the PanEuropean Organization of Human Rights, to Switzerland.   

    Monday morning, the day of Berlin's Summit : 9 November 2009 started for a brightly smiling Merkel, together with Germany's President Horst Köehler, at an Ecumenic Christian Religious ceremony at the Historic Gethsemane Church, which had played an important role for Germany's reUnification, as meeting point for demonstrations, forum and/or refuge of Political Dissidents, who had launched calls for "Democracy" and "to bring down the Wall".

    Uniting together Christian Protestant, Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelic and Anglican priests, in a 2 level building full of People, the Ecumenic Religious Ceremony played Bach, Mendelsohn and Muschel, sang religious songs, and heard a few symbolic words by each confession's representative, before concluding with a speech read by ArchiBishop Robert Zollitsch, President of the German Conference of Bishops, all placed under the moto  : - "With my God, I climb over Walls", (Ps 18,30).

    ArchiBishop Zollitsch reminded that the "Peaceful Revolution" of 1989, using the "Strength and Energy of Mass Demonstrations", helped bring a "bloodless" reUnification of Germany, based on late Pope John-Paul II's moto "for a Change through Truth", as he said. Even if "Freedom is a God's gift", "reUnification has many Fathers and Mothers : They are simple People who never stood before at the Limelights of a Public space", he observed.

    - "The gifts of Freedom and reUnification given to German People, must stimulate among us a Solidarity with People and Nations who have still to live without Freedom.  The Wall's fall, enlarging Germany, awakened in us a task vis a vis others : To contribute for a Europe which really serves the mutual understanding between Peoples and States", added ArchiBishop Zollitsch, speaking in front of Kohler and Merkel. He concluded by warning that there is a "topical" need to overcome also other, "potential Walls, which exist everywhere, even today", since "Unity is not an one-way road", but needs People able and willing to "build more Bridges".

    Swift change of ambiance with "Einstein Foundation"'s conference on "Future Breakthroughs in Science and Society", nick-named "Falling-Walls", which raised the question "Which are the Next Walls to Fall ?".

    Spreading from "Infant Development", "Man and Machine", "Human Mind", "unequaly distributed Diseases" and "expensive Vaccines", to "the secrets of our Origins", "Fossil Age", "Ancient Greece", and "Timing of our History",  up to "the hidden Universe", "Quantum Weirdness", "limited Resources", "Energy and Pollution", and "Fusion", as well as into "breaking the wall of Poverty", "Finance", and "2 Cultures", without forgetting "Research Funding", a Franco-German cooperation had prepared a large European menu.

    Merkel's speech to Einstein foundation's Berlin Conference was included in the Chapter : "Walls around our Lives", and titled : "Breaking the Walls of the 21st Century" :

    - "My Life was changed decisively by the strong impact of the Fall of (Belin's) Wall, November 9 (1989), in East Berlin", she stressed from the outset.  - "I was at Bornholmer street, a Scientist in Physics, at the Academy of Sciences' Institute for Physical Chemistry. But I didn't go back there that Night. On the contrary, I prolonged by first stay to West Berlin until next Morning.

    - However, "Science and  Development have as always a very high value in my Political work", the German Chancellor added, just 1 Day before presenting at the Bundestag the New Government's Program, which focuses on "Education, Research and Innovation".

    - "The 9th of November 1989 is a symbolically significant day in German History", "the fulfillment of a dream", to which "many co-operated" : It "would not have been possible without the courage of People living in the former GDR", even if "they had decided (that) the system had to be changed from within".

    It was preceded by events in Poland, also on June 1989, after Czechoslovakia paved the way since 1968, up to Romania, at the end. .. If Heads of State/Government from almost all EU Member Countries will be here, in Berlin, tonight, this shows that what we experiencedf at first at Bornholmer street and afterwards at the Brandenbourg gate, was "a European event", stressed Merkel.

Because "it was also the Breakdown of a bi-polar World, where Democracy and Market Economy won over oppression and Planified Economy", she said, adding interesting observations on the role of Science in Politial developments of the 1980ies :

    - "Science had a larger share on events, than before. People had more courage. Back in the 1950ies, 1960ies, and later-on, several uprisings had been crushed. But now, prosperity was due much more to Scientific Innovations than in the Past. Data processing, and International Networks, allowed fast and multiple exchanges of Informations, more difficult to spy than simply open and look at every written Letter.. Connect to Innovations became essential, making harder for the Eastern bloc to be competitive. And the system could no more say to that People : "Please think between 7.30 until 17.30 o'clock. But stop thinking afterwards !", she observed.
   
    So, there were 2 differend groups of People who played a role : A) Those who were good Scientists, and B) those who were able to think very well. For them, Freedom of Thought matched Economic Performance.

    Thus, we got Democracy in Central-Eastern Europe, united with the West, before Rome EU Treaty's 50th Anniversary, creating a Community of 27 Member States, where everyone is equally important, and therefore one must convince also everyone.

    - "But the World has 6,5 Billions inhabitants. At the beginning of the 20th century, 1 out of 4 persons lived in Europe, But at the end of the 21st century, only 1 out of 13 persons will be a European. As for Germans, it's better not to speak at all..

    - "That's why, if we want to prevail, as Europeans, we must produce interesting Ideas, and cooperate well to develop them, at least as a Group of 500 Million persons, both on Science and Politics. Nobody can achieve much today by playing "solo"", Merkel stressed.

    But we have also to contribute for the Problems of his World to be better solved, she added. -"We witnessed that what was thought to be impossible, became possible. This gives us energy to say : Let's try. Be it for the Middle East Peace process, or the fight against Terrorism, .. in other also areas of the World. But we must adopt an entirely New approach. Because, f.ex., after the Cold War, in front of the so-called "asymmetrical threats", as "Terrorism", etc., the simple principle of Deterrence doesn't work.

    And in order to live together in Europe in Friendship, we need Tolerance, which lacked in the Past, and still is sometime difficult to achieve, but necessary inside the EU. That requires to understand the feelings, historic experiences and culture of others, in order to find joint perspectives into the Future".

    F.ex. "I understand Czech President Klaus' demand for an opt-out in Lisbon Treaty, similar to what Poland and the UK have got. But when Cyprus' President Christofias tells us that he has there some problems with the issue of (Refugees') Properties" in the Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus," then, we realize immediately that we don't know well the facts on what are the (Refugees') Properties issues" there, "and how to qualify the Turkish interventions", she questioned.

    From Cyprus' example, as also from Africa's, Merkel concluded that "if you want to solve today a problem and tear down a wall, you have to study intensively also other parts of the World", because often, "it's part of larger walls, that we have to overcome in the Global World". For that purpose, "we have to examine the issues in depth, in order to be able to perform a contribution in Peace processes", and "we must know more about the World".

    In fact, living peacefully together is possible only with a Multi-Polar and Multi-level Global Order :  - "We don't like all what is said in Brussels. But we have transfered voluntarily many competences to the EU : F.ex. There is no more German policy on Agriculture, and a uniform EU Environment policy develops in several areas, while we augment the so-called "Community"  areas.

    However, our American friends react more heavily at the IMF or UNO. The US has a "VETO" in the UNO, but bend a Majority's decisions is not practical. In the EU we did that on Foreign and Tax Policies. But in many other areas, we have to live sometimes with others' decisions.

    An "exciting" question today, is if States are ready to tranfert competences to Multi-lateral Organisations, as f.ex. to the World Trade Organization, etc. But, currently, there are only a few examples of that, while, soon, at Copenhagen, we shal strive to "do jointly something against Climate change". Such problems "can be solved only by acting jointly, at a Global level". It's necessary for the EU and the US to cooperate, but not enough in such cases. F.ex. if Russia doesn't joint. And we need also China, India Brazil, etc.

    - "We should take Globalization as a chance, and courageously start to tackle the multitude of conflicts standing in front of us". "This requires new forms of thinking", and could keep us busy during the next years", Merkel anounced.

  

    - "We are the People", was the key-word for Merkel at the Bornholme street Bridge event, where she had witnessed Berlin's wall starting to fall, to "see what changed, a "November afternoon, 20 Years later".
   
    Every witness has to give his testimony on how he contributed to the road towards freedom, she added, complaining that "so many photographers and photographic machines, sometimes don''t let us see at all the People, that we'd like to see"...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

    - "I'ts a special joy to welcome here Lech Walesa, because he came out of the Working Class, and took suddenly Poland in his hands, together with many Intellectuals", she said.

    Popular Song-writer Wolf Bierman, was another adequate reference, there, reminding "those who, on the contrary, couldn't leave" East Germany and were obliged to "remain under the most adverse conditions".

    She also thanked former Russian President Michail Gorbatschow, for "helping to make change possible".

    - "Meanwhile, children who were just born then, have now finished school, ..and become a new generation, imbedded into the EU.

    "Today, it's not only a holiday not only for Germany, but for all Europe, and all People who desire more Freedom in many parts of the World", Merkel concluded.

-------------------------------------
Only one question mark
--------------------------------------
    However, any objective observer cannot miss to note the paradox, that, meanwhile, when Merkel kicked-off the series of events around Berlin's Summit by responding to a "private" invitation near Potsdam, European Media representatives were absent in that event, except from a Tabloid-owner from the UK, and ..a Turkish Nationalist Media owner !

    Indeed, it was, curiously, only a Turkish Media owner who was invited there, while nobody from 25 European Union Member Countries' Media leaders wasn't cited in the list of "Guests" !  Nobody from France, Italy, Spain, Poland, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Denmark, Greece, Austria, Portugal, Sweden,  Finland, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Esthonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Slovenia, Malta, Cyprus, Bulgaria, Romania. Not even European Economic Space's Switzerland, Lichtenstein, Iceland or Norway, nor the front-runner EU candidate : Croatia, or other Western Balkan Countries, etc. Neither from big neighbouring States as Ukraine, Russia, etc..

The only Foreign Media Publisher invited as "guest" (except from a UK Tabloid-owner), was someone from Turkey, who inherited the controversial business of a Nationalist Turkish Media mogul : Mrs Yalcindag, the daughter of Dogan, (who notoriously quarrels with Prime Minister Erdogan against shy steps towards Democratisation and tax-evasion), also Chief of Turkey's businessmen Tusiad (since 2007, the year Villa Schoeningen was sold).

Together with this exceptionaly privileged Turkish Media owner was his USA collaborator in the funding of "CNN-Turk" back in 2000, Jeffrey Bewkes of Time Warner :  The company recently headquarted at NY's Colombus circus' new Twin Towers, built by a Turkish architect, (which had already been prepared to succeed, as new office space in Manhattan, to NY's World Trade Center old Twin-Towers, before they were destroyed at the September 11, 2001 brutal deadly attacks).

Honestly : Is it possible to dream to build a European Media landscape by excluding practically all Media representatives from 26 EU Member Countries and imposing only Turkey ?

Moreover, this exclusive privilege, was given only to a Turkish Media which has a deal with a ... competitor to Axel Springer Media, (the owner of Villa Shoeningen since 2007), Burda : The editor of "Focus", which competes against "Bild" and "Welt" of Springer Group, that Friede Springer, (the wife of its founder, Axel Springer, and a supporter of Mathias Dopfner as CEO), has notoriously struggled to make completely independent from Burda.

Fortunately, Merkel didn't stay there more than "45 minutes", according to well informed sources, and came to join Bundestag's and EU Parliament's poliical guests, including Journalists as "EuroFora", at Paul Löbe House, for a change of scenery with Bethoven's "Heroic" symphony..