newsitems

 

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Modern Digital Technologies and EU's Single Market are Able to Ensure, at the Same Time, Both Better Citizens' Access, and Fair Remuneration to Authors, for the Preservation and Promotion of the European Heritage, replied, in Substance, the competent Vice-President of the European Commission, Andrus Ansip^, to an "Eurofora"'s relevant Query.

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   Raising 2 relevant Questions on the Sidelines of an EU/CoE Conference about Digital Data Protection, organized by the PanEuropean AudioVisual Observatory of the CoE, with the Participation of vice-President Ansip, s Key-note Peaker, "Eurofora", Started by Reminding the Fact that the current President of EU Commission, former Long-Time Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, had Drafted a Landmark Report on the Future of EU - CoE Cooperation, in a New Architecture of Europe, after being Invited to do so by the Heads of State/Government of the 47 Member Countries of the CoE, at their 2005 Summit in Varsaw, Poland.

 

    - In this regard, By a Coincidence, this Same Day, in CoE's Committee of Ministers, was Anounced, (by the Incoming Cyprus' CoE Presidency for November 2016 - May 2017) a Project about the Legal Protection of Cultural Heritage, spreading up to Next year (2017), and, since Digital Technologies, Both from the point of view of Copyright, and from that of Common Market, are very Important, in order to Protect and Promote the Cultural Heritage, could yu kindly tell us what would be your ideas on How to Build the Horizon of this Junction between Cultural Heritage, Digital Technologies, and Copyright ?"

    - "Don't you think, in this regard, that Europe has a great Potential in this area, which sould be Both Protected and Promoted ?", "Eurofora" asked Ansip.

    - "Thank you for this substantial, but wide Question", reacted Positively with a Smile, EU Commission's vice President, who had Earlier taken himself the Initiative to Evoke also Culture. 

- "I think that the whole Idea of the Digital Single Market is meant (also in order) to Protect our (EU's) Cultural Heritage, and to Improve Access to those MasterPieces created by our Artists, and I Hope Everyone will realize that", he stressed from the outset, practicaly Agreeing with "Eurofora"s main observation, (See Above).

    - "As you know, our (EU's) Aim is to provide Better Access to Digital Contents for our Citizens, and, at the Same Time, our Aim is also to provide Fair Remuneration to our Authors", Andrus Ansip^pointed out, as a matter of General Principle. Indeed, - "I canNot see a Contradiction between those 2 Aims", he acknowledged.

    - "Last May, we (EU) Launched a Digital Single Market Strategy, while on December we presented Priority Proposals, and, one of the very First was about the portability of the Content. Today, 20% of European Citizens are Spending at least 10 Days each Year in anOther (EU) Country. And Many of those Travelling somewhere in other EU Countries would like to get Legally Access to their Digital Content. But, because of Copyright Restrictions, they canNot", he Denounced.

    - However, "for some Other People, that's Not a big Problem" : F.ex., for them "VPN is Available"... "So, 20% of Internet Users in the EU are used to Pay in order to get thus Access to Digital Content, and, since it's not free of charge, they just Pay 6 or 10 € for one of 2 Month, 20 € for 3 Months, etc., without even thinking that they are doing something in the Wrong Way. But, there is a Problem : Authors are Not Remunerated", he observed.

    - And "68% of interviewed EU Citizens said that they are using so-called "Free Goggles". "But, once again, there is a Problem : Authors are Not Remunerated". "So, somehow, as I said many times, with our (EU's) Regulations, we are Pushing People to those so-called "Free Goggles", he Warned.

    >>> - In fact, "We (EU), have to Tackle Piracy, but, First, we have also to Provide Legal Access to Digital Content for our People !" the Competent EU Commission's vice-President Urged.

    - "So, concerning the Portability of Content :" Of course, "we (EU) will Protect the Principle of Territoriality, But, for me, it's Difficult to Understand when People are Asking for Absolute for Territorial Exclusivity", Ansip Denounced.

    - Indeed, "Is there absolute Territorial Exclusivity, when, already, at least 20% of EU Citizens use VPN, while 68% use Free Goggles ?", he critically wondered. "My Understanding about Absolute Exclusivity is Differend : Absolute Exclusivity can be either Zero %, or 100%, but this kind of Exclusivity is very Relative"...

----------------------

    + "Our (EU Commission's) 2nd Reform Package is also about Cultural Heritage" indeed, vice-President Ansip observed, pointing Closer to "Eurofora"'s original Question, (See Above).

     - We proposed also a special regulation for Preservation purposes by Cultural Heritage Institutions : F.ex., concerning Museums, or Archives, etc, Change from one Carrier to anOther, (f.ex. DSHL to Fiber, or to DVD, etc) may be a Big Challenge and have a High Level of Administrative Costs", he  observed.

    => - "We (EU) Want to Cut those Administrative Costs, and Provide Access for People to all those Masterpieces Created by Artists", he stressed.

     >>> Because "Cultural Heritage is a Great Value", EU Commission's vice-President underlined.

     - "But it will be Much Better when this woN't be Blocked in Archives or Museums, so that People will have Access to Cultural Heritage !", Ansip pointed out, as a matter of Principle.

    + "So we (EU Commission) proposed also to Extend  the uses of Cultural Origin principle", as well as "of Collective Licensing", to "at least Double the Volume of" (relevant Digital) "Content which will Cross Borders for Access by our Citizens", etc., he added.

    => "I think that Everybody will Benefit, if we (EU) are Anle to Reach those Aims" : i.e. "Both Creators, and our (EU's) Citizens", the Competent EU Commissioner, optimisticaly observed, pointing at the Heart of the Matter.

     + Moreover, "a Lot of Other Proposals were made, so that Cultural Heritage can also ensure a Fair Remuneration of our Authors", since, "if they are Not Remunerated, then, Nobody will Provide", preserve and present "no more such real Masterpieces", he went on to add.

     - Nevertheless, Many among them, "f.ex. Musicians, are Unhappy. They say that they are Not fairly Remunerated", etc. "They are Complaining about Platforms for Distribution".

 
    - But, "there are very Differend Platforms" : F.ex., "Platforms based on Subscription, where there are 68 Millions of Users per Month, Contributing for about 2 Bilions € to Musicians".

    - "At the same time, there are some Other Platfroms, supported by Advertizing, and they have 1 Billion Users per Month, but they are Contributing just 643 Millions € to Musicians, who, of course, are UnHappy...

    - "So : 68 Millions of Users = 2 Billions €", in the First Case.  But "1 Billion Users = just 0,6 Billion €", he noted.

    Therefore, "we (EU) tried to make it more Clear : When Platforms are Selling many Value-Added Products, but withOut Remuneration, f.ex. by Advertizing, they say that it's Not well Known what happens there, Because we are just Neutral Intermediaries", etc.

    - So, we Tried to Find some Other kinds of Platforms of Distribution, which are Not so Expensive, but Allow for Authors to be more Fairly Remunerated, Ansip pointed out.   

 
    In this regard, f.ex., "YouTube" is Not the only one... In the case of anOther, for 10.000 Songs, you have to Pay some 400 € in Total : it's not too much", he observed.

    >>> "Once Again" : What matters most, is "to Provide Better Access to Digital Content, and to Provide (also) Fair Remuneration to our Authors" : Both Those 2 Things are very Important for this Matter,  the competent EU Commission's vice-President reiterated in Conclusion of his Reply to "Eurofora"s above-mentioned Question.

(***/***)

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Luxembourg, from one side, Cyprus from another : Will those often interlinked, Small but Strategic European Countries, currently holding the Presidency of EU and CoE, respectively, succeed to Boost a much Needed, closer Cooperation between the 28 EU Member States and PanEuropean CoE's 47 Member States (including Russia, etc) ?

At any case, the New President of the CoE, Experienced Long-Time Foreign Minister of Cyprus and former Top MEP (in charge of Foreign Policy at EU Parliament's biggest Group : that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP) Ioanis Kasulides, Replying to "Eurofora"s relevant Questions, cleary revealed the Importance that the Incoming Chairmanship of CoE's Committee of Ministers for the Period of November 2016 - May 2017 gives to the Enhancement of EU-CoE Cooperation, at a Crucial Moment for All Europe, while EU Commission's vice-President for the Digital Market, Andres Ansip, gave us, Later Today, a Concrete Example, (See : ...).
 - Replying to a relevant "Eurofora"s Question, (which reminded, inter alia, also the Fact that EU Commission's President, former Long-Time Prime Minister of Luxembourg, Jean-Claude Juncker, had been entrusted by CoE's Heads of State/Govenment, from the PanEuropean CoE's Summit at Varsaw, Poland, back on 2005, with the Task to Draft a landmark Report on EU - CoE Cooperation in the New Architecture of a ReUnified Europe, (Comp. "Eurofora" co-Founder's NewsReports from Both Events, in Warsaw + Strasbourg, at : ...+...), the incoming CoE's President gave Rendez-vous for Spring 2017 :

 - "On May 2017, (i.e. at the Next, Plenary CoE's 47-Countries strong, Committee of Ministers Summit, scheduled in Nicosia, Cyprus), one of our Priorities is, precisely, the EU - CoE Cooperation", he clearly stressed, regarding our above-mentioned Question.

+ Moreover, on this occasion, "we (CoE's 11/2016-5/2017 Presidency) are going to Celebrate the completion of a Decade since the Signature of EU - CoE's Memorandum of Understanding", Chairman Kasulides clearly anounced.

Meanwhile, CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, who Welcomed Earlier Today Chairman Kasulides in Strasbourg's Meeting of the PanEuropean Organization's Committee of Ministers, together with EU's High Representative for External Action, Federica Mogherini, are due to Launch, later-on, at EU Parliament, a Series of Initiatives, precisely for the Commemoration of that EU/CoE's M.O.U."

--------------------------------

+ Among various other Issues included in the November 2016 - May 2017 Program of the incoming CoE's Presidency by Cyprus, the New COE's President also told "Eurofora", that "Digital Technologies", and particularly the Web, could be tackled, mainly, "in relation with Freedom of Expression", in Addition to the Protection and Promotion of "Cultural Heritage", which appeared, Today, to be one among the Most Popular Issues in the Agenda of the Incoming Cypriot CoE Presidency, as several other Participants told us, (See Infra).

++ Moreover, in an Adjacent Field, there is also, currently, a Political Will to Develop "Citizens' Participation" to Public Decisions-Making, particularly "through Young People'"s involvement, he Added, Evoking a Topical COE matter, which was also Highlighted by COE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, Earlier Today, during his Official Speech at the Opening of a landmark Exhibition organized by Cyprus' chairmanship, at CoE's and ECHR's Headquarters, with Original Paintiings, (some Inspired by Neo-Classic Top Artists/Writers, such as Picasso, Garcia Marquez, etc.: See relevant Newsreport)

+++ But, the New CoE's President-in-office, also Agreed with "Eurofora", that EU/CoE Cooperation, f.ex. on Digital Technologies, could be usefuly addressed, as far as as is concerned one of the Most Popular Priorities of Cyprus' chairmanship, among the 47 COE Committee of Ministers' members, i.e. Cultural Heritage :

- Even if, "First of all, we (CoE) have to Work in order to "Create adequate (PanEuropean/International) Legal Norms which will make Life more Difficult for those (Smugglers) who (illegaly) Buy and Sell stolen Cultural Heritage, So, "we (CoE) have, at First, to Agree on the (exact) Content of a (New) Treaty", he stressed.

+ But, indeed, Cultural Heritage "Digitalisation matters (can) come in the Aftermath of that", Ioanis Kasulides acknowledged, in Reply to the above mentioned "Eurofora"s Question.

++ This Perspective was also Backed by the out-going CoE Chair-in-office, Estonian Ambassador/Permanent Representative to the PanEuropean Organisation, Mrs Wiki, who Remains at the Bureau of CoE's Committee of Ministers, as vice-President, and, speaking later-on to "Eurofora", reminded that the Estonian Presidency had already Launched a Project for "Digitalisation" of Culture (including on Heritage), and offered to Support Further Developments by the Incoming Cyprus' EU Presidency towards Cultural Heritage's Digitalisation.

+++ Speaking earlier to Journalists in Strasbourg, including "Eurofora", the New CoE's Committee of Ministers' Chairman in office, stressed the Fact that COE is currently in a period of Big Challenges: First of all, Migration, Terrorism, Intolerance, etc., together with the Problem of Turkey, the existing Differences on Ukraine, Georgia, etc.

In this regard, Cyprus intends to Work with Objectivity and Professionalism, but also Efficiently, in order to prove that even a Small CoE Member Country can usefuly Contribute to Face collectively also some Big PanEUropean Challenges", he concluded.



(../..)

*Strasbourg/Angelo Marcopolo/- A sudden and strange Break-Down of UN sponsored Top Level InterCommunal Talks on the complex but Important, long overdue issue of Cyprus' ReUnification, still Pending since the 1974 Military Invasion and Occupation of a great part of the Strategically located Island, has not yet been clearly Explained, at least not at this Early moment.

Since Both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots had said that these Talks of  almost 10 Days at the superb Top of "Pilgrim Mountain"'s Swiss ressort had Earlier helped to make some Serious Progress,  (Despite several Remaining Disagreements to Bridge), in a quite Good overall Ambiance, as it was also attested by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon's Envoy for Cyprus, Espen B. Eide from Norway.

But, suddenly, an Official UN Anouncement reveals that, "Despite their best efforts, they have Not been able to achieve the Necessary further Convergences on criteria for Territorial adjustment, that would have paved the way for the Last Phase of talks". *
What does it Mean :  "Convergences on Criteria for Territorial Adjustment", and "Necessary ...for the Last Phase" ?

In Fact, the 1st Point concerned, Mainly (but not only) the Human Rights of about 200.000 Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced persons, (more than 23% of the Total Population of that small Country - almost as big as Luxembourg- at the moment of the Turkish Invasion of 1974), who had been notoriously Obliged to Flee the Foreign Military Invasion and Occupation of the Northern Part of the Country by Ankara's Troops since 1974, and are still Hindered to Return Back to their Familiy Homes, Private Properties and Ancestral Land, until Today (2016), Despite a series of ECHR Judgements clearly Condeming Turkey for such "Continuing" Violations, after relevant Both Individual and/or Inter-State Applications lodged by the Victims, already as early as since 1996 and 2001, etc., but also, more Recently, a landmark ECHR's Great Chamber's Decision,  of May 2014, (etc).

Indeed, as it had been already known, the Greek Cypriot Community had Agreed to Discuss "Territorial" issues on the Basis of "Criteria", which included, not only the Extension of Each Future Federated State's Land, as well as of its Coastline, (where f.ex. the Territories Occupied by Ankara's Military extend, since the 1974 Invasion up to More than 38% of Cyprus' Total Land, for Only 18% of its original Total Population, which, in Addition, has got since then, about 55% of the Island's Coastline), but Also the Number of Refugees/Displaced persons that would become able to Return Back Home, and their Family Homes/Private Properties, that they would recuperate, etc.  

This was the Only Way to try to Safeguard Refugees/Displaced Persons' Human Rights, who will play an Important Role also in the Popular Referendum for the Endorsement, or not, of any eventualy  Agreed Draft Plan for the Solution of Cyprus' Issue. At any case, it's also obvious that even the very Notion of "Territory" and its Equal Value, canNot Ignore the Fact that a given Piece of Land might, perhaps, be Only an Empty Wasteland, Lost somewhere at an insignificant point, or, on the Contrary, a well Populated and Fertile Area, located at a Strategic crossroads, etc.

=> That's why it had been clearly Agreed, between the two parties and the UN, that the Main Focus of the Talks on the "Pilgrim Mountain" would precisely be to Obrtain a Basic Agreement on the "Criteria" for Territory share, included at a Map, as a "Necessary" Condition, which would Open the Way to Advance, shortly Afterwards, to the Next, and probably Final Stage, of a Multilateral International Summit, due to Focus, on the Contrary, to the Differend, Security and Guarantees Issues.

But, at this, Crucial Point, various Converging, factual Indications started to emerge, which clearly showed that, somewhere at the Turkish Side, most Probably, there was a lot of Reluctance to Complete a Full Deal on Territory through InterCommunal Talks, before Starting to Deal with Security/Guarantees at a Final Multilateral International Summit, with the participation of the Turkish Government, Greece and the UK, (as well as, probably the EU, and UNO Security Council's Permanent Members, etc).

F.ex., among others, Turkey's President Erdogan reportedly made some Ambiguous Statements including an apparent suggestion for Ankara to alleviate, if not even entirely Skip, its Controversial Insistance for the Turkish Military to always have a "Right" to Unilateraly Invade Cyprus, also at Any Other Time in the Future, on Pretext of any (eventually Provoked) so called "Security" Risk, imaginable for Turkish Cypriots, on the Condition that Greek Cypriots make certain Important Concessions on Territorial Issues. Almost at the Same Time, some Felt that, amidst Turkish Cypriots, somewhere Started to Emerge a more or less obvious Reluctance to really Conclude a Deal on Territory Before any susbequent Summit, so that they appeared, at some point, to either drag their feet, stop exchanging constructive ideas for possible compromise, and/or even somehow Back-pedal from certain Earlier positions, which had initialy appeared as quite promissing, (etc).

Astonishingly, while the Greek Cypriot side had notoriously Limited its own Demands to the Return, under G/C Administration, of Only about Less than the Half of G/C Refugees/Displaced Persons to their Family Homes, Properties and Ancestral Land, (i.e. around 90.000 out of a Total of some 200.000), and, later-on, would even have accepted to discuss also a much Lower Number, (80.000 ), on the Contrary, some, reportedly pushed through the Turkish Cypriot side to Request to Drop deeply Down, even Lower and Lower, for Tens or even -20.000 to -30.000 Refugees Less than that... One of the Consequences may be also to Exclude any notable City (f.ex. Morphou) from being Restituted to its Original; predominantly Greek Cypriot, Lawful Inhabuitants)...

To the point that one Turkish Cypriot participant would have even Betrayed a quite Horrible Intent, eventualy Hidden behind 42 Years of Time-Consuming Obstructions against Human Rights' respect, by daring Claim that, in fact, the Greek Cypriots would Not Realize that, Meanwhile, ...Many Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced persons would have ... "Died" (sic !!!), vainly Waiting for Justice to be done...

(Comp. Experienced, former ECHR President, Luzius Wildhaber's sincere "Excuses", transmitted via "Eurofora"s co-Founder, then Published at "TCWeekly", for the 1st Tragic Case of a Woman Refugee from Cyprus who had really Died, by Old Age, while Waiting for Strasbourg's EuroJudges, and the CoE in general, to, at last, do Justice to her Family's complaint to the Court against Turkey's Refusal to let her Return back to her Home and ancestral Land, in the Occupied Territiories of Cyprus controlled by Ankara's Military).

+ In Addition, suddenly at this Same Crucial Point, attempts to Hastily Push towards an Immediate Multilateral Final Summit, even withOut having yet Settled any comprehensive Agreement on Territory, (i.e. Contrary to the previously Agreed overall Method of proceeding : Comp. Supra), became more and more Obvious and Frequent than ever before...

=> In Other Words, to put it in a  Nutshell, Turkey appeared (either to Speculate on a possible Failure of such a Hasty and Unprepared Summit, or) to Push for an Exchange between Security and Territorial Issues, i.e., in Fact, between Foreign Military Intervention and Refugees' Human Rights, (Comp. Supra) !...

>>> To put it Harshly but Clearly, such a Slipery Slope could even lead in a situation where the Greek Cypriot People might be, in Fact, asked by Turkey to Either Abandon all or most Refugees/Displaced Persons' Human Rights, or Submit to even More Risks of Foreign Military Invasions and Occupations by Ankara's Army !...

I.e., in substance, a sort of "Blackmail" situation, Ordering to "Choose" EITHER Human Rights OR Peace, Between Freedom OR Life !...

Precisely that kind of "Schyla or Charibdi" Tragic Dillema, that Greek Cypriots, in Agreemeent with the UNO, (and, at least Initialy, and officially, also with the Turkish Cypriot side), had desperatedly Tried to Prevent, by Clearly Distinguishing, in real Practice, betweein the Different Issues of "Territory" and those concerning "Security" and/or "Guarantees", etc, (Comp. Supra).

Otherwise, he above mentioned Tragic Dillemas could become, more of less Inevitable, and even  Dangerously Vicious...

An obviously Unacceptable Threat against Freedom and Peace, which, at any case, looks Absolutely Contrary to ECHR's well established Case-Law, (initialy Forged, precisely, though such Greek Cypriot Refugees/IDP cases :  Comp. Supra), which was, later-on, notoriously Endorsed also by the UNO's Human Rights Council at Nearby Geneva, from 1997-2005, 2007, etc, and even Officialy Systematized, compiled, Declared and Disseminated accross the whole World, at a landmark, Historic Set of "Principles", (the World Famous "Pinheiro Principles" : Comp. Professor Pinheiro's 1997 Drafted initial Report, which became  an International Reference UNO Booklet, later-on, and his own Statements to "Eurofora"s co-Founder, then Published at "TCWeekly"), issued by UNO's High Commissioners for Refugees, for Human Rights, and UN's Secretary General, in the recent Past,

=> calling for Real Refugees/Displaced People to have an elementary Right to voluntarily Return Back to their Family Homes, with their Belongings, at their Ancestral Land, in basic Conditions of Human Dignity, Freedom and Safety.

-------------------------------------------

All this, and the Current sudden Standstill in the InterCommunal UN sponsored Talks for a Peaceful ReUnification of Cyprus, (despite some recently achieved Advances, at least in certain points), in Fact, clearly shows that, in Substance :

- Human Rights must Never be Abandoned to mere Political Bargaining !

>>> Political Deals may, eventualy, Facilitate the Implementation of ECHR Judgements, and/or Alleviate the various repercussions that this might, perhaps, have for some.

    But they should Never Replace an Objective, Competent, Impartial and Independent body's mission to simply Impose at least an elementary Respect of certain Basic Legal Principles concerning Serious, Massive and Persisting Violations of Human Rights !

=> Thus, among others, a Controversial Decision of the Past, pushed by some inside CoE's Committee of Ministers, (even Contrary to a Crystal-Clear Appeal by ECHR's Great Chamber, just a few years ago : since 2014, to practicaly Act, as a matter of Urgency, in order to put, at last, a Stop to Turkey's persisting illegal Confiscation and even Exploitation of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced Persons' Homes and Properties), rather to ... "Postpone" any real Pressure on Ankara, on the Pretext that a Solution might be found through those "Inter-Communal" Talks, (in fact between what remains from a Free Cyprus' Republic, and an Area meanwhile Filled up with illegal Settlers from Turkey's Anatolia, and still Controlled by Abnkara's Foreign Invasion Military), has Now obviously Proved to be Dangerously Unsubstantiated.

Apparantly, the Time has come for EU and CoE's PanEuropean Organisation of Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, to Either Actively and Efficiently UpHold, at last, its own, Officialy Proclaimed Principles, in Real Practice,

or Openly Acknowledge that, in fact, it has Droped them Down, like a Fake "Castle" made only out of Cards or Sand, (instead of Rock-Solid Principles)...

-------------------------------------

Personaly, we Hardly Resisted, (with Luggage Ready to Move at any moment, among Many Rapidly Evolving Political Developments, from the USA to France, Berlin, etc., up at this Last Minute !), to a Strong Temptation to Get Back, (almost 20 Years After : 1997 - 2016...) to that Symbolic Location, at the Other Side of Geneva Lake, near Montreux's UNO-sponsored Top Level Talks on Cyprus, between f. President Glafkos Clerides and T/C Leader Rauf Denktash, hosted by f. UN SG Boutros-Ghali, now on the "Pilgrim Mountain"'s, present Cyprus' Talks, between new President Nicos Anastassiades and T/C Leader Mustafa Akintzi, hosted by UN SG Ban Ki Moon.

But, from the most Tragic Human Rights' issue of Cyprus' "MISSING" People, set aside then, officialy far from crude Political Deals, (while, at the Same Time a Hope for an Emerging Strong Role of the EU had Started to Rise : Comp. EU Council's Representative at Montreux/Glyon Statements that he gave us then, on 1997, Published at "MPAgency"), and the Wide-spread and Multi-facet "Refugees/Displaced persons" Drama, still remaining, now, on 2016, even "Hotter" than ever, at least from the point of view of Principles, (applicable, mutatis-mutandis, unfortunately, also in too Many Other Areas of Europe and the World nowadays), what really Remains Today ?

>>> Perhaps only the Firm Belief, based on even More Solid Proof now, that serious Human Rights issues must Never be Totalu Abandoned to mere Political Bargaining !

--------------------------

20 Years After, as (by another Timely Coincidence), already the 1997 World Famous "PILGRIM" Song by Eric Clapton, had Warned :

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOTFxF6dpR0

- "Where to Draw the Line, between Truth and ...Pain ?" in such Dramatic and massive Human Rights issues, which seriously Affect many Thousands of People's Lives ?

- "Where (could we) Get (the) Belief that Things Will be all-Right again ?", and "What Words (should we) Use to Try to Explain, to those who have Witnessed, (many in) Tears ?"

 
 - "What does it Mean to Know all these things",
"When... All these Years" "'have been Wasted" ?

- "It's like living in a Nightmare,
Like looking in the Blackest hole,
Like standing on the Edge of nothing",
.....
"Now, where have (we all -and mainly Europe) been All these Years ?
"And How come (they) just couldN't See?"
"Like a Blind man walking 'round, In Darkness"...

Whoever were "Standing in the Shadows",
"With (their) Heart right in (their) Hand",

as simple, naive "Pilgrim"(s) for (the) Love" of Human Rights, (and what Europe could and should have become),

=> Did they merely ... "Wasted all these (20) Years" ?

Or, Will, perhaps, Emerge, at last, in one way or another, at least Now, through a lot of Hard Political and other Struggles and Changes, in Europe and elsewhere in the World, a kind of "SPRING 2017" ???

+ By another more "Coincidence", meanwhile, Small (but notoriously Strategic) Cyprus will be Chairing Big PanEuropean CoE's powerful Committee of Ministers then, (Starting right from this very Morning whose Sun sould Arise from one Moment to anOther, Now in Strasbourg)...

Without illussions, could this, perhaps, Help, at least get some things positively Moving, a little bit ?

+ In Addition, Parallel, but Wider Developments in the EU Parliament, (convening this Week in Strasbourg to a Full Plenary Session, near the CoE), have just Anounced even mainstream, Big Political Groups' Intention, (just after that of Many Other, emerging MEPs' Trends from the Further Right side of the Political Spectrum, which had suprisingly Succeeded, however, to Attract even .. Leftist and/or Centrist mainstream MEPs from almost All Groups - See, f.ex. : ...), to, if not fully "Stop" (as the Latter wanted), at least "Suspend" Turkey's controversial and UnPopular EU bid, (with the natural subsequent Restrictions in EU Funds Wasted Each Year for Ankara)...

That -still Emerging- EU Move, (Exceptionaly Supported by almost All EU Parliament's Political Groups, at various degrees),  significantly comes just after a Growing Series of fresh, and more Massive than ever,  Human Rights Violations inside Turkey itself, added to Turkish Military Invasions/Occupations or Threats around almost All its Borders, inside Iraq and Syria, as in Cyprus, and now even Threatening Greece, particularly with Repeated Negative Claims against the Lausanne Peace Treaty, (withOut, However, Daring even Think at the Previous, "Sevres" Peace Treaty of 1919)...

***

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- European Court of Human Rights' new President, Guido Raimondi, speaking to "Eurofora" in the CoE, almost at the Same Time that a Final Push was reportedly prepared at Crucial Nearby UN sponsored Top level Talks for the ReUnification of Cyprus, on the Geneva-lake's "Pilgrim Mountain", stressed that, in his view, we should all "Trust CoE's Committee of Ministers" for the Implementation of ECHR's Judgements on Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced persons.

That key Human Rights issue, (which affects an estimated 190.000 of Greek Cypriots obliged to flee from their Family Homes, private Properties and Ancestral Land, since the 1974 Turkey's Military Invasion and Occupation, and still Hindered to Return, not even hav Access to their belongings, Despite a well established ECHR case law, already since 1996 and 2001, etc, in Both Individual and Inter-State cases, more Recently Coonfirmed and Further Explicitated in more Concrete Terms also by a Landmark 2014 Decision of ECHR's Great Chamber), is currently at the Focus of still on-going UN sponsored Inter-Communal Talks at nearby Switzerland, particularly in relation with an Expected Agreement on Territory, that might, Hopefuly, open a road for a Multilateral Internatiobal Summit, due to deal with the Security Issues for a Comprehensive Political Solution, according to pertinent UN SC Resolutions, EU Law, and CoE's Values and Rules.

Raimondi had earlier said that, nowadays, the CoE is Advancing quite well in the process of Developing Adequate "Tools" in order to Ensure, also in Real Practice, that ECHR's Decisions can be Taken nd Implemented on Time.

But Turkey is the Only "Western" world-oriented Country which has an Exceptionaly High Number of ECHR Judgements still Pending for Execution, for Many Years, most of which concern "Serious Violations of Human Rights", (Unlike f.ex. Italy, whose Delays concern, Comparatively, much more Lenient matters), he acknowledged.

Another, and much More Tragic Human Rights Issue, still Pending for Execution of ECHR Judgements which have Condemned Turkey's Authorities too, is that of about1.500 Greek Cypriot "MISSING" Persons, Strasbourg University's Professor at International Law, and Experienced former Long-Time EU Council's Legal Director in Brussels, Jean-Paul Jacqué observed spontaneously, speaking also to "Eurofora", earlier this Noon.

But, particularly since a 1997 Inter-Communal Agreement, brokered also during Cyprus' Talks under UN auspices at nearby Switzerland, in Montreux/Glyon city, (by a Symbolic Coincidence, very Close to nowadays' "Pilgrim Mountain" Top level Talks, oriented the "Missing" Persons' Human Rights matters among the so-called "Humanitarian" affairs, i.e. out of the mainly Political Top Talks.

Meanwhile, ECHR has  notoriously Condemned Ankara's authorities repeatedly for "Continuous" Violations of Both Refugees/Displaced Persons and "Missing"Persons and their Families' Human Rights, CoE's Committee of Ministers, whose Statutory Duty is to "Supervise the Execution of ECHR's Judgements", hasn't yet taken any really Convincing Measures vis a vis Turkey's reluctactance to act, except from several official "Calls", "Appeals", and other "Resolutions", which had a rather Limited Result until now, since Ankara still persists to drag it feet, (Comp., f<;ex., recently : ....).

President Raimondi, reminded, however, that, in Addition to certain Individual Measures, whenever a CoE's Member State is Condemned for Violations which "Reveal also a mich Wider, "Structural" Problem, then, it must also take some Sufficient "General Measures".

+ But, Experienced, former CoE's Secretary General, Catherine Lalumiere of France, (a Socialist University Professor, from the same Governing Party as French President Hollande), who had Earlier observed, Criticaly, the Fact that a really Efficient Implementation of ECHR's Judgements "required also Political Will", added Now, in Reply to a relevant "Eurofora" Question, that, in her view, CoE's Committee of Ministers' above mentioned Statutory Duty in itself, wasn't always enough in order to ensure a Serious and Timely Implementation of ECHR's Judgements, but it was "Also Something Else, that was Needed" for that purpose, in fact.

Lalumiere said that, also at the CoE, just 1 Day before Cyprus takes over the rotating Presidency of the PanEuropean Organhisation of Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, Tomorrow in Strasbourg, Tuesday 22 November 2016, in a Special Event of its 47 Member States strong Committee of Ministers, for which, the Experienced, Long-Time Cypriot Foreign Minister and former EU Parliament's MEP, Ioanis Kasulides, has just Arrived from Switzerland to France.

The Exceptional Importance of that Event is obvious also from the Fact that the Latest Time that Cyprus' Chaired the CoE was ...More than 22 Years Ago, on 1994-1995, (Comp. "Eurofora" co(Founder's various Publications from then).

Cyprus' CoE Presidency durates from November 2016 up to May 2017, included. But, as far as ECHR Judgements' Implementation is concerned, following an Established Practice, it will pass over that Specific Chair to Denmark, who will be its Successor at the General, Committee of Ministers' Chairmanship, approximatively from June 2017.

+++ However, CoE's Director General for Legal affairs and Human Rights, Philippe Boillat from Swiitzerland, speaking Previously with "Eurofora", revealed that CoE's Committee of Ministers, which had recently, Suspended, exceptionaly, any Further Examination of the Issue of ECHR Judgements Implementation in the cases of Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced Persons, had only done so, in order to "Help" the UN sponsored InterCommunal, Top level Talks, at nearby Switzerland, to Hopefuly Advance towards an Agreement for Cyprus' ReUnification, which would appropriately include also that Human Rights' Issue.

=> We (CoE) are Following how that situation evolves, and, naturaly, if there is not sufficient Progress made there, we are Ready to Resume Consideration on that matter, and possibly Take adequate Action, Boillat warned then, in Reply to a relevant Question raised by "Eurofora", while the PanEuropean Organisation's Committee of Ministers has, in parallel, Fixed already a Date in order to Re-Open anew the Greek Cypriot Refugees/Displaced persons' issue as far as the Long-Awaited Implementation, by Turkey, of ECHR Judgements is concerned, during the First Months of 2017.