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Inicio arrow newsitems arrow Ban Ki Moon agrees with CoE on Syria: Political Solution, No Militarisation => Stop Arms' Traffic !

Ban Ki Moon agrees with CoE on Syria: Political Solution, No Militarisation => Stop Arms' Traffic !

Escrito por ACM
08.10.12

 syrie_map

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- UNO's Secretary General, Ban Ji Moon, backed also by CoE's PanEuropean Assembly's recent Resolution for a Political Solution on the Syrian conflict, launched a strong appeal, in Strasbourg's 1st World Democracy Forum, to Halt Deadly Violence, and Stop Providing Arms either to Bashar Assad's regime or to the Rebels, in order to end the dangerous Militarisation of the conflict, and create conditions able to help reach an agreed solution respecting People's Human Rights, and Democratic aspirations, as he said in substance.

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- In general, "the current Transitions" (inspired by pro-Democracy and Development aspirations in all Non-EU Mediterranean Countries, from Morocco up to Syria, with the only Exception of Turkey until now),  "have inspired so much Hope and Change", but "have also brought Uncertainty and Fear", warned UNO's Head, observing that" Success is not guaranteed", as the example of "Syria show(s)".
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    In particular, "President Assad of Syria", (a long-time fervent supporter of Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, unlike his Father, even at the 2008 1st EU Summit for the Mediterranean in Paris : comp. "EuroFora" co-Founder's NewsReports from the "Grand Palais" then), is among those "leaders around the World", "who must listen to their citizens before it is too late", and that UNO's Head has "consistently urged ...to stop flouting human rights and start meeting the legitimate demands of their people", as he stressed from the outset, clarifying his "Message".
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    - But, Ban Ki Moon made it also clear that, at present, he was "deeply concerned by the continued Flow of Arms to both the Syrian Government and Opposition forces", (including, f.ex., the FSA, based in neighbouring Turkey until it reportedly crossed the border recently).


    - Because Militarisation only Aggravates the situation and puts civilian People in more Misery", he denounced.

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               => Therefore, UNO's Head strongly "Urge(d)  those Countries providing Arms, to Stop doing so".

ban_ki_moon_on_syria_at_coes_wdf_400


    + At the same time, "I am calling on All concerned, to Abandon the use of Violence, and move toward a Political solution",; he added.


     -"That is the only way out of this crisis", stressed UNO's Secretary General,reiterating that he "remain(s) convinced that we must seek a Political Solution to this conflict in Syria".


=> Thus, Ban Ki Moon lanched a "Call on those who have influence over Any Side in Syria (i.e. on the Government and/or on the Armed and notoriously Divided Opposition), to exert it, to promote a Pollitical solution, and empower Political leaders. Not Armed Groups or the Regime’s military".

- That's why, "the Primary motive for the Mission" of "the  Joint Special Representative, Mr. Lakdhar Brahimi", who "is heading back to the region, this week", is, precisely, to reach "our (UNO's) Goal... to create the appropriate Conditions for a credible Political transition", Ban Ki Moon revealed.

 - Such a Solution must "meets the Legitimate aspirations of the Syrian People", and, in particular "ensure their Equal rights and Human Dignity", Ban Ki Moon anounced in conclusion.

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+ Meanwhile, concerning UNO's "Humanitarian assistance", it was rezcently "scaled up its  very significantly", Ban Ki Moon said, Warning, however, that, "as Winter approaches, we need Donors to contribute more generously to address the Growing Needs of those inside Syria and over 300,000 Refugees in neighbouring countries, (excluding Turkey, which accepts immigrants fleeing the Suyrian conflict, but still Refuses to recognize  anyone as a "Refugee" protected by the Geneva UN Convention...
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+ On WDF's Sidelines :

Ban Ki Moon Meetings on Peace Keeping, Kossovo, CoE Assembly invitations, etc)

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On the sidelines of his key-note Speech at CoE's 1st World Forum for Democracy, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, had an one and a half Days oportunity for various Meetings and Events, since his arrival, reoprtedly Sunday Noon, up to his Departure for Paris, later on Monday Afternoon, for official encounters with the French Foreign Minister Fabius and Prime Minister Ayrault, (acording to an Agenda which was finalized almost at the last minute, sources told "EuroFora") :


These included not only a Sunday meeting with CoE's Secretary General, Thorbjorn Jagland, (comp. relevant Jagland's statements to "EuroFora", at an earlier NewsReport), and Strasbourg Region's President Philippe Richert, as well as CoE Parliamentary Assembly's President, Jean-Claude Mignon, who invited UNO's SG to a participate in a future PanEuropean Assembly's session in Strasbourg, (where he might, hopefully, have more chances to interact with the European Journalists on topical issues of public concern, instead of a surprising total  "black-out", exceptionaly imposed by WDF organizers this time, contrary to the established Tradition of Boutros-Ghali, Koffi Annan, and Ban Ki Moon himself, who always made at least 2 Press Conferences and various other collective Contacts in Strasbourg from the 1990ies, in 2001, 2010, etc., until now),


but also meetings with the new UNO's UnderSecretary General for Peace-Keeping Operations, Hervé Ladsous, as well as (according to various "EuroFora"s sources), with Albanian Prime Minister Berisha, current CoE's rotating Chairman-in-office, apparently on issues related to Kossovo.


In addition, Ban Ki Moon also visited the Alsacian Museum, and attended a CoE's lunch debate on the question "What Democracy after the Arab Spring ?", with EU Parliament's Sakharov Prize Winners 2011, al-Senussi (Member of Libya's National Transition Council, former dissident : See statements to "EuroFora" at another NewsReport), Asmaa Mahfouz, Internet Activist from Egypt (see her Statements to "EuroFora" when she was awarded the Prize, back on December 2011), and Syrian political Cartoonist Ferzat, who was free to arrive to Strasbourg for the 1st time now.


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 cclib_stolen_photo_coeeurofora_screen_400

 Regrettably, on the contrary, several Strasbourg's long-time European Journalists were not free at all to attend that "Democratic" social event on the most Topical issue in Europe's Neighborhood, and not even warned on time that they would have to seek, previously, special "invitations" from a bunch of Local organizers (including several retired former civil servants) with unclear coordinates and functions each, hindering contacts and information, and provoking practical desorganisation, exhausting displacements and other misunderstandings, waste of precious time, etc., which didn't seem justified to all persons involved at the WDF. Moreover, interrupting f.ex. an "EuroFora"s Press encounter with Ahmed al-Senussi, and hindering the slightest direct contact with UN SG's Press Attaché on the spot (thus obliging to pass cumbersome and expensive International Phone Calls from France to USA Mobiles only in order to speak with a person present at the same Building, just a few meters away !) it's precisely while facing such unprecedented obstacles that "EuroFora" Editor's Mobile Phone, Internet and Photo machine, plenty of original photographs, (indispensable Journalist's working tools) was astonishingly stolen ! An exceptional incident which hadn't happened in any other International Conference, be it in throughout Europe (f.ex. Brussels, Paris, Berlin, London, Warsaw, Rome, Geneva, Luxembourg, Bonn, Budapest, Bucarest, Newport, Heiligendam, Brixen-Bressanone, Burgenstock, Marseille, Mulhouse, Poitiers, Freiburg, Mainz, Interlaken, Metz, Deauville, Cannes, Ludwigsburg, etc ), not even at New York, etc...

(../..)

 

 

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(NDLR : "Draftnews", as already sent, earlier, to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors. A more accurate, full Final Version may be published asap).

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ECHR's President to "EuroFora" on Journalists Gongadze and Adali murders : Principles must apply to all States, without discrimination.


+ ECHR's Statistics on Freedom of Expression (See below).


 European Court of Human Rights' President, Jean-Paul Costa, questioned by "EuroFora" on Journalists' murders, as in Gongadze and Adali's cases etc., strongly stressed all CoE Member States' obligation to make efficient Investigations to find and punish those responsible, and underlined that ECHR's case-law's principles must apply to all without any discrimination.

His call was clearly supported by various Top MEPs who denounced a risk of "Double Standards" if some Journalists' murders are investigated, while others don't.

To avoid such risks, CoE's Parliamentary Assembly adopted a Resolution, on the occasion of Ukranian Journalist Gongadze's murder, "stressing", as a matter of general Principle, "the importance it attaches to the safety of Journalists and political activists, especially those linked to opposition groups, in ALL member states of the CoE". All "crimes against journalists and political activists must be investigated ... as a matter of priority, without political interference".

Costa was replying to "EuroFora"s question on the fact that, after CoE's Committee of Ministers, also CoE's Assembly had just adopted a Resolution on Gongadze murder case, based on an ECHR's judgement of 2005, asking a full Investigation from Ukraine, who has found and condemned  in 10 years of jail 2 executants, but not yet the instigators.

While nothing similar was yet done for dissident Turkish Cypriot Kutlu Adali's murder, with 5 bullets shot at his head out of his Family's home in the territories of Cyprus occupied by Ankara's army, despite another ECHR's judgement of the same year 2005, and despite Turkey's claim that nobody was found among those responsible for the murder, and that there was nothing more to do..

In order to be credible and efficient, CoE's mechanisms shouldn't find a way to at least ask for full investigations of all Journalists' murders anywhere they might be committed, without exceptions ?

adali_gongadze


- "On the larger question that you raised, I'd like to say, since we are in a period of stock-taking on ECHR's 50 Years, that the Court's case-law developed certain concepts ....such as the Positive obligations of States, part of which are also the procedural obligations", started to reply ECHR's President.

 - "Whenever Journalists, Lawyers, Defenders of Human Rights, or even simple Citizens are murdered, the States are held responsible, not only if its their own security forces' agents who committed these murders, but also if they didn't make sufficiently substantial and efficient Investigations", he stressed.

- "I want to strongly underline that we (ECHR) have found in many cases numerous violations of Articles 2 and 3 against States, ....(about) murders or torture, ...because they didn't make enough Investigations in order to try to find and punish those responsible".

- "We (ECHR) do that vis-a-vis all 47 (CoE) Member States, without any discrimination".

"Naturally, the circumstances in each particular case may be differend, and we can't ommit to apply the rules of proof, or the rules of criminal procedure".

"But we try, by all means, to apply these principles of our case-law, to all States", he concluded.

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      Costa's call was strongly supported by several Top CoE MEPs, from various Political areas


- "To investigate the murder of one Journalist, and not of another, looks like Double Standards", denounced the President of EuroLeft Group in CoE's Assembly, Dutch MEP Tiny Cox.  

- "What is the reason ? Politics or specificity of a case ? Of course, if Cyprus and Turkey are involved, it's always a Political case"..

- "Murders of Journalists should always be fully investigated, because killing Journalists is not only killing persons, but also killing Free Press".  "We (CoE's Assembly) should do our outmost to help People who are working on Free Press and they are under threat or murdered".

Because for Free Politics, Free Press is a pre-requisitive : Parliamentarians  cannot  function without a Free Press. Not investigating, is not protecting ourselves".

So we should investigate all Journalists' murders : We are talking about Gongadze, about the Cypriot man (Adali), about the Journalist murdered in Moscow one week ago, etc", Cox concluded

- "CoE can' look at these cases differently. CoE can't wear Blinckers  !".
- "If the one is investigated, so has to be also the other. Why there wasn't full investigation ? Why's that ?", wondered British  Socialist MEP, Alan Meale.

- "A good idea" would be to "make a Motion for Resolution", and "join all Journalists' murders. Adali and Gongadze etc", said to "EuroFora" EU Parliament Political affairs Committee's President, Goran Lindbland, ChristianDemocrat MEP from Sweden.


(See also earlier News at "EuroFora" on similar issues).
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ECHR's Statistics on Freedom of Expression :


    Almost Half of condemnations by ECHR for violations of Freedom of Expression in 2008, concern Turkey : 20 out of a total of 48 for all CoE's Member States.

    Russia, Poland, France and Moldova were condemned only 3 times. Romania, Greece, Portugal, 2 times, and the other CoE Member States only 1 time, or none.
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    During the last Decade : 1998 - 2008, Turkey was condemned for violating Freedom of Expression in ..169 cases, while Austria only in 24.

    France and Moldova in 14 and 13, respectively, closely followed by Russia and Poland with 11 and 10, respectively. The rest of CoE Member States had less than ten condemnations.    
    

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