CLRAE Chief Knape to EF: Cyprus President Anastasiades offer to DeCentralise for Peace =Interesting

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Speaking at the eve of the International Forum for Peace in Paris, with 80 Heads of State/Government and UNO's Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, the New President of CoE's PanEuropean watchdog for Local and Regional Democracy (CLRAE), experienced Swedish ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEP Anders Knape, gave a Positive Reply to "Eurofora"s Question on Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades' proposal to Facilitate and Supplement the efforts for a Peaceful ReUnification of the island via an agreed Solution of the Political Problem, by adding also a large Decentralisation :

- Indeed, Knape clearly told us that he found that Latest move, (made Earlier this same week), to be "Interesting", and did not exclude that CLRAE might also Examine and Discuss that, in the foreseable Future.

+ The New President of CoE's Congress of Local and Regional Authorities (CLRAE) also told "Eurofora" that his officialy proclaimed Aim for the CLRAE to become a frequent and Direct Interlocutor of National Authorities and Governments, (enshrined in a Report on the "Consultation of Local Authorities by Higher Levels of Government", just Discussed and Adopted by the PanEuropean body's Plenary, earlier Today, during its Autumn 2018 Session in Strasbourg, 6-8 November 2018), would include Both the implementation of CoE's PanEuropean Texts for Local/Regional Self Government, and "various Other relevant Topical Issues", depending on the Specific situation and stakes in "Each Country".

- CRLAE "is a Political body tasked with protecting local Democracy", and "an Important part of the COE and of the System of safeguarding Democracy in Europe". "That's why .... we must ...engage in regular Dialogue with Governments", stressed, earlier, in his Speech on his Election for the Next 2 Years (2019-2020), Anders Knape, who has already replied also to Various other "Eurofora" Questions on Topical PanEuropean Issues, (including, f.ex., the Fights against Radicalized Islamization, Ghettos, etc, but for Integration, and/or against the Economic Crisis, but for Jobs-creating Investment  : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coelocalautonomychiefknapeonterror.html , http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/clrae.html , etc).

Anastasiades, at an exceptionaly Long Press Conference, earlier this Week in Nicosia, (which Coincided with the Beginning of CLRAE's Plenary in Strasbourg, on November 6), presented his idea to Add DeCentralisation to the Federal Structure of a State for a United Cyprus, in order to Prevent Problems from systematic Vetoes ("1 Positive Vote") by a Minority, (as had Asked Turkish Cypriot leaders, even whenever Decisions concerning Simply "EveryDay Life" will be taken by the Federation), which may Risk to provoke an Institutional Deadlock and Break Down, as in the Past. (Something that UNO's SG Guterres seems to have realized, when he urged for a "Normal State" in Cyprus, able to Work Efficiently). Only Issues where Core Interests of the Turkish Cypriot Community are at stake, might, eventually, be submitted to such a procedure, on Condition to set up an Efficient Mechanism for Resolution of such Problems, as also UNO implies. For the Rest, whenever possible, (i.e. for EveryDay Issues which are not Vital for the Federation as a whole : i.e. Security/Defense, Diplomacy, Natural Resources, Citizenship, etc), a Normal Local/Regional DeCentralisation can allow an eventual Diversity, here or there, without risking to jeopardise the overall functioning of a Federal State.

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Knape, a ChristianDemocrat/EPP, is member of the Biggest Political Party in Sweden currently, that of "Moderates", headed by Ulf Kristersson, who has just Won the Latest, September 2018 Elections, holding a Mandate to seek how to form a New Government Coalition, after an Historic Fall of the "Socialists", and, particularly, whether he'd manage to agree, or not, for a Unity of the Right, going from Liberals up to "Swedish Democrats" (Rightists : who won the most, in percentage, on 2018), to whom, the Swedish People's Votes gave an absolute Majority.

I.e. whether Sweden will follow the Example of its Neighbor : Norway, (where a Traditional Center-Right, EPP Party joined a new, Rightist Party, in a Coalition Government, headed by Ema Solberg : "the Best Prime Minister in the World" for German Chancellor Angie Merkel), and Austria (the current EU President), after Bulgaria (the former EU President), or a Different Formula, among Various kinds of Unity of the Right also in Denmark, the Netherlands, Czech Republic, Finland, (incoming President of the PanEuropean CoE, for November 2018 - May 2019), etc.

Indeed, by a Coincidence, the move took place while CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, (a Norwegian), was meeting the Foreign Minister of Finland, Timo Soisi, former Long-Time Head of such a Rightist Party, and recently of a New Rightist Party, at Helsinki, (where was also going on, currently, on 7-8 November 2018, the ChristianDemocrats/EPP's Summit for the Election of their Leader to May 2019 EU Parliament's Elections, and Top Candidate for EU Commission's new President for 2019-2024).

"Eurofora" saw that Knape was in a hurry to leave Strasbourg at Mid-Day, by Flying towards Scandinavia, where several EPP Heads of State/Government, including Cyprus' President Anastasiades, still remained, before travelling to Paris overnight or next morning.

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+ At any case, concerning another Topical Big Issue, the New President of the CLRAE, who holds a particularly Extensive and intensive Experience also as co-Rapporteur on Local/Regional Democracy in Turkey, as Long as "since 1999", and already faced personaly "Pressure" from Turkish Government, (as he has reminded recently), replying also to another "Eurofora"s Question, ensured that he will  keep a Careful eye on that Serious Issue inside the CLRAE, (whose Elementary Values and Principles are obviously at Stake there).

Several CLRAE's Resolutions on the Situation of Local/Regional Democracy in Turkey, have clearly Denounced Ankara's Government, inter alia, also for an "UnParalleled" Oppression, which has practically "Suspended Democracy", or even exerted a "disproportionately DESTRUCTIVE effect on... Democracy", particularly in South-Eastern, mainly Kurdish, Regions, throwing Turkey "Back to the 1990ies", (i.e. when EU had Refused any controversial and Unpopular Turkey's EU bid, and had "Freezed" all EU Funds to Ankara), as Knape himself had pointed then out. (See, inter alia, also, f.ex.: http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/turkeylocaldemocracysuspended.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coepressuredbyturkeyonpersecutedmayors.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/clraeslamsturkeyforjailedmayorsunmonitoredelections.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coeasksturkeyfordemoraticalternativetokurdscondemnsviolence.html, http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/kurdsandcyprus.html, etc).

++ Meanwhile, in Parallel, the Other Co-Rapporteur on Turkey, experienced Dutch MEP Leendert Verbeek, (an atypical Social-Democrat), has just been  re-Elected as Chairman of CLRAE's "Monitoring" Committee, entrusted with the Key role of Checking the real Situation of Local/Regional Democracy in all CoE's Member Countries, "Eurofora" learnt during this Autumn 2018 Session.