CoE Assembly SG Sawicki to EF: Russian MEPs can Participate+Vote, even if some asked Sanctions Later

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/-  Russian MEPs' eventual Return at the CoE on Monday, starting with full Rights, is not only Possible, but might even have Saved, perhaps, outgoing PACE President Agramunt from Resigning, after a controversial Threat to be Dismissed by Critics Next Week, as it apparently results from the Replies that Experienced CoE Assembly's Secretary General, Wojciech Sawicki, gave to an "Eurofora" Question (See Infra):

Indeed, Russian MEPs Nowadays Can, in real practice, freely Participate to CoE Assembly's Meetings, and Vote, without any precondition, for at least "2 or 3 Days", regardless of any eventual sanctions that some might, perhaps, attempt to impose again to them, Later-on, with uncertain results this time, he practically said.

Because some Old Sanctions, (f.ex. No Represantation in Top Organs of the Assembly, + No Right to Vote, etc), which had been imposed in the Past Years of 2014 and 2015, (on pretext of the Ukranian Conflict) do Not Exist Legally anymore, for the Years 2016 and 2017, etc., when  it's Russia itself who prefered Not to Send here its MEPS, unless it's Guaranteed that they woN't be Threatened, no more, to face such Restrictions, he observed, in substance.

To a subsquent Question raised by a Collegue from "Reuters", about those Previous PACE Resolutions, which had asked Sanctions as long as Russia did Not Change its stance on some key issues around Eastern Ukraine and Crimea peninsula, Sawicki simply replied that these are, obviously, "Political" matters, which "May Change", in one way or another, and, at any case, they doN't Exist, nowadays, as a Legal reality, no more.

He didn't need to go now as far as to remind, also the Fact, that, Meanwhile, it's also the Aftermath of the Minsk Peace Agreements (after 3/2015), as well as the Recent Need for PanEuropean and International Unity against a growing Series of Deadly Islamist Terrorism Attacks throughout Europe, USA, and elsewhere in the World, the Need to Find a Peaceful Solution in Syria, (added also, even to an obvious Economic/Technological Waste by those Divisions of the Past, etc), which may motivate Political Leaders to take some New Decisions.

Concerning "Eurofora"s Question (Comp. Supra), Sawicki explained that, even if some might, perhaps,  attempt to Challenge again the Credentials of Russian MEPs, then, PACE has to Follow a Legal Procedure, (f.ex.: initial Vote in Plenary, Referal to a Committee, Nomination of a Rapporteur, Hearings, Drafting a Report, initial Vote in Committee, Debate in Plenary, Final Vote, implementation by the Executive Organs, etc), which would durate 2 or 3 Days, may be more. And, Meanwhile, all the Russian MEPs, at any case, could Benefit from, and fully Use, all their Participation, Speech and Voting Rights, at least on a "provisory" basis, Until Final Decisions by the PACE.


On this Basis, one may logically Speculate that, IF something similar had happened until now, then, given also the Big Number of Russian MEPs, as well as the Fact that it does Not seem obvious at all, whether those who seek to Dismiss PACE's President Agramunt might, eventually, find, or not, a Sufficient Number of Critical  MEPs to Vote for Impeachment. A fortiori, when they Need a Reinforced Majority of 2/3, as well as a "Quorum" of Participants, etc...

Therefore, embattled Agramunt might have decided Not to Resign, (as he felt obliged to do, and really did Later-on, Today), but to seize such a Chance for, eventually, defeating that controversial threat to be dismissed by critics.


It's true that PACE's Rules, normally require for the concerned National Parliament to send to the CoE the List of its MPs, asking for their Accreditation, at least "1 Week" Earlier, according to the Rules. But this goes Only "IF Possible", i.e. it's Not an absolute Obligation.


Moreover, that UnPrecedented, initial Harassment that Faced Agramunt as PACE's President, former Chairman of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group, since the Spring 2017, after Visiting Syria, (Together with the Chairman of the Liberal Group, the Head of PACE's Legal/Human Rights Committee;, and Other Top MEPs from various Countries), to Meet there the Syrian President Assad, transported by a Russian AirPlane thanks to his Russian Collegues, MEPs from the Duma and Long-Time former PACE Members, (even if he Later presented his Excuses, for not having previously Warned the Assembly), seemed Less and Less Controversial, as things Evolved Recently :

F.ex., New French President Macron, has notoriously declared, last June in Brussels, that an eventual Peace  Deal with Assad, could be an Option, since "Nobody said yet Who might be his Successor", as he put it, (obviouly pointing at the Fact that he had Started to Win that War against Islamist Terrorist armed gangs)...


And the recent Death of Historic German former Long-Time Chancellor Helmut Kohl, spectacularly Honored by Many Europêan and International Leaders, etc, last July 2017 at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, (See "Eurofora"s NewsReport from the spot, at:...), Reminded the Fact that he had, notoriously Criticized some controversial attempts to Isolate Russia, (f.ex. its Exclusion from the "G8" Summits, modified into "G7" Summits, etc), as Contrary to Europe's best interests, already Since the Publication on 2015 of his Book "Out of Concern for Europe", (presented together with EU Commission's President, Jean-Claude Juncker).

 

The Warm Welcome, by Chancellor Angie Merkel, just a few Days later-on at the G20 Summit in Hamburg, of the 1st and exceptionaly Long, Meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin, and New USA President Don Trump, (See "Eurofora"s NewsReport from the "G20", at: ...), also Helped Open a New Horizon.


As for that too Long recent Series of Deadly Islamist Terrorist Attacks, cowardly Targetting innocent Civilian People, throughout all Europe, Canada, USA, and Other areas in the World, naturally Stimulated the Consciousness of the Need for a Rapprochment to Russia in a Joint Fight to put an End to ISIS a.o.


Even the latest German Elections, at the End of September 2017, by Boosting mainly 2 Parties notoriously Opposed to Cold War-Mongering against Russia and/or attacks against Assad's elected Government in Syria, (the Rightists of "AfD" and the Centrist "Liberals"), obviously Added in that same Direction, (as also the Forthcoming Austrian Elections may do).

For all those reasons (and more, without Time to develop now), it's Not Only PACE's Legal/Human Rights Committee's Criticism against a too Hasty Adoption of an Unpecedented ("a posteriori") Mechanism for Destitution of PACE's Presidents, last June, which makes really feel, that, all that Big Fuss and Harsh Harassment against Spain's Agramunt, looked, more and more, Excessive and, particularly, ... Out-Dated !


+ A Fortiori Today, in the Middle of October 2017, when arrived the Last PACE Plenary Session of Agramut's normal Presidential mission, (who was due, at any case, to pass the hand to a Successor at the Next PACE Plenary Session, on January 2017:


=> What was the use for all that Fuss, until Now, so Late ? What might be the Real Reason for Insisting to Attack so Hard, even withOut cystal-clear, nor Sufficient Justifications, and with Questionable and contested Methods, a veteran European Politician who had argued that he was Trying to Help for concord with Russia and Peace in Syria, (and was scheduled to leave soon, anyway) ?


Even his eventual Successor (as Initially Scheduled : from January 2018), Chairman of the Socialist Group, Italian MEP Michele Nicoletti, both when he spoke earlier to "Eurofora", already since June, (See: ...), and Now, through an Important Report that he will present Next Week at the October 2017 PACE Session, clearly Indicates that Time might have probably come, to Find a way to boost CoE's Unity and Peace by eventually bringing Russian MEPs back in CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly, particularly if they agree so together with CoE's Highest Political body : its Committee of Ministers, (where Moscow still remains fully and actively represented, since 1996).

It's true that, Meanwhile, Russian Authorities had felt obliged, de facto, to ask for a consequent Change of CoE Assembly's Rules of Procedure, able to Guarantee that accredited MEPs from CoE's Member States won't be Threatened anew by so Harsh Threats for too Heavy "Sanctions", such as, f.ex., Exclusion from PACE's Top Governing Bodies, "Freezing" of their Voting Rights, etc. Pending that, they also recently, withheld, for the 1st Time in History, the 2/3 of the Funds that Moscow regularly Paid to the CoE since 1996, as one of its Biggest Payers.

But, according to various converging sources, it seems that one or another Practical Deal, mutually acceptable for a workable Solution, might be Not Excluded a priori Nowadays. Particulary in view of an eventually Forthcoming New CoE's PanEuropean Summit of Heads of State/Government, (the Only one Since its 2005 Summit in Warsaw, under Polish Chairmanship of the CoE : Comp. "Eurofora" co-Founder's NewsReports, published then at "TCWeekly", from Warsaw), possibly on 2009, i.e. prepared under France's Chairmanship, (as back on 1997's CoE Summit in Strasbourg : Comp. our NewsReports from that event, ibid).


Why, then, some Exceptionally Wasted so much Energy and Time, in Destabilizing the Out-going PACE President, Spanish MEP Pedro Agramunt, former Chairman of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group, (that some might Attempt to Weaken) ?    

Placed by Facts in front of such an Unprecedented and uselessly Harsh (also for the Human Persons involved) Mystery, all that makes Wonder :


- Was it, perhaps, (at least Partly), because, by another Surprizing "Coincidence",  all that Fuss obviously Risking to Destabilize, these days, Agramunt's ChristianDemocrat/EPP Political Group (the Biggest in PACE), curiously Culminated Exactly around the Same  PACE Plenary Session, Next Week in Strasbourg, during which is also due to be Debated and Voted even a Controversial Report and Resolution on the Most "Hot" Bio-Ethical Issue in Our Times' Society ?


>>> I.e. that of "Genetic" Manipulations on Human Beings, which notoriously raises Serious Concerns for all Humanity...


Indeed, PACE scheduled that for Thursday Afternoon, (i.e. just after an Exceptionally Important Meeting between MEPs' Leaders, and COE's Highest Political body: its Committee of Ministers, due to Deal also with relations of the PanEuropean Organisation with Russia, in the foreseable Future).


It's well known, indeed, that ChristianDemocrat/EPP MEPs used to be, traditionally, among the Stronger Defenders of BioEthical Values, (Together with seveal "Conservatives", but elso Original, Historic "Greens", not so much recently, and Various Other Exceptional Individual Personalities).


As for Many Other MEPs among the Socialists, Liberals, Leftists, etc, (recently appearing often less regarding on such BioEthical matters, rightfully or wrongly), do they really Ignore Today, that certain World-Famous, Historic Writers, such as, f.ex., Aldus Huxley and G.H.Wells, etc, who have notoriously launched some among the Strongest Warnings on BioEthical Issues, in fact, initially, used to be among their Best Forgotten Friends (in Humanity) ?