

Cold War wind threatens to chill CoE's Winter Assembly : Turkey to replace Russia ?...

*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- Paradoxically, at the same time that Extremist Islamist Terrorism's Deadly Aggressions notoriously threaten all Europe and beyond, making at least all Chrisians' Unity a must, and at the Eve of the Liberation from Auschwitz NAZI Concentration Death Camp, achieved mainly thanks to Historic Sacrifices by the Russian People's victorious Army, then allied to the West, while now COE's PanEuropean Assembly had scheduled to, at last, debate and vote on a long-awaited Report denouncing the Catastrophic "Humanitarian situation" of many Millions of Russian-speaking Civilian Population at the Autonomist Regions of Donetsk/Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine, after more than 8 Months of Deadly and Destructive Military Attacks by Kiev's Army with Heavy Weapons, (Tanks, Military Helicopters, Shelling, Rockets, Bombing Airplanes, etc), at the very moment that the scheduled Return of Russian MEPs to Strasbourg since last April 2014's controversial PACE vote which, pushed by a Minority of MEPs, had imposed more Sanctions to them than initialy expected, (See f.ex. : ....), provoking their Departure and many Months of Violent Deadly Conflict in Ukraine, that Russian Duma's President Naryshkin wanted to Mark now with his personal presence now in Strasbourg, inter alia, also in order to animate a Workshop around his recent offer to search Political Solutions to the Ukranian and other Conflicts between EU, COE and OSCE Parliamentarians, (etc), that some seem to push Turkey to practically take the place of Russia in the CoE !
Indeed, while Moscow is Threatened by some's reported attempts to challenge the Credentials of Russian MEPs at CoE's PanEuropean Assembly (PACE), again on pretext of the Ukranian conflict, on the contrary, Ankara searches, at the same time, to Augment the Number of Turkisn MEPs inside PACE from 12 to 18, aiming to reach the Maximum possible, i.e. the same Number as Russia, which not only is an Historically and Culturally European and developed Country, but has, nevertheless, more than the DOUBLE of Population : around 150 instead of about 70 Millions only...
To achieve that, Turkey reportedly offers to the COE to become what is called "Big Contributor" to the Organisation's Budget, as Russia, Germany, etc., i.e. to pay approximately + 10 Millions € more than the 10 that it already pays until now. Such parallel and almost simultaneous moves, would practically result in a kind of ... "Buying" 1 more MEP at CoE's Assembly by Turkey at the Price of almost 1,5 Million each...
In fact, however, it would be even Cheaper than that for Ankara , because, according to CoE's internal rules, whoever becomes "Great Payer", gets also a Right to have much more among its Nationals appointed at various Posts and Jobs inside the CoE, (who are obviously Paid, quite important Salaries by Strasbourg's Organisation, and get a non-negligeable part of the PanEuropean Body's Decision-making Power) !
The Magnitude of the projected move results also from the Fact that the Number of Turkish MEPs hadn't been changed since 1977, despite CoE's Enlargement to Central and Eastern European Countries recently, up to and including Russia on 1996, which had Marked the End of the Cold War, the Fall of Berlin's Wall and Europe's ReUnification.
Notoriously, even the Participation of Turkey to the PanEuropean CoE, an Organization normaly destinated to include only European Countries, by Geography, History and Culture, in addition to some basic Democracy/Human Rights Standards, was due to Ankara's role inside NATO during the Cold war era...
Moreover, Ankara's notoriously Bad profile vis a vis Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, (which had even motivated a former Human Rights' Director to ask Turkey's expulsion from the CoE during the 1960ies, after the Brutal Killing of a Turkish Prime Minister by a Putchist Mob), inevitably pushed away, instead of attracting, whoever might be interested to develop mutually useful Cooperations with the CoE in Strasbourg.
However, despite more than 5.400 People already Killed, and 10.500 seriously Wounded, including many Civilians, mainly in the Autonomist Regions of Lugansk/Luhansk during more than 8 Months of Kiev's Army Military Attacks with Heavy Weapons, (Tanks, Military Helicopters, Shelling, Rockets, Bombing Airplanes, etc), it's only now, pretexting of a Tragedy which killed some 30 People at Mariupol, (City of the Russian-speaking Minority at the Donetsk Region, but controlled by Kiev's Military), that some, suddenly appear to Risk to push towards a new Cold War which would Divide anew Europe, by openly asking to "Isolate Russia", (as outgoing US President Barack Obama reportedly did now), and threatening to officially ask for even More Sanctions by CoE's Assembly, next week in Strasbourg. Something which provokes a Danger for an even Longer, and perhaps éHeavier Departure of Russian MEPs from the CoE, or even worse...
But, meanwhile, the Experience of the April 2014 PACE's earlier decision, (in fact imposed by a Minority of its Members : See....), to not only deprive Russian MEPs from their Right to Vote, but even Exclude them from CoE Assembly's Leading bodies, by provoking their Departure, didn't achieve nothing else, in fact, than to Divide politically anew Europe, and also started to adversely affect the European Economy, as even OECD's Chief, the experienced Angel Guria, recently told "EuroFora" : ....),
As for CoE itself, it practically Lost, until now, a big Chance to play its normal prominent Political and/or Legal standards' role, which was partially taken over by the OSCE from Vienna, etc.
And, instead of Peace, since April 2014, when the Russian MEPs were pushed Out of PACE, until recently, an unprecedented Deadly and Destructive Conflict emerged in Eastern Ukraine, where Kiev Army's systematic Military Attacks against the Autonomist Regions of Donetsk/Luhansk made more than 5.400 Dead and 10.500 Wounded People, including many Civilians, according to the latest UNO Data.
So that neither the recent recrudescence of Kiev's Heavy Military Attacks which re-started to kill even Civilian People, particularly at Donetsk and nearby Gorlova, etc., as even Russian President Vladomir Putin felt necessary to denounce himself recenty, nor the 30 People reportedly killed now in Mariupol, (a Russian-speaking Majority city in the Donetsk Region, but conquered by Kiev's Army which still Holds it), when a Missile reportedly fell less than 400 m from an Ukranian Military site Shelling the Autonomists, unfortunately aren't a surprise for anyone, despite some's attempts, Today, to .. discover for the 1st Time on January 2015 such Horrors, which, in fact, have been going on since April 2014...
In addition, regular Kiev Army's Attacks by Heavy Military Weapons, (such as Tanks, Helicopters, Shelling, Rockets, Bombing Airplanes, etc.), even against Civilian areas, have notoriously Damaged or Destroyed many Family Homes and Vital Infrastructures, (f.ex. Water, Electricity, Phone, Internet, Train, Hospitals, Schools, etc), Cutting too often the supplies needed by many Hundreds of Thousands of People, amidst a Population of 4,5 Millions there, provoking too many Sufferings, that a recent PACE's Report on the Humanitarian situaton at Eastern Ukraine, due to be debated and voted next week in Strasbourg,describes and denounces more or less accurately.
Obviously now Time has come to Stop all that awful Waste and Inhuman/Degrading Treatments, as well as Kilings even of innocent People who have already sufffered a lot, and this naturally requires a CoE able to boost real Dialogue for Peace among all main Actors, Ukraine and Russia included, instead of provoking even more Divisions in the European Continent, by perpetuating and aggravating Exclusions which risk to undermine CoE's Historic role for Europe's reUnification.
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("NDLR" : Partly Updated)
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EU Rapporteur on Enlargment Strategy, maistream German MEP Elmar Brok, speaking to "EuroFora", welcomed the proposal made earlier this week by French President Nicolas Sarkozy for the EU to"start Now Talks with Turkey to create a common Economic and Security area", instead of full Accession, at a period when Ankara looks more and more unfit and/or unwilling to respect EU conditions.
- "For Europe to have strong Political will, it must stop dilutiing itself in an endless Enlargement. It must have borders...Diversities enrich, on the condition that they don't undermine European Cohesion, and don't weaken EU Unity", Sarkozy stressed.
- "Countries like Turkey share a part of common destiny with Europe, with which they have a vocation to build a Privileged Relation, to be closely associated, but not to become Member of the EU" : "Noone respects his friends by telling them lies. Noone respects his friends by making them promises that will be never kept", he added.
That's why "we'd better start, from now, negotiating with Turkey to create a common Economic and Security area", Sarkozy proposed.
Significantly, the French President was repeatedly and largely applauded by EU citizens, 3 times, when he made the Turkey point, (strategically placed between Europe's "Political Will" and its cultural heritage, historically open to mutually enriching dialogue with all the World, but never diluted).
- "We could propose such a great ambition also to Russia, which must not be percieved as an Adversary of Europe, but as a Partner. Thus, we'd create a wide area, of more than 800 Million inhabitants, sharing the same Security, the same Prosperity", he concluded.

Sarkozy's move was anounced at the eve of a Franco-German Top meeting with Chancellor Angie Merkel in Berlin on Sunday, to jointly launch the EU Elections campain, after an EU Summit at nearby Prague, to launch a new kind of relations, called "Eastern Partnership", with neighboring countries such as Urkaine, Belarus, Moldova, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaidjan, etc, (to which Russia, reportedly, is not - and does not want to be - included).
As for Ukraine, which has already expressed her wish to join the EU in future, "Kiev will have a special place, and a very important role to play", replied earlier this week in Strasbourg, to an "EuroFora" question EU Chairman in office , Czech vice-Prime Minister Alexander Vodra.
- "This direction is more Realistic for Turkey than Accession negotiations", reacted immediately EU Parliament's Rapporteur for Enlargment Strategy, mainstream German MEP Elmar Brok, commenting Sarkozy's idea for "EuroFora"
Particularly "as far as it concerns the respect of EU Rules by both sides", he added, hinting at Turkey's now obvious inability and/or unwillingness to abide with EU Acquis, EU Commitments (fex. on Cyprus, etc), and European Democracy/Human Rights rules. (Comp. infra).
Brok added that, in his view, a similar proposal might be made also to Ukraine and other neighbouring Countries, regardless if they have, or not, a "European vocation". This would not necessarily mean that there couldn't be any accession prospects at all." for all the countries that might be included in this area, according to Brok. But it's preferable, particularly for Turkey, "because it's a more Realistic approach than full Membership".
On this point, Sarkozy's proposal, (which he'll share with German Chancellor Merkel), seems more crystal-clear.

- "Turkey does not fullfil EU Criteria, and will never fullfil EU Criteria" on Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law. "Some have been lying to Ankara, but we must tell the Truth, and have honest and close relations with her", said meanwhile to "EuroFora" on the same issue also the President of EU Parliament's largest Group of MEPs (ChristianDemocrats/EPP), Joseph Daul.
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"Hot" Debate at EU Parliament reveals CHANGE of mood towards "Suspension" of EU - Tukey talks.
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Earlier this week, many MEPs, and even some of those who were previously in favor of Turkey's controversial EU bid, strongly criticized the persistance and even aggravation of serious Human Rights violations in the country, that ECHR continues to "unanimously" condemn ":
- "After winning a big victory in the latest Local Elections, the pro-Kurdish party DTP almost doubled its Elected Mayors from 52 to 98", but afterwards "more than 400 politicians were thrown to Prison and prosecuted" by the Turkish Authorities, denounced on behalf of the ChristianDemocrat/EPP Group, Belgian MEP Frieda Brepoels.
At the same time, "more than 1.500 Children are closed in Turkish Prisons", she added. "What will the EU Commission do" against these facts ?
- "Turkey appears to be at greater Distance away from Copenhagen Criteria after 4 Years of accession Negotiations, than when they started !", denounced on behalf of the Liberal Group, German MEP Alexander Lambsdorf.
"On the central issue of Press Freedom, Critical Journalists face obstacles for their accreditation, others are prosecuted, condemned, fined and/or jailed, Media blocked or closed", he denounced.
- "EU Made 2 grave Mistakes with Turkey : To start accession negotiations, and to continue them", despite everything, criticized Dutch MEP Bastian Belder, on behalf of the Ind/Dem group.