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Juncker aims Impetus on Reforms+Minsk Deal in EU-Ukraine Summit his Spokespersons tell EuroFora
Juncker aims Impetus on Reforms+Minsk Deal in EU-Ukraine Summit his Spokespersons tell EuroFora

*Angelo Marcopolo/- New EU Commission's President, experienced long-time Prime Minister of Luxembourg and €uroArea's Chairman, a profoundly pro-European ChristianDemocrat/EPP political leader, Jean-Claude Juncker, who currently heads for Tomorrow's EU - Ukraine Summit at Kiev, where he's due to meet together with President Poroshenko, Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, joined also by EU Council's President Tusk, and EU High Representative for External Action Mogherini, etc, "Hopes to stir Impetus" in much needed Reforms and Minsk Peace Deal's implementation, crucial both for the Country and for Peace and Development throughout all Europe, told in substance to "EuroFora" his Spokespersons Nathalie Bertaud and Aamenn Predergast, speaking of the 1st Euro-Ukranian Summit since the signature of the EU Association agreement last year in Brussels, a controversy over which had initially given pretext for the beginning of the 2013-2014 clashes in the embattled Country, which had, until now, also a Strategic importance for EU's Energy supplies from Russia's abundant Gas resources, at least before a recent attempt by Turkey to take over the Moscow - EU Gas Transit towards the Balkan region's EU Countries, etc, after 2019.
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+ Juncker is also the Keynote Speaker who will open a crucial "International Support for Ukraine Conference", next Day, on Tuesday Morning, at Kiev, where he will be joined by EU Council's President, former Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk, as well as USA vice-President Joe Biden, etc., before arriving to Strasbourg, on Tuesday Afternoon, during EU Parliament's Plenary Session, where we will address the MEPs at Wednesday Morning's Plenary, on the outcome and the follow-up of the latest EU Brussels' Summit of last Thursday, April 23.
This is expected to be an Important move for further developments, inter alia, also since the above-mentioned Conference has practically succeeded to a long-awaited, initially entitled "Donors' Conference" mainly for Economic Support to Ukraine, just after EU's High Representative for External Action, Federica Mogherini had recently stressed in Kiev that the EU - Ukraine relationship started to reach the level of EU Funding linked to Reforms. Something that the latest official EU Heads of State/Government's Summit in Brussels already clearly evoked in its Conclusions, f.ex. by supporting a "Conditional IMF Aid to Ukraine", (etc).
German Chancelor Angie Merkel has already pledged to offer a low interest Loan of more than 500 Millions € for the much-needed Reconstruction of Eastern Ukraine, where the 2014-2015 Armed Clashes, since the Kiev's Military Attacks against the Donetsk/Luhansk Autonomists, have notoriously provoked a reportedly fast growing Humanitarian Tragedy affecting Millions of People in that area : Something which has also been included in the latest Minsk Agreements for Peace in Ukraine, and for which special "Contact Groups" including all sides of the Conflict is reportedly now in the process of being prepared, f.ex. in Humanitarian and/or Economic Reconstruction issues recently.
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>>> Among the "Hotest" Political issues concerning the Eastern Ukraine Conflict, currently are, mainly, the DeCentralisation of Power Reforms, as well as the "Dialogue" between Kiev's Government and Donetsk/Luhansk's Autonomists both on DeCentralisation and on the "Burning" issues of the forthcoming Local Elections, due around October 2015, to be followed by the question of Borders, etc. In addition, Moscow's Strange recent U-Turn towards droping its "Blue Stream" Pipeline, initially scheduled via the Black Sea to Bulgarian, Greece, etc., in order to replace it with a controversial ... Turkey-related Pipeline, (due to followe afterwards through Greece, etc), which might take over all Russian Gas transport towards the EU, so that the Ukranian Transit pipeline could be Closed after 2019, has added another Puzzle for the New EU Commission, (mainly due, as President Putin has noted several times, to the Previous, Baroso Commission's reluctance vis a vis Russia).
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Political Dialogue and/or Economic Reconstruction of the War-stricken areas of Eastern Ukraine, sometimes take certain unexpected Dimensions, touching also upon various Other, apparently Reform-related Issues in Ukraine, from which, only a Well-Informed and Careful Eye could Distinguish them :
F.ex., recently, an unprecedented Clash of the Ukranian Government with one among Ukraine's rich pro-Kiev Oligarchs, Kolomodoi, who had even been appointed as Regional Governor, and used to fund a Private Army against Donetsk/Luhansk's Autonomists, reportedly coincided with a suggestion that Kiev would better Negotiate with the Dissidents in order to facilitate a sustainable Peace... Meanwhile, another Tension between Kiev and another Business Oligarch, Akhmetov, (owner of Mines, etc), was noted these Days. Achmetov is reportedly paying his Workers who are partly located inside the Donetsk/Luhansk Autonomist Regions, against which Kiev has recently imposed a quasi-Total Financial and Economic Blockade, (including even Civilian People's Salaries, Pensions, Poor's Social Allowances, and even their own Money entrusted in Ukranian Banks, as well as the Closure of all Public Services, such as Posts, Hospitals, etc). Donetsk's Autonomist Leader Zacharenko and others would have reportedly revealed recently that Mariopol, the Strategic Seaport City of South-Eastern Ukraine, wasn't seized by a succesful counter-Offensive of the Donetsk/Luhansk's milicia, at the End of last August - beginning of September 2014, also because it was used by Achmetov in order to Export and Sell legaly his products, (according also to Anti-Russia Media, English language Media "KievPost").
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- However, as Juncker's Press Spokespersons told "EuroFora", even if "it's quite Sure" that at least the above-mentioned "DeCentralisation" Reform "will be Discussed by the New EU Commission's President with his Ukranian interlocutors, (President Pososhenko and Prime Minister Yatsenyuk, etc), nevertheless, given that Tomorrow's Summit has been prepared by quite frequent, "Regular Meetings" in Brussels, it's probably "All" the wide spectrum of "EU - Ukraine issues", which "are expected to be discussed" from Monday at Kiev.
- I.e., f.ex. "Reforms issues, Energy Issues, etc", (while, already, EU Commission has made a really Helpful Mediation between Russia and Ukraine, as far as Kiev's Gas Supplies are concerned, as it was reminded).
- "But, obviously, at this moment,; what is more at Focus is Implementation of the Minsk Agreements", (i.e. related to the Military and now Political aspects of the Peace process), that are expected to be certainly Discussed" at this EU - Ukraine Summit.
+ We can't yet say which one among such Political issues might be more, or less Discussed now, but, at least, as far as it concerns the Reforms, Progres on Constitutional Reforms, Decentralisation of course, Fight against Corruption, Justice's Reform, Restructuring of the Heavy Industy sector, Improvement of the Business' climate, Gas Market Law, etc, all these issues, they will be certainly discussed", some of them "for the 1st time", Jucnker's Press Spokepersons told "EuroFora".
Meanwhile, as far as it concerns the Constitutional Reforms, according to CoE's Venice Commission President, Gianni Buquicchio, at elast éthe part related to DeCentralisationn should have presented a Draft at the latest on June 2015, in order to have enough Time to be Ready for the Crucial Local Elections of October 2015, due to be followed, later-on, by an agreeméent on Borders' Monitoring, etc, as he said recently in Strasbourg, replying to Questions at CoE's Congress of Local/Regional Authorities.
- In fact, even if all "the Political issues will be Discussed", nevertheless, "for the Commission, the Focus will be on Reforms" probably, while "the (EU) Council (i.e. President Tusk, who will join Juncker later-on at kiev) might, perhaps, focus more on Political and Security issues".
=> At any case, Tomorrow, Monday, after a Working lunch, there will be a Joint Declaration, and a Press Conference is cheduled at Kiev, around 4 o'clock in the Afternoon".
- Even if "it's not for a Short Meeting of only 1 Day to reinvent the Wheel on issues which are Regularly Discussed" at Expert's level in Brussels, etc,, nevertheless, such "High-Level meetings at the Top may give some Impetus to tbe Discussions",
Juncker's Spokespersons concluded, speaking to "EuroFora" at the eve of th at Crucial EU - Ukraine Summit, for the 1st time after the signature of the EU Association Agreement, and while Minsk Peace Deal's implementation still has an obviously Crucial Importance and an overall impact on the forthcoming developments.
And, as President Jean-Claude Juncker himself has recently said to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg, during one of his visits to EU Parliament, in reply to a Question about the Ukraine conflict, "Investments for Peace, are the Best Investments of all"...
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***
("DraftNews", as already send to "EuroFora"s Subscribers/Donors, earlier.
***
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Hu Jia's prize brings SAKHAROV's wife to "EuroFora" on murders of Journalists Politkofskaya, Gongadze and Adali :
- Elena Bonner : "All Journalists' murders must be fully investigated", without Double Standards.
During a special Mega-Event to celebrate 20 Years of SAKHAROV Prize for "Freedom of Thought", attributed in 2008 by EU Parliament to jailed Chinese Cyber-Dissident Hu JIA, the move was reinforced by strongly criticizing the persisting impunity in three cases of Journalists' Murders, such as POLITKOVSKAYA in Russia, GONGADZE in Ukraine, and ADALI in Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus.
Any bureaucratic doubt about whether Cyber-dissidents like Hu JIA might have, or not, a right to be protected as all Journalists must be, particularly when they take risks to search, find and publish original and critical News on issues of general interest to the society, could not resist to the emotion provoked by the message of his Wife, Zeng JINYAN spectacularly transmitted at a big screen in EU Parliament's hemicycle :
- "The most important and most interesting thing he did was to ... say the Truth :.. to write about the phenomena he observed... He never stopped Publishing.. on websites, so that the Public could learn about the reality .. and understand it. In my view, this has been his greatest contribution", stressed the young wife of the jailed man, eager to cite also the cases of other critical journalists who faced various kinds of "harassment".
- "Welcoming all those who have suffered for defending Human Rights", EU Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING, who had invited to Strasbourg all former Sakharov prize-winners from various Countries throughout the World, said that "China needs Europe, and Europe needs China : A great nation" with which "we want to have a good relationship", "association and ..friendship". "But we are never going to stop our fight for Human Rights, and No Government can expect this from us".
- "It's impossible to achieve goals of Peace, if Human Rights are left out. In fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.
It's in this spirit that MEPs adopted, on Thursday, a Resolution denouncing that "the criminal
investigation and trial following the murder of (a) Journalist ...raises serious concerns with regard to transparency and respect for the rule of law", when a "brutal killing has not yet been fully investigated and solved in a satisfactory way".
The text refered to dissident Journalist "Anna POLITOVSKAYA", a critic of Tchechen conflict, killed some years ago in Moscow, where Russian Authorities have found, arrested and are currently judging two executants, while also searching to arrest also a 3rd one, allegedly escaped in Belgium. But they have not yet found the instigators.
Similar texts were adopted recently also on dissident Ukranian Journalist Georgiy GONGADZE's murder, for which Ukranian Authorities have at least found, arrested and condemned 2 executants to 12 and 13 Years of jail, but not yet the instigators. For that purpose, they recently accepted an International Experts team to participate to the investigations.
But, it's only for the Murder of dissident Turkish Cypriot Journalist ADALI, in the occupied territories of Cyprus, that Turkey has NOT yet found ANYONE responsible, and even claimed recently inside CoE that it would be "impossible" to do so !
These astonishing differences exist despite the fact that ECHR condemned alike Ukraine and Turkey with 2 Judgements on the same year : 2005, for the murders of Journalists GONGADZE and ADALI, strong critics of Corruption in Ukraine, and of Ankara's policies on mass-influx of Turkish Settlers in the Occupied Territories of Cyprus, respectively.
Regarless of that, CoE's Committee of Ministers, who is entrusted with the duty to supervise execution of ECHR's judgements, has just asked Ukraine's Government to reply to further questions on Gongadze's murder before March 2009, while Turkey, curiously, got a longer postponement for answering questions on Adali's murder, until June...
A comparison of these cases, raises serious questions about Double Standards :
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On TRANSPARENCY :
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On Gongadze's murder, CoE's body speaks even about the participation of
"an INTERNATIONAL group of Experts" in the Investigation, (f.ex. of "Tape Recordings"), accepted by Ukraine.
On the contrary, on Adali's murder, CoE is obliged to repeatedly ask (for a 2nd
time) Turkey whether, at least, it informed the victims' Family, or not...
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- On EFFICIENCY :
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On Gongadze's murder, CoE formally "recalls that the Committee (of Ministers) ..URGED the Ukranian authorities.. to TAKE ALL NECESSARY INVESTIGATIVE STEPS TO ACHIEVE CONCRETE and VISIBLE RESULTS in the INVESTIGATION, aimed at the Identification of the INSTIGATORS and Organisers of the Murder", and "STRONGLY INVITED the Ukranian Authorities to provide information on the PROGRESS IN THE INVESTIGATION", before MARCH 2009.
But, on Adali's murder, on the contrary, CoE's body merely .. "took note" of the "arguments presented by" Cyprus, which denounce the absence of any proof of new "investigation" by Turkey. Following Turkey's own suggestion (!), it simply "noted" that there is "no limitation period" for "any new element" to "lead potentialy (sic !) to a Re-Opening of the Investigation". Without saying who might find any such "new" fact, since Turkey stoped searching... It also POSTPONED the issue until .. JUNE !
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- On the PUNISHMENT OF THOSE RESPONSIBLE :
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- On Gongadze's murder case, Ukranian Authorities already arrested and condemned, at least 2 suspects, to 12 and 13 Years of jail. And on Politkovskaya's murder at least 2 suspects are judged, and a 3rd one "wanted".
On the contrary, on Adali's murder case, the Turkish authorities simply claim that "it had not been possible to obtain new .. information .. on the basis of which criminal charges could be brought against ANY person" !...
Moreover, a LETTER sent by Turkey ...2 Years after CoE's 2006 call to re-investigate anew Adali's murder case, is totally EMPTY of Facts ! As Cypus' Delegation denounced earlier, Turkey's Letter ONLY CLAIMS that a "New Investigation" was made without any result, but does NOT even cite ANY FACT to prove it :
F.ex.,on the crucial issue of the "MOTIVATIONS" behind Adali's murder, noted by ECHR, Turkey MERELY CLAIMS that "all allegations were investigated; without result", but OMITS ANY FACT TO PROVE IT !..(It doesn't even remind which were these "allegations").. .
+ On ECHR's astonishment that the Turkish Occupation regime didn't produce any "BALLISTIC REPORT" on the Shots which murdered Adali, Turkey again repeats, 12 years later, that, still, even until now, "it was not possible to obtain the BalisticReport"...
- As for the astonishing absence of key-WITNESSES' Testimonies, denounced by ECHR, Turkey agains repeats various pretexts avoiding to reveal anything, (Fex. that a person "left" the Occupied Territories "on 2002", or that another witness was heard, but without revealing nothing of what he said, etc).
Turkey obviously "FAILS TO MEET THE CRITICISM made BY THE COURT" for lack of any efficient Investigation in Adali's case, concluded Cyprus' Government.
---------------------------------------------
Replying to our Question which COMPARED these 3 outstanding cases of "JOURNALISTS MURDERS", Adali, Gongadze and Politkovskaya, in order to avoid "Double Standards" by asking from Ukraine and Russia more than what is asked EU candidate Turkey, many European personalities were critical /
They criticised Ankara's recent claim at the CoE to stop investigating, because it would be "impossible to find anyone" responsible for the 5 bullet shots which killed Kutlu ADALI in front of his Family Home, contrary to the other two Journalists' murders, where Ukraine and Russia at least arrested the executants, searching now for the instigators :
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- "Where was that ? In Turkish Occupied Cyprus ? WITHOUT ANY DOUBT : Any murder of Journalist should be investigated in full ! All these Murders must be investigated !", replied the famous SAKHAROV's wife, Elena BONNER to our question on Adali's case, compared to Gongadze and Politofskaya.
Elena Bonner spoke us EXCLUSIVELY shortly after being honored by the President
of EU Parliament on the occasion of 20 Years of her husband's SAKHAROV Prize.
A strong personality, Sakharov's wife even had to struggle against an anonymous EU staffer who, astonishingly, tried to stop her speaking when h heard our question on "Turkey" (!) : - "Please, let me translate, she continues
speaking, don't stop us !", had to cry Sakharov's daughter, (a Journalist
herself), who was translating her mothers' reply, (obliged to speak louder to
make her voice heard despite the harassment).. (= + Audio Proof !)
Earlier, Elena Bonner also fustigated "Double Standards" at another case, on
Western countries' attitude vis a vis Kosovo and the Kurds : -F.ex. "You have
recognized a few 400.000 Kosovars as an "independent" country, but you still
deny that to 30 millions of Kurds in Turkey !", she denounced.
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- "This (ADALI's murder) is an issue which should be pursued by the Committee
for Human Rights. That's why we have one, and it's its duty to examine cases of
Journalists' murders as the one you referred to. You should bring the case in
front of that Committee", suggested in reply to our question on Adali, EU
Parliament's President, German MEP Hans Gert POETTERING.
- "It's impossible to achieve goals of PEACE, if HUMAN RIGHTS are left out :
in fact, Peace and Human Rights are intrinsequaly linked", added POETTERING.
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+ "For us (European/International Federation of Journalists) it's clear :
Whenever a Journalist is Murdered, the Investigation should continue until
those Responsible are found !", replied earlier to another question on ADALI
EFJ/IFJ's Secretary General, Aidan WHITE.
Speaking as a matter of General Principle, White asked us for "concrete data"
on the execution of ECHR's judgement on Adali case, in order to "look at it in
depth" and "make a formal statement", in comparison with the other Murdered
Journalist case, also pending at CoE's Ministers for completing its execution,
on Ukranian Gongadze.
----------------------------------------------------
From EU Rapporteur on Human Rights, vice-President of EU Parliament Liberties' Committee, MEP Giusto CATANIA, we were told that, since there is an ECHR judgement in both Adali and Gongadge's cases, "Turkey must naturally execute the judgement and make a full and efficient investigation, until those responsible for the Journalist's murder are found and punished".
Even if "we (Catania's "EuroLeft" Group) support Turkey's EU perspectives, this does not mean that Ankara should not behave properly. On the contrary, it means that they have to meet tough conditions, particularly on Human Rights", was added on the occasion of Adali's murder case.
Moreover, "since you raise the issue of Mr. Adali's muder as a part of a Series of Journalist's murders, including fex. Gongadze, Politkovskaya, ao., tthen we (EU) could also act together with CoE's Commissioner on Human Rights, Thomas HAMMARBERG, it was suggested.
- "We (EU) must step up efforts against the problem of IMPUNITY : Real Peace cannot exist without Justice", stressed also this week at EU Parliament in Strasbourg, French Minister on Human Rights, Mrs Rama YADE.
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