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Home arrow newsitems arrow CoE Assembly SG Sawicki to EuroFora: Debate on Ukraine with Ante-Feb.2014 MEPs

CoE Assembly SG Sawicki to EuroFora: Debate on Ukraine with Ante-Feb.2014 MEPs

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Written by ACM
Friday, 20 June 2014
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*Strasbourg/CoE/Angelo Marcopolo/- While a crucial PanEuropean Assembly Plenary Session starts next week in Strasbourg, which might offer the only public debates on the Tragic Humanitarian situation and other New Developments in Eastern Ukraine are due to be debated, just before a probably decisive EU Brussels Heads of State/Government Summit, the National Delegation of Ukraine would normally have the same Composition of MEPs, as it already did before the recent, 21 February 2014, violent shift of Power at Kiev, following a non-elucidated yet Deadly "Snipers" incident curiously killing both Policemen and Demonstrators : Simply because, as long as a New Election has not yet taken place, the Rada's President  cannot appoint a New Delegation of MEPs before January 2015, experienced PACE Secretary General,  Woijeck Sawicki, replied to a relevant "EuroFora"s Question.   

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             It's true that new Ukranian President Petro Poroshernko reportedly wants to have New Elections the soonest possible, and many MEPs reportedly supported such a move, he observed.


Poroshenko has been invited by PACE's President Anne Brasseur to come Strasbourg next Thursday, on his road towards the forthcoming EU Summit at Ypres/Brussels, and his official reply is reportedly awaited with interest by the PanEuropean Organisation at any moment now, given the Topical interest that have Today this and other interrelated issues on the Ukraine Crisis.


But for a New Election to be organized, Ukraine needs a New Electoral Code, as well as to broker a deal with Dissidents on Constitution's draft Amendments, which are notoriously a Key in achievng a Political Compromise in negociations between the Kiev Authorities and Dissidents at South-Eastern Ukraine Regions, Sawicki explained in substance. =
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Next week, from 23 to 27 June 2014, it will be the First Time since the mid-April Kiev's Military Attacks started to be systematically launched against the Dissident Regions of Donetsk and Luhansk at Eastern Ukraine, that CoE's PanEuropean Parliamentary Assembly is due to convene in Strasbourg with the Political Composition of the Ukranian Delegation which had been Elected before the February 21, 2014 violent power-shift in Kiev, some of those MEPs being Members of former President Yanukovych's "Party of Regions", while others might even be originating from the Donetsk or Luhansk areas...

If, back at the Begining of April, nearly all present Ukranian MEPs, with a few exceptions, seemed to back in principle Kiev's stance on the controversy of Crimea's Popular Referendum and ReUnification with Russia, apparently accros obvious Nationalistic lines, on the contrary, now, it's not obvious what stance will really keep everyone among Ukranian MEPs, vis a vis the Different issue of Kiev's Military reportedly Destroying inhabited Civilian areas inside Ukraine, wounding and Killing many Civilian Ukranian People, even defenseless Women, Elders and Children, until June included.

In consequence, any more Delay in Peace Negociations might push things towardds even more Sufferings and provoke unwanted Negative Repercussions, both inside >Ukraine itself and elsewhere throughout all Europe, given particularly the dangerous Tensions provoked thus vis a vis Russie.

Meanwhile, after several other Personalities, including even new Pope Francis, (Comp. :......................), it's also the new President of CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, former Chairwoman of the Liberal Group of MEPs, Anne Brasseur from Luxembourg, who voiced recently her"Great Concern" mainly for the "Humanitarian consequences", citting, f.ex., the recent "Killing of 2 (Russian) Journalists in a (Kiev's Military) Mortar Attack".


Concerning further Civilian Victims, she observed, among others, f.ex., that "there are now reports of a steady stream of IDPs and Refugees seeking to escape the conflict", as well as  reports of abductions, hostage taking of Children, civilians and OSCE monitors and allegation of Atrocities being leveled at All sides", she  denounced.     
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         On the Military front, Brasseur added f.ex. other "49 (Kiev Army Soldiers) killed when a (Military) Plane was Shot down" at Donetsk's closed Airport, during Armed Clashes, (precisely there where, earlier, more than 51 Dissident Militants had also been Killed by Kiev's Military), while, according to various Reports, many Hundreds of Armed Fighters have already been Killed from both sides during Armed confrontations.     

 
=> "All sides must step back from the brink, show restraint and avoid provocation", CoE Assembly's President stressed in this regard, warning that there should " be No misunderstanding of the Seriousness of the situation" in general.


>>> In fact, "we Need" both "a Political ¨Breakthrough to Stop Violence", and ". "to Tackle the Worsening Humanitarian Consequences", Anne Brasseur urged.


        -----------


However, if CoE's Parliamentary Assembly Debates next week at least on the tragic Humanitarian situation of the Dissident areas' Civilian Populations, since the Kiev Military's Destructive and Deadly, systematic Attacks, obviously, everybody will wonder how on earth Strasbourg's PanEuropean organisation might cope to keep an elementary "Balanced" and/or "Pluralist" stance, while having practically outcasted all Russian MEPs, (by Suspending their Voting Rights AND Rights of Pärticipation to PACE's 47overning bodies) particularly after a Controversial Amendment adopted only by a Minority of participating Voters last April 2014, (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/coeminorityamendmentpushesrussianmepsout.html ) ?...                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           

 

(../..)

 

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 imag0972_400


    Scientific innovation joined to Faith for Human Rights, Eastern Partnership and fight against the Crisis, but above all, the need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" from EU Citizens, are the main priorities for new EU Parliament's President, Polish Jerzy Buzek, that a 555-votes-strong majority of MEPs on July 14,  Strasbourg made a living symbol of the fact that, 20 years after the fall of Berlin Wall (1989 - 2009) there is no more an Eastern or Western Europe, but only one Europe, as the head of the largest group of MEPs, ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Joseph Daul, stressed after the event.

    Speaking later to a group of Strasbourg's Journalists, including "EuroFora", the new EU Parliament's President clarified his stance on concrete topical issues, as f.ex. that of Turkey's controversial EU bid, which was one of the main issues of the June 2009 Electoral campain, clearly won by his party of ChristianDemocrats/EPP :  - "At present, Turkey does not fullfil none of EU conditions", he stressed, (See infra).

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    Buzek is well known in Strasbourg and to "EuroFora" as EU Rapporteur for the Framework Program of Scientific Research and Development of Technologies. A Natural Science Professor from the Historic and Religious landmark Polish City of Częstochowa, active in the famous Solidarnosk grass-roots social movement, he served 4 years as Prime Minister (1997-2001), before being elected as MEP in 2004 and 2009, after he brillantly won the latest EU Election at the head of his party (EPP) almost doubling the number of its MEPs from 15 to 28 !

    - "Innovation" and "Energy safety", as well as fight against the "Cimat change", but also "Eastern Partnership", the "Mediterranean", "Strategic partnerships" with Russia, the USA, etc, and the search for "solutions to the Economic Crisis" that EU Citizens "expect" from us, will be his "priorities", announced from the outset the new EU Parliament's President, reminding also that the quest for "Human and Civic Rights" played an important role in his experience with the Solidarnosc grass-roots social movement in Poland's History

    But, the most important of all, is the urgent need to overcome the "Crisis of Trust" between EU Institutions and the People he stressed : - EU "Citizens often don't understand us", denounced Buzek, launcing a call to "do anything for EU Citizens to understand our work" in EU Parliament : "We (MEPs) need to make EU Citizens involved" in "what we are doing every week, in Strasbourg and Brussels", he proposed. Pointing f.ex. to the hot "Debates" with "strong arguments" exchanged between MEPs during the preparation of their Legislative Decisions, in Committees, delivering often hard struggles between initially opposed points of view, long before forging a majority at the final vote, sometimes more than a year..

    Therefore, EU Parliament will be "open to your criticism, for discussion and exchange of views", he promissed to Journalists in Strasbourg.

    In this way, Buzek, in fact, highlighted "EuroFora"s main idea, that we strongly advocate since 1997-2007, to systematicaly and actively involve EU Citizens in public debates during the decision-making process of important EU measures, which affect their lives and the society in which they live, (and not only just a few weeks each 4 or 5 Years at the eve of EU Elections)...
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    This is related also to the symbolic gift that Buzek chose to give to the out-going former EU Parliament's President, Hans Gert Poettering, (2007-2009), his collegue in the ChristianDemocrats/EPP, who brillantly won 2009 EU Elections in Germany : A genuine statute of sainte Barbara crafted in Silesia's black Coal by Polish Miners : Those simple but strong people who fought for social change against some technocrats and bureaucrats disguissed into so-called "real-socialists" of old times. (PHOTO).

    It's enough to have seen a popular open air mass, at Warsaw's center, with many thousands of people, old and young, simple workers and intellectuals mixed together, with references to Poland's history and struggles for survival and liberty, through various ages, (as fex. that organized at the eve of CoE's 2005 panEuropean Heads of State and Government for the beatification of late Pope John-Paul II), in order to understand what such symbols mean..

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    But, overcoming the "Crisis of Trust" with EU Citizens obviously implies also to rectify any errors done in the past, fex. on Turkey's controversial EU bid, with controversial decisions taken in 1999 and 2004 to give a "candidate" status and to start EU negotiations, provoking an unprecedented series of 3 "No" to EuroReferenda and 3 Majoriy Abstentions in EU Parliament Elections : 1999, 2005 and 2009, (even if the latest one succeeded to decelerate and almost stop the drop of participation rates, opening hopes for vote's revival after an electoral campaign clearly critical to Turkey's claims in several mainstream EU countries)
    
    Therefore, Buzek was faced with manifold critical Questions on EU Enlargement, most of them citting concrete examples of certain political problems  :  But his replies were almost always given as a matter of general principle :

    F.ex. Questioned on the suspension of EU - Croatia talks because of a Border conflict with EU Member Slovenia, Buzek prefered to speak about principles :

- "We know that during Enlargement, the process can be blocked by failure to resolve this kind of issues",  This concerns also other enlargments' cases", and "these rules are always in force" he warned.


But Buzek avoided to directly reply to a queston on "French and German EPP' calls to define the Borders of Europe", as a German journalist asked him by making a reference to French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and German Chancellor Angie Merkel's, critical statements on Turkey at the June 2009 Electoral campain.    

- "Concerning Enlargement, there's always the same rules : There have to be Criteria, which have to be respected if a Country wants to join the EU", he started to simply reply.

- "For my country (Poland) it took us 15 Years to fullfil these Criteria", Buzek reminded, indicating, if proportions are kept, that Turkey, fex. would have to spend some 25 years before eventually joining the EU..

- "Countries wishing to join the EU need to Change their Systems", as we (Poland and other former Eastern European Countries) did, he stressed.

- "'For me, meeting the condition of Human Rights is one of the Key conditions for membership in the EU", preferring again to speak from the point of view of General Principles, on the occasion of an untimely question on Serbia (which is not even a candidate yet)...

- "Turkey" has, "first of all", to fullfil (EU) Copenhagen criteria". Bevause, currently, none of them is fullfiled by Turkey", New EU Parliament's President, denounced, speaking later to a group of Journalists, including "EuroFora".

buzek_close_a_400 

In particular, on Human Rights :  - "We (EU) can never forget Human Rights", because "this is at the very Foundations of the EU", Buzek added.

On the contrary, when he referred to EU Enlargment for the  "Western Balkans Countries ", Buzek appeared upbeat, finding "promising situations", despite "difficulties" in the Past, since "Countries are queuing to become EU members", and this "generated changes", as he said.

As for Russia, Buzek observed that it was a "very important" country, located "in the same Continent", Europe,  "close to our borders", and "we need eachother". "But Russia' has 'differend poblems : "They claim that their system is Democratic, but rules are differend", and we must be "aware of such differencies", fex. "on Human Rights", that we can't ignore, as he said;

Concerning China, where a journalist observed that the recipient of EU Parliament's latest "Sakharov prize" for freedom of thought is "still in prison", Buzek found that since the 1999 events in Tien Amin square, "we see differencies on Human Rights still today", and expressed his "support" for those who try to ameliorate the situation.

On the contrary, speaking recently to "EuroFora" he strongly supported the idea for an EU - Ukraine cooperation, fex. between Airbus and Antonov, in order to build a  less costly but more performant than the old and problematic A400M, new Military Transport Airplane : - "They (Ukranian Antonov Company) can certainly do it. I'm sure they can. It's a good Idea, and I'd be glad if it was done", he told us. (See : http://www.eurofora.net/newsflashes/news/airbusantonov.html )


(../..)

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