CoE+EU Local Democracy watchdogs CLRAE+COR Heads Whitmore + Bresso to EuroFora on Ukraine Elections

 

Both  CoE's and EU's watchdogs on Local and Regional Democracy, CLRAE and COR's Presidents, Keith Whitmore and Mercedes Bresso, speaking to "EuroFora", stressed the importance for a  European Monitoring of Sunday's Elections in Ukraine on the spot, and pointed at its aftermath, in the middle of a fast-moving EU/CoE reform of legal structures, political interests and leaders' choices, whose real stakes will appear only with the results of today's activities in the forthoming few Months, even before Ukraine takes over CoE's rotating Chairmanship from May 2011.

Ukraine is currently involved in Trade and other negotiations with the EU, keeping the aim to progressively advance towards a closer, strategic partnership and/or an EU accession strategy, while also welcoming Russian Prime Minister Putin this week for important deals, and promissing to be a "trustworthy" and "stable" strategic transit country for gas Energy links between Russia and the EU, in the run up to a forthcoming EU - Ukraine Summit later this year.

It's so more important for this EU/CoE check of 2010 Ukranian Local Elections to be efficient, serious; balanced, just and fair, that extremely contrasting Press reports currently go from claims with gross insults against the Ukranian Government, condeming the vote as rigged and undemocratic even before it takes place, up to lenient assurances that almost all will be clean and proper...

Complicating things for Objective Observers, a Turkish lobby's notorious anxiety to find pretexts for a Controversial, too Expensive, too Long, (uselessly zig-zaging far away from Europe), and too Risky (exposed to Conflicts, Kurdish a.o., Earthquakes, Political Blackmails,  lack of sufficient Gas, etc), old Pipeline project pompously titled "Nabucco", has an obvious interest for Ukraine's EU - Russia Gas link to be seen as untrustworthy and couldn't really dislike some trouble up there...
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    It's in the middle of all those "hot" GeoPolitical factors, largely cited by numerous mainstream Media all over the World, from Europe up to the USA and even Australia, etc., that CLRAE's new President, Keith Whitmore, an experienced Brittish Liberal representative from Manchester, gave to "EuroFora" an Interview on several Topical issues, including the forthcoming Ukranian Elections :

    - "It's a very Important" Mission for  "for the Congress" of Local and Regional Authorities of Europe (CLRAE), stressed from the outset its new President.

    - "Ukraine has gone through much Changes, for Democracy, during the recent Years", observed Whitmore.

    - "Most were for Progress, but there have been some Backward Steps as well", the experienced Head of CoE's watchdog for Local/Regional Democracy  carefully warned.

    - "We (CLRAE) have a very distinct Role to make sure that we teach the New Democracies on the track of Democracy : That is very important. "Sometimes we don't give sufficient help to some of the new democracies, to get their democracy to flourish", he added, referring mainly to the former Central-Eastern European Countries, many of whom have become, meanwhile, also EU Members.

    - But, keeping for the moment away from directly Political  issues, Whitmore prefered to cite an example in needs for "Training" :  - "F.ex., in my own country, (the UK), with Local Politicians,  we have Local Improvement Agencies,  to assist Counsellors in the way they work. But, we don't do that effectively, I think, in some of the New Democracies. I always felt very strongly that we need that kind of Training" : F.ex. - "We need counsellors to speak, to actually put forward what their needs are, and I've seen situations where Counsellors have spoken to Government Ministers, and haven't been able to put forward the case themselves that they need to put. And that kind of training, f.ex. when you have to speak to Ministers, to focus on what you want, particularly when these things are on Negotiation, and the talents (skills) of negotiation, are very important". Therefore, "Yes, I agree", that we (CLRAE) could develop something accross these lines in cooperation with the EU, as "EuroFora" suggested, Whitmore concluded as a matter of a general orientation.
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    Keith Whitmore personally has an extensive, recent Experience on Politically "delicate" issues, as former President of CLRAE's "Institutional" Committee, and was  the man chosen in 2010 in order to start Monitoring also the obscure but obviously important issue of a large Number of Kurdish elected Mayors and Regional Counsellors (including 2 former CLRAE Members) who were arrested shortly after winning the 2009 Local/Regional Elections in Turkey, closed to Prison since then, and currently prosecuted to Turkish Courts under accusations to allegedly have spoken in favor of "terrorist" organizations, according to some Turkish Officials.

These 2009-2010 exceptional incidents since the latest Turkish Local/Regional Elections coincided with a strange "disappearance" until now from Strasbourg of the then CLRAE President, Yavuz Mildon, (a Turkish politician himself, with firm positions in Political issues, but kind and smiling in personal contacts here, who had succeeded to win a human sympathy from many, including "EuroFora"), after he reportedly faced a sudden problem of "Blood Pressure" in Turkey which apparently left him seriously handicaped.

Meanwhile, under the acting CLRAE Chairmanship by the experienced Chamber of Local Authorities' President, Dr. Jan Micallef from Malta (ChristianDemocrat/EPP), CLRAE had organized 2 Public Hearings in Strasbourg on the on-going Problems for Local/Regional Democracy in Turkey, (but not yet a full Plenary Debate and Vote on a Report with a Resolution, unlike to what is usually done also for all other CoE Member Countries, such as Ukraine, Russia, and many EU States), while Ankara has yet to apply a landmark CoE Resolution adopted by the CLRAE as early as since 1997, and vainly confirmed in a 2007 Strasbourg debate...

Questioned on his 2010 findings after a recent Monitoring Visit in Turkey and a CLRAE Committee Debate held in Belgrade during the Summer behind closed doors, (see relevant "EuroFora"s Publication with the statements Whitmore had given us just before that),  Whitmore appeared unusually tight-lipped, at least for the moment : - "I have to speak first with the Turkish Delegation this week in Strasbourg", during CLRAE's Autumn Session. - "I know that there have been many frustrations about this, and there is also the long-standing Kurdish issue, etc., but I think that we'd better Wait and see" what may happen, at least for the moment, he simply told us this time.
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    Apparently reflecting somehow a GeoPolitical coalition behind Whitmore's election with a large majority as new President of CoE's PanEuropean watchdog for Local and Regional Democracy, after a particularly "hot" competition (See separate DraftNews, already send to "EuroFora"'s Subscribers/Donors), the CLRAE Delegation sent to monitor the Ukrainian Elections this Sunday, is headed by Austrian Gudrun Mosler-Törnström (Socialist), with Rapporteur Nigel Mermagen, from  the Chamber of Local authorities, and Speaker for the Regions Doreen Huddart, (both Brittish Liberals). By a coincidence, it's also Brittish Liberal Christopher Newburry, a serious CLRAE Member (See Newburry's earlier statements to "EuroFora" on Citizens' participation and other issues, already sent to Subscribers/Donors), who is reporting this week in CLRAE's Plenary Debates on Russia too.

    After holding several High-level meetings scheduled with Ukranian Officials since 29-30/10/2010, the CLRAE Team, (composed of 19 Elected Representatives, cooperating together with 4 Members of EU's Committee of Regions, who had already visited Ukraine earlier this Month for a Pre-electoral check), plans to form 10 separate groups to be deployed in various Cities, meeting with Elected representatives, candidates and NGOs, before observing the Elections on Sunday 31/10/2010, and anouncing its main conclusions in a Press Conference at Kiev on Monday, November 1st.

    A Report with a draft Resolution on CLRAE Teams' conclusions is due to be prepared in the following Months in view of a final Public Debate and Vote at CLRAE's next Plenary Session "on March 2011", said to "EuroFora" CLRAE's Head of Communication and International relations/Elections observation, Renate Zikmund from Austria.
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     Recent developments seem to have, meanwhile, augmented CLRAE's relevance in relation to the EU, as indicated to "EuroFora" the new CLRAE's Secretary General, the EU-experienced Andreas Kieffer from Austria :

- "We (CLRAE) have agreed with EU's Committe of Regions to have regular contacts and, in particular, provide them with all our Monitoring Reports on Local and Regional Democracy, f.ex. Election monitoring on the spot, etc", in all CoE Member Countries, including on EU Candidate and/or EU Neighbouring Countries, CLRAE's new Chief Executive Officer told us earlier in Strasbourg.

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    EU's Committee of Regions' President, Mercedes Bresso, speaking later to "EuroFora" in Strasbourg, confirmed her interest "to cooperate with CoE's CLRAE" and to use, indeed, "CLRAE's Reports on Elections' Monitoring" - "Yes, it is an objective Field of work of the CLRAE, because they have a clear mandate and large experience, she observed.

    - "But, often, it's useful that our (EU's COR's) Members participate also directly on the spot",  as, f.ex., this time in Ukraine, where EU is sending its own Observers, together with CLRAE's team, the Committe of Region's Chairwoman pointed out to "EuroFora".                                          

    The issue might even affect EU's Strategy, since COR's President said to "EuroFora" that Local/Regional Elections' Monitoring, would be included also in a "Forum" she is currently preparing with the incoming Hungarian EU 2011 Chairmanship on EU's "Eastern Strategy in general", including Western Balkans, Ukraine, and other neighbouring countries, scheduled in Budapest before "Spring 2011", (i.e. almost at the same time that CLRAE's is due to hold a public debate and vote on its Report on the Ukranian Elections : See supra).

    The Budapest event could also pave the way to the creation of an Eastern Partnership "Assembly, similar to ARLEM" (for the Union for the Mediterranean's area), due to have both a Parliamentarian and a Local/Regional representatives' section,  for which already exists an EU Council's official "Mandate", "EuroFora" was told by Bresso.
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    - In the foreseable Future, "we (CLRAE) intend to focus more on CoE's core business, which is Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law", and, therefore, "Monitoring", f.ex. of Elections, and checking "Good Governance" will come at the forefront of CoE's watchdog on Local and Regional Authorities, its new President, Keith Whitmore stressed from the outset, speaking one day later in front of Strasbourg's permanent journalists, including "EuroFora", (Comp. other Whitmore's statements in reply to "EuroFora"'s questions on different issues at this occasion, sent earlier to Subscribers/Donors).

    - CLRAE "has a unique role in Monitoring" Local and Regional Democracy, and this should be the "No 1 Priority" of CoE's PanEuropean watchdog. Moreover, a 2009 CLRAE Resolution made it clear that "the Human Rights situation will be examined during the Monitoring of Local/Regional Democracy in any CoE Member Country", stressed during this week's debates CLRAE's Rapporteur on the 2011-2012 Priorities, experienced Dr. Jan Micaleff, former acting CLRAE President, and unfortunate candidate for a fully-fledged Presidential mandate, won by Whitmore after a particularly "hot" competition.

    - This is "New", because it implies to "move beyond Standard-setting" only, contrary to the Past, since "our intention is to pay more attention to Human Rights" : Indeed, - "We (CLRAE) have become increasingly aware of the fact that we cannot have real Democracy without Human Rights' respect", because "Human Rights are the sine qua non of Democracy", Micaleff concluded.

 Without contesting the overall result of a CLRAE vote largely in favor of Whitmore,  backed by the heads of 3 Groups, Micaleff (who got some 35% of votes) and the Heads of the Italian, French and Dutch EPP delegations etc. appeared upset on the alleged circumstances in which he was denied backing from the leadership of his own Group, the largest inside CoE : that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, (which, despite its name,  has 18 Turkish, i.e. ..Muslim Members, compared to only 14 for the Biggest EU Country : the 90 Millions-strong Germany, and only ..4 for France, while an exceptionaly high proportion of CLRAE Members : 33%,  are Independents), reportedly because of a previous "Agreement" between Groups on  rotation and post sharing, according to a usual practice inside CoE's various bodies, (f.ex. its Parliamentary Assembly, etc), which, however, is not always absolute, (as the election of new CoE's SG, Jagland, proved).

While it might, eventually, have some relevance to CLRAE Monitoring in Countries as f.ex. Turkey, (some Officials of which, had, in the Past, reportedly argued that CLRAE's mandate was limited only into checking Elections and/or Laws, contrary to this "new" 2009 CLRAE development, which explicitly stresses also CoE's general concerns for Human Rights, f.ex. to check if any Local/Regional elected representative faced arbitrary arrest, torture and/or inhuman/degrading treatments, unfair trial, violation of his/her freedom of expression, etc), however, it wasn't yet obvious if that exceptional moment of competition between 2 long-standing CLRAE mainstream politicians, who, as both said, were "Friends" and used to "work together" since 1996, might, eventually have anything to do with the imminent Ukranian Election and its aftermath, or not.
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At any case, it's a fact that the most Critical of all vis a vis Ukraine this week in Strasbourg obviously was CoE Assembly's Chair, Mevut Cavusoglu (2010-2011) from Turkey :

- "Ukraine must fulfill is commitments to the CoE", the PanEuropean Organization for Human Rights, Democracy and Rule of Law, stressed from the outset Cavusoglu, who knows wery well what it really means, considering Turkey's notorious grave violations of Human Rights, International Law, etc...

- "There is no pretext for Ukraine not to go on with more Reforms", since, after the Internationaly Community acknowledged that "the Presidential Elections were fair", "he has a clear Majority in Parliament", he argued.

- Therefore, "the country should take advise of Venice Commission", CoE's watchdog on Constitutional Law and Elections, (which has recently issued also an important Report on what must change in the Turkish Constitution in order to bring it in line with Democratic standards, that Ankara notoriously refuses to follow)...
- Nevertheless, Cavusoglu went on to criticize Ukraine stressing that "Corruption is a Problem", while "there are also other issues", and  the "Opposition must be involved", as he asked.

- It's for all those reasons that, "of course, (31 October 2010) Local Elections are a Test for Democracy in Ukraine", he concluded, speaking at CLRAE's Plenary session in Strasbourg, which is currently supposed to be checking the accordance with Democratic principles of the exceptional fact that, in Turkey, most ethnic Kurds elected Mayors and Regional Counsellors were arrested immediately after the 2009 Elections, jailed for 1,5 Year, and currently prosecuted...

PACE's 2010-2011 Chair also condemned "Islamophobia", found "Unacceptable Speaches" in "France" on some issues, stigmatising what he called "Hate Speech", (a pretext often, abused by Turkish and other oppressive Officials in order to muzzle and harass various Political Dissidents, as, f.ex., the Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink murdered on 2007);  and called to "implement CoE's Resolutions", (that Ankara notoriously neglects for more than a Decade, particularly on grave Human Rights' violations found by ECHR)...

Cavusoglu went on to denounce  "Problems in the Western Balkans", including "in Albania and Bosnia", etc., but found ..."Progress in Turkey", mainly because of a controversial recent Reform on nomination of Judges, strongly denounced by the Opposition, despite a persisting refusal to drop the Highest Threshhold in CoE's 47 Member Countries for representation in Ankara's Parliament, (more than 10 % throughout all Turkey !), regardless of the notoriously persisting (some International NGOs even say : "aggravating") practice of Torture and/or Inhuman/Degrading Treatments, and despite ECHR's September 2010 landmark Judgement's findings, in the famous case of Armenian Journalist Hrant Dink's Murder, that Turkish State Officials "knew" about the Plans to kill, but didn't warn nor protect the Victim, .. prosecuting him, on the contrary, in a joint move together with his future Murderers, who, later-on, appeared (even in Photos) to benefit from scandalous sympathies or complicities amidst some Turkish Officials still persisting until today (2007-2010) to cover up all those who planned and incited the cold-blood brutal killing, (according to ECHR's judgement) ..
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Ukraine's forthcoming 2011 CoE Presidency "crucial" also for the EU and all Europe, because it will negotiate EU's Accession to the ECHR, avoiding Differend Human Rights' standards in an otherwise separated European continent with a "2 Speeds" Apartheid on Citizens' freedoms...
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However, Ukraine seems particularly important today for the CoE and the EU, not only because of its unique Geopolitical location, its EU - Russia Oil-Gas transit links, its unquestionably European History and Culture, its Airplane and Rocket High-Tech know-how, its Mineral resources (Uranium, etc), its abudant and complementary Agricultural products (wheat, etc. : The real cause of the famous Troye War in Ancient Greek History, because of the control of the Ship routes between Ukraine and the rest of Europe, through the International Straights of Dardanelles),  the Ukranian channel to Danube's delta, additional to Romania's Seaport, able to ling Central Asia's Energy Sources, through the Black Sea, to EU's Rhine river Industrial Franco-German a.o. Heartland, etc.

But even more because Ukraine will take over, for the 1st time in History, CoE's Presidency from May to November 2011, and it's precisely during that period, i.e. under Ukranian CoE Chairmanship, that EU is expected to make an Historic Agreement with the CoE on the concrete mecanism which will allow the EU to accede to the PanEuropean Convention of Human Rights, scheduled by EU's Lisbon Treaty which entered into force since December 2009, as CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland revealed  :

- Indeed, speaking at CLRAE's Plenary, Jagland anounced that he expects for such a landmark EU - CoE Agreement (on the concrete terms under which EU will accede to the ECHR) to be concluded "before the Summer of Next Year : 2011", (i.e. during Ukraine's forthcoming CoE's Presidency), so that the Ratification process should be completed asap.

- Jagland made it clear that, in fact, it's "a Crucial issue that EU accedes to ECHR, because, otherwise, after EU Lisbon Treaty's Fundamental Rights Charter's recent entry into force (12/2009), this would Risk to develop a Differend case-law on Human Rights by the Luxembourg (EU) and Strasbourg (CoE) Courts, resulting in 2 Differend Levels of Human Rights' respect, Dividing CoE's Countries in 2 Different parts on Human Rights' issues" (for EU Members, and Other Countries) , as he warned.

- That's why "we hope an Agreement before Summer Next Year" ( 2011 : i.e. during the forthcoming Ukranian CoE Presidency), concluded CoE's Secretary General.
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By a coincidence, it's precisely at the moment and at the exact location where a CLRAE Member was in Dialogue with CoE's SG Jagland on whether and how could be avoided such a Risk to Divide the Continent into 2 areas with Differend Levels of Human Rights' respect, one of CoE's ECHR (threatened to become Lower, extending to Third, Non-EU Countries) and another by EU's European Court of Justice (expected to become Higher, but only for EU Countries), that the Head of Cyprus' Delegation to the CLRAE, former Minister Andreas Christou, was shown by the cameras to take his nearby seat...

This visible fact inevitably triggered a Symbolic "flash" to whoever follows EU/CoE issues, obviously warning also of a similar Risk to push for "Double Standards" among CoE and/or ECHR's practices if they differ too much (according to some Lobbies' notorious interests) between CoE Member States, pressing f.ex. some to respect some Principles, at the same time that others are allowed to grossly violate them.... (Comp. also supra).      

F.ex., strongly criticize and threaten Ukraine for this or that error (even if some might be at least partly true, eventually), while at the same time practically closing eyes on Turkey's notoriously grave violations of Human Rights, including on Cyprus' Refugees, "Missing" persons' Families, etc., would be an obvious "Double Standards" stance threatening to put CoE's credibility in danger... Thus, if CoE is really interested into avoiding a Human Rights' Apartheid separating the Continent in 2 Different parts, (as his S.G., Jagland warned : See supra), then, logically, it should also take care for its own Principles for Democracy and Human Rights' Values to be equally applied throughout all its 47 Member States, without any (silent but obvious) exceptions or deviations..

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