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Home arrow newsitems arrow CoE Chair Ukranian President Yanukovych: Focus= Debate issues, Fast EU Integration, Fight Corruption

CoE Chair Ukranian President Yanukovych: Focus= Debate issues, Fast EU Integration, Fight Corruption

Written by ACM
Tuesday, 21 June 2011

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Victor Yanukovych, President of Ukraine and CoE's Chairman for the period of May - November 2011, intends to valorize CoE as a "Focal Point"  to debate all issues related with European Integration, as he said from the outset to Journalists, including "EuroFora", stressing also Kiev's wish to "accelerate" Ukraine's EU aspitations.


But the New CoE Chairman, as well as his Foreign Minister Kostantyn Gruschenko, both focused also, in reply to MEP's Questions on the massive Fight against Corruption, currently engagd in Ukraine, in  a vital attempt to clear its Future from a Counter-productive, Negative Past, in a way and at a moment that it could give a Timely example which could usefully inspire also current efforts to free the majority of Greek People and all €urozone from an artificially growing Debt, initially provoked by Nepotism, Corruption and shady Political Deals mainly of the 1980-2001 Past period,, (including Athens' precocious entry into €urozone, earlier than normal, i.e. without doing previously necessary Reforms, in exchange of Turkey's controversial and unpopular EU bid, notoriously pushed by some former "Socialist" Governments : See previous "EuroFora"s NewsReports).          

 
    - "CoE is the Institution which serves as the Focal Point, where many Challenges faced by Europe meet together", significantly stressed from the outset President Yanukovych, speaking after a meeting with CoE's Secretary General, Thornbjorn Jagland, to Journalists in Strasbourg, including "EuroFora".
 
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-  Ukraine's aim being to accelerate its EU Integration, we are ready to debate on all relevant issues, including Rule of Law and Human Rights, he replied later to a question by the Chairman of the biggest Political Group in CoE's Parliamentary Assembly, that of ChristianDemocrats/EPP, Luca Volonté from Italy.


- Meanwhile, Yanukovych got a "strong Support for Reforms and the Fight agaibst Corruption" also by CoE's Secretary Genera, Thornbjorn Jagland, from >>Norway, who reminded that Anti-Corruption Measures are included in CoE's  core Tasks, (particularly as part of its Democracy and Rule of Law activities).

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-  As well informed sources from Ukranian President Yanukovych's entourage told "EuroFora", various Negative Consequences inherited from a Corrupted Past, are still one of the big Challenges that the new Government is decided to try to eradicate, using, for that purpose, a large panoply of various concrete measures, both for reasons of Justice and Healthy Democracy, but also in order to revigorate and boost a Healthier Economy :


- Thus, "a number of Laws .. specifically on .. Corruption", were adiopted recently in Ukraine, because "it was Necessary to Break through the Previous Years of Stagnation, which had proved to be a Challenge to progress", stressed Yanukovych.


- "Committed to routing out Corruption", despite "Opposition by individuals who had become Rich as a result of Embezzling Public Funds", Yanukovych denounced that "Corruption remained a significant Problem in Ukraine, but one which he had the Political Will  to resolve.


+ Added to a "Massive ¨Programme to Fight Corruption", the "DeRegulation of the Economy was also a part of this", (f.ex. by reducing 90% of State"s involvement into granting Permits, etc), while "all Publioc Functions would be Streamlined, and there would be a -30% Reduction of Civil Servants working in the Ministies", as he promised, observing that even the CoE itself "h    ad Cut out its Secretariat's Numbers by -60%"...


- Naturally, "there was a huge Resentment from Civil Servants and Bureaucracy, who were putting Pressure on the State to keep the Status Quo", because "it was a Painful process to Abolish the Previous Systems, but .. there was Now a System in place to Fight Corruption", he observed.     


+ Speaking earlier to the CoE, Foreign Minister Kostantyn Gruschenko, also accused "those who Governed before, to be Responsible" for what happened afterwards, and revealed that there are, currently, "more than 400 Cases" opened for Investigations: "It has to be Far-Reaching, and Nobody is Immune", he warned, stressing the need for "Resolute Action".


>>> All this inevitaby reminds, at tjhe present context, the "revolted" Greek People's Massive Demonstrations, these Days, inspired by the initial Tunisian "Jasmin Revolution", one of the demands of wom is that "those who usurpated Pubic Privileges must Pay" the Debt that they have provoked, (exposing the whole Country and even all €urozone to Speculative  Attacks afterwards, asking also to resolutey check for Corruption all suspected Public Post holders,, "without hiding behind any kind of Bureaucratic Time  Prescriptions", (a Populaer demand both in Greece and in Spain, etc).


=> Such kind of Popular demands, in the case of Greece, meet also the political Oppositiuons' older and recent proposals f.ex. to Investigate from the start in order to find out who really provoked that huge Debt, and to check all Public Officials' personal Properties for undue Enrichment cases, etc., both exte nded throughout all the crucial Time period of 1980-2010.


If adequately used, such Measures could certainly help to reveal Crucial Truths, as well as to radically Diminish the Debt due by Country, which, otherwise, risks to remain hostage of what really happened during the crucial 1986-2002 period, unless it's undone.soon enough.


The New Fact that Ukraine is, today, also Chairing the PanEuropean CoE, one of the main Taslks of which is to efficiently Tackle Corruption, might, eventually, offer interesting prospects for EU-CoE Cooperation also in the case of the "Greek" (in fact EU - Turrkey : See supra) Financiero-Political affair..

Indeed, seen in this way, CoE might really become a "Focal Point" for most European Challenges, as President Yanukovich just highlighted in Strasbourg (See supra)...


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They voted to "freeze" UK Government's draft to put People in jail for 42 Days on "anti-terrorist" suspicion without charge, or they abstained. Don't they look suspect ?
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CoE's debate on UK controversy stirs PanEuropean check of anti-terror suspects' imprisonment

Former Leftists of the Sixties would boil in hot water if they heard PACE's debate on the controversial 42 days detention without charge, currently drafted by the British Government :

A "Socialist" Government, a Socialist PACE Rapporteur and a Socialist Chair of PACE's Legal Committee, opposed a .. "Conservative" amendment (supported by .. Liberals, Democrats, etc), to freeze the measure, in order to protect Citizens' Freedom, by "waiting" until CoE's Venice Committee checks its conformity with Human Rights' principles.

"Left"'s support to Conservative-Lib.Dem's criticism, wasn't enough to obtain a majority, nor to make things as they were back in the good old days, when "Left" and "Right" had a clear meaning, as "liberty" and "restrictions"...

Conservatives and most Democrats were joined by the Left in voting for the "freeze", as well as Liberal Paul Rowen, while Socialist MEP Ivan Popescu, an experienced MEP from Ukraine (PACE Member since 1996-2008) abstained. But most Socialists, added to a few Liberals and EPP's Right, voted against.

Fortunately, someone inside PACE had the wise idea to shorten the Debate for less than 1 Hour, and put it on the Agenda only at the end of an exceptionally busy day, towards the end of the Evening, when most MEPs had already gone to taste wins and foods at various Receptions all around Strasbourg's "European" area : As a result, not even 42 MEPs weren't present..

Socialist Lord Tomlinson accused the leaders of the PanEuropean Assembly, in its highest body : the "Bureau", to "lack wisdom" by deciding to hold a Debate on an issue that neither the Socialist Chair of the Legal Committee, nor its Socialist "reluctant Rapporteur", did "not want to do", ...

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Finally, everybody (critics and supporters alike) was happy to agree, in substance, that the controversial measure "may" gravely violate Human Rights, and therefore, PACE asked Legal Experts of Venice Commission to check UK Government''s plans.

But this might take more than .. 42 Days to do, since PACE's Rapporteur asked the Experts to enlarge their study in a PanEuropean comparison of all that is happening on "anti-terrorism" legislation in 47 CoE Member Countries, including Russia, Turkey and Azerbaidjan..

Bad lack : "The existing 28 days’ detention without charge in the UK is, in comparison with other CoE member countries, one of the most extreme : In Turkey, the period is 7,5 days, in France 6 days, in Russia 5 days, and in .. the U.S. and Canada just 2 and 1 days respectively", denounced Democrat MEP Ms WOLDSETH from Norway..

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"Numerous respected human rights organisations, including Liberty and Human Rights Watch, have expressed serious concern" "The proposed legislation ...could easily lead to extensive abuses. ...Detention for 42 days means six weeks in which one is taken away from one’s family, friends, home and livelihood only to be let off without being charged. That will destroy lives and isolate communities", she added.

- "3 years ago, the UK Government sought to increase the period of pre-charge detention from 14 days to 90 days. Not long before that, it had been only 7 days. There was a vigorous debate ...and a ...compromise was reached of 28 days. We have to ask whether there are proper safeguards in place to extend the period to 42 days. I suggest that there are fatal flaws", reminded British Conservative Clappison.

- "What sort of society holds someone in detention for 42 days and does not have to tell the person who is in prison why they are there, or explain the suspicions that arose and led to their detention? What sort of society believes that that is the way to treat its citizens? That is an appalling injustice, ...A 42-day detention period will not make the UK safer. Instead, it will be the first step to giving in to terrorists; it is saying that we are prepared to sacrifice our democratic rights and the principles for which we have stood for centuries", criticized British Liberal Michael Hanckock

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"Comments made ...by Norwegian delegates are unfortunate", replied British Socialist MEP Ms.Curtis-Thomas, accusing them to "besmirch the reputation of our police force, which is one of the Best in the World", as she said, believing that "there are significant safeguards ...to ensure that individuals are not subjected to unlawful detention"

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PACE "has serious doubts whether ...the draft legislation are in conformity with the ...case-law of the European Court of Human Rights. A lack of ..safeguards may lead to arbitrariness, resulting in breaches of ... liberty and ...right to a fair trial". PACE "is particularly concerned that: ..the judge ..may not be in a position to examine whether there exist reasonable grounds for suspecting that the arrested person has committed an offence;"; that "... representation by a lawyer may be inappropriately restricted or delayed;" that "information on the grounds for suspicion of a person ...may be unduly withheld.. ;" that this "may give rise to arrests without the intention to charge;", and; in general, that "prolonged detention without proper information on the grounds for arrest may constitute inhuman treatment", says Klaus De Vries' Report, adopted with 29 votes against zero.

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Records don't say if it took him 42 Days to draft his Report, but, at least, he knew why...

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