Press breakfast of the Secretary General

23 April 2002, 9 am:

Tomorrow, at 9.15 am, the flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina will be hoisted outside of the Council of Europe’s Strasbourg headquarters. The accession of this country, as the 44^th member state of our Organisation is an event of the greatest symbolic and political significance for BOSNIA and HERZEGOVINA, for the Balkans region and for Europe as a whole. Ten years ago, this country found itself at the beginning of a devastating war. Genocide, rape and destruction once again soiled the continent of Europe. It was a challenging moment for the Council of Europe to contribute to the re-establishment of democracy, peace and the protection of human rights. With the accession of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Council of Europe is on the way to forming a big European family within which over 800 million people will enjoy the protection of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Perhaps already in the course of this year, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia – Serbia and Montenegro – will also become a member of this family. The moment Belarus chooses the European democratic direction, and the possible accession of Monaco, will bring the enlargement of the Council of Europe to a natural end. The Council of Europe is, and will continue to be, the only pure pan-European platform for political dialogue and co-operation between equal partners, based on our shared values of democracy, the rule of law and human rights.

Regarding current discussions about the new political architecture in Europe, I would like to underline the strong interest of the Council of Europe in the enlargement process of the European Union and in the drawing-up of a EU CONVENTION. This Convention raises once again the question of a uniform interpretation of fundamental rights throughout our continent. What should relations between the Council of Europe and the European Union look like subsequent to the enlargement process of both organisations? All member states of the European Union are at the same time members of the Council of Europe, and have therefore signed the European Convention on Human Rights. EU members have passed over certain powers to the Union. We should not close our eyes to the danger that supra-national institutions could violate fundamental rights and freedoms. I therefore firmly believe that the accession of the European Union to the European Convention on Human Rights is the best way to safeguard our shared values for more than 800 million people all over Europe. This question would be topical for a possible 3^rd Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe, which will be discussed at the Ministerial Session in Vilnius next week. I expect a decision to be reached by the November session concerning such a summit.

So, from the future of Europe, we come back to matters of current concern during this week.

One of our biggest challenges in respect of the protection of human rights remains the situation in the CHECHEN REPUBLIC of the Russian Federation. A report of the Parliamentary Assembly deals with the obligations and commitments the Russian authorities undertook upon accession 6 years ago. Last Saturday, I had the opportunity to discuss with the Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov in Moscow about the future of the Council’s presence in Chechnya. We agreed that co-operation will continue after 4 July 2002, on an enlarged mandate. This mandate will comprise the continued expert assistance from the Council of Europe to the office of the Special Representative of President Putin for Human Rights in the Chechen Republic and assistance to the reform process of the judiciary, the administration and the legislation as well as co-operation in the field of education. Together with the Russian authorities we will start a rehabilitation programme for women and children who have been traumatised by events during the armed conflict.

On my initiative, the leaders of three political groups in the Parliament of MOLDOVA came to Strasbourg on 16 April to discuss the major controversial issues presently at stake in the country. The parties agreed that solutions to current questions should be based on existing European standards, to which Moldova subscribed upon becoming a member of the Council of Europe. No agreement was reached for the opposition to cease demonstrations immediately; they insist on reforms beforehand.

Last, but not least, some words about the first round in the Presidential elections in France on Sunday. To all intents and purposes, I am also deeply shocked by the results, which can only be explained by the obvious acute disappointment of the French population with politics. At the same time, I hope that the politicians of the democratic left and right in France have learned their lesson from this result. If this is the case, this shock could be ultimately beneficial.