MR VAN DER LINDEN, PRESIDENT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY,
OCTOBER 2005 PART-SESSION OPENING SPEECH
(Strasbourg, Monday, 3 October 2005)

Ladies and gentlemen,

1.     Terrorism

Since we last met in June, terrorism has again struck at the heart of a European city. On the morning of 7th July, four suicide bombers blew themselves up in the midst of the crowds of people using central London’s public transport system. Fifty two innocent people were killed and hundreds injured.

In September, we commemorated the anniversaries of the terrorist outrages in Beslan and the attacks on New York and Washington. November will mark the second anniversary of the wave of bombings in Istanbul.

The Council of Europe, playing to its strengths in standard-setting and legal harmonisation, has made significant contributions to reinforcing the fight against terrorism, notably in the form of the Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism. This important Convention was opened for signature during the Warsaw Summit in May, but has not yet been ratified by a single member State, although several have signed it.

Recently, the UN Security Council adopted Resolution 1624, which echoed Article 5 of this Convention in calling on States to adopt measures to prohibit and prevent incitement to commit terrorist acts. The Resolution was presented by the United Kingdom, one of the countries that signed our Convention in Warsaw. I hope that Resolution 1624 will strengthen the determination of members of Assembly members to urge their governments to sign and ratify the Convention, as a matter of priority.

Unfortunately, I cannot welcome everything that the British government has proposed. Indeed, I was obliged to state publicly my concern at recent statements by the UK Home Secretary. Mr Clarke had suggested that if the European Court of Human Rights found UK anti-terrorism legislation to be in violation of the European Convention on Human Rights, Britain would be forced to reconsider whether or not it should remain a party to the Convention. The effectiveness of the Convention, which lies at the heart of the Council of Europe’s human rights protection system, depends upon its Court. We must always uphold its integrity.

I will be raising these issues when I visit London next week.

The promotion of inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue must also be an essential element of our strategy. The Council of Europe wants to play a leading role in promoting understanding between different cultures and religions and is in a position to do so. This Assembly must also play its part and can do so as the only pan-European parliamentary assembly.

This week we will be able to contribute to the process thanks to the participation of Mr Ihsanoglu, marking the first time ever this Assembly has welcomed such an eminent representative of the Islamic world.

2.     Promotion of democracy, human rights and the rule of law in Europe

Over the summer, I visited some of the newer European democracies – namely Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan – as had been my intention since taking office.

Following my visit, I am glad to see that the constitutional reform process in Armenia has continued to make progress. I also hope that the elections in Azerbaijan are conducted in the manner we expect, and that Georgia respects all deadlines for honouring obligations and commitments. Equally, I hope that Ukraine is able to come through this transition period and call on all democratic forces to behave in a responsible manner in the run up to the parliamentary elections early next year.

In October I will also be visiting Albania, following the parliamentary elections that saw our colleague Mr Berisha become Prime Minister.

I should also inform you that, when I was in New York for the 2nd World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, I received an invitation to visit Belarus. Belarus is certainly not up to our democratic standards, but I am not in favour of the splendid – or perhaps not so splendid – isolation of this country from democratic Europe. I will intensify my efforts to promote democracy in Belarus, in cooperation with the competent Assembly committees.

3.     European Union

This week we will also be reflecting on the process of political integration in our own continent, in the form of the EU’s New Neighbourhood Policy. I very much look forward to the contribution to this debate of Mr Elmar Brok, Chair of the European Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs, marking a sign of increasing cooperation between our two assemblies. The New Neighbourhood Policy should be a great opportunity for the Council of Europe. By sharing our many years of experience and our unrivalled expertise, we can further enhance our cooperation with the European Union by contributing to the development, implementation and assessment of its external policies.

The European Commission’s proposal for an EU Fundamental Rights Agency, which came out at the very end of June, is another source of challenge for the Council of Europe. It is essential that the Agency does not duplicate activities already undertaken by the Council of Europe. I would strongly urge all of you from EU member States to promote the position developed by this Assembly – so as to ensure that your governments do not agree to anything that would undermine the Council of Europe’s position, in particular as regards the duplication of the Council of Europe’s work in non-Member States of the European Union.

On this note, I can assure members that I and the leaders of our political groups will be playing our part in promoting the interests of the Assembly and of the Council of Europe in general, when we meet with our counterparts from the European Parliament, on 20 October in Brussels.

4.     Third Summit

The Warsaw Summit gave a clearer direction and new impetus to the Council of Europe. As part of the follow-up to the Summit, there have been several important recent developments.

Firstly, the Committee of Ministers has now appointed the Wise Persons who will draw up a comprehensive strategy to secure the long-term effectiveness of the European Convention on Human Rights. I can inform members that this list was drawn up following consultations between the Chair of the Committee of Ministers and myself on behalf of the Assembly.

It has now been agreed that the Forum for the Future of Democracy will hold its launching meeting in Warsaw on 3-4 November, with the theme being civic participation. This will be an excellent opportunity for reinforcing links with civil society. I will attend, as will the Political Affairs Committee’s sub-committee.

Finally, I would like to pay tribute to Simon Wiesenthal, who died on 20 September at the age of 96. Mr Wiesenthal devoted five decades of his life to hunting war criminals. Today, there are still war criminals at large, and we too must be relentless in our efforts and in our commitment to bringing them to justice. Whatever other issues may complicate our agenda, we must never forget that the principles that inspired Simon Wiesenthal are the principles that underlie our own organisation and that remain as valid and important now as they have ever been.