FOR THE ATTENTION OF MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON THE HONOURING OF OBLIGATIONS AND COMMITMENTS BY MEMBER STATES

 

Secretariat of the Assembly

 

Synopsis N° 2001/139

12 December 2001

            The Committee on the Honouring of Obligations and Commitments by Member States of the Council of Europe, meeting in Paris on 11 December 2001 with Mr Mota Amaral in the Chair:

 -            Armenia (co-rapporteurs: Mrs Belohorska, Slovakia, EDG, and Mr Jaskiernia, Poland, SOC): considered a preliminary draft report, decided to continue its discussion at the next meeting with a view to its approval, and recalled that the co-rapporteurs should attend meetings of the Venice Commission where Armenia is discussed;

-             Azerbaijan (co-rapporteurs: Mr Gross, Switzerland, SOC, and Mr Martinez-Casañ, Spain, PPE/DC): considered a preliminary draft report, decided to continue its discussion at the next meeting with a view to its approval, and subject to the Bureau’s agreement, authorised the co-rapporteurs to attend a joint meeting with Mr Clerfayt, rapporteur of the Legal Affairs Committee, and members of the Azeri delegation on the issue of political prisoners;

-            Moldova (co-rapporteurs: Mrs Durrieu, France, SOC, and Mr Vahtre, Estonia, EPP/CD): heard statements by the co-rapporteurs and authorised them to make a fact-finding visit to the country on 27-29 January 2002, followed by a meeting in Moscow on 30 January with the authorities in charge of the situation in Transnistria;

-           Russia (co-rapporteurs: Mr Atkinson, United Kingdom, EDG, and Mr Bindig, Germany, SOC): heard a statement by Mr Atkinson on the co-rapporteurs’ fact-finding visits to St Petersburg, Novgorod and Pskov (1-6 October) and to Moscow (20-23 November 2001), asked the co-rapporteurs to present a revised draft report with a view to its approval at the next meeting;

-            Ukraine (co-rapporteurs: Mrs Severinsen, Denmark, LDR and Mrs Wohlwend, Liechtenstein, EPP/CD): held an exchange of views on the follow-up to be given to Resolution 1262 (2001), asked the Chairman to write to the President of the Assembly to request postponement of the debate on the honouring of the obligations and commitments by Ukraine, foreseen for the next part-session in January 2002, and encouraged the co-rapporteurs to participate in the ad hoc Committee for the observation of parliamentary elections in Ukraine on 31 March 2002, including a pre-electoral mission from 27 February to 3 March 2002;

-           Post-monitoring dialogue on “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”:  considered a memorandum presented by the Chairman, agreed to intensify the post-monitoring dialogue with Macedonia and authorised the Chair to make a fact-finding visit to the country on dates to be arranged;

-         Next meetings: decided to hold its next meetings as follows:

            . in Paris on 15 January 2002,

            . in Strasbourg during the Assembly part-session (21-25 January 2002),

. in Budapest (European Youth Centre), on 11 March 2002 (subject to authorisation by  the Bureau).

 

Egbert Ausems, Géza Mezei, Valérie Clamer, Marine Trévisan