Doc. 8558

30 September 1999

Establishment of a permanent negotiating body in south-eastern Europe

Motion for a recommendation

presented by Mr Goulet and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and only expresses the views of the members who have signed it

      The recent conflict in Kosovo has had tragic consequences, both human and economic, which have been covered in many reports and debates.

      The many different proposals made and the texts submitted to the various relevant committees can all play a part in helping to find solutions to the state of crisis affecting the Balkan region.

      For years, the region has been the scene of ethnically based conflicts and ethnic cleansing operations, whose consequences have been felt in neighbouring countries, including non-belligerent ones, in terms of:

- the arrival of refugees;

- closure of, or damage to, communication routes;

- the impact of changes in economic relations and deteriorating trading conditions, etc.

      In the course of its activities, the Council of Europe has presented several reports on the subject of reconstruction, but it does not seem to have directly tackled the issue of preventing confrontations of this kind in that part of the world, which appears to be so complex that the conflicts that develop there always seem to be characterised by fatality, history and inevitability.

      In the face of a question that concerns the whole world, the Council of Europe must be a forum for discussion and proposals, especially with regard to conflict prevention.

      It has to be said that the conflicts that have developed into veritable tribal wars with their corteges of massacres, devastation and suffering in the countries of former Yugoslavia in recent years were all preceded by many warning signs and tensions, which ultimately degenerated into all-out wars because no-one took due account of them at the time.

      Kosovo is a case in point here, judging by the content of the emergency statements the FAO was releasing in March 1998 describing what was happening then and was going to continue until the situation became unbearable and NATO intervened in spring 1999, i.e. a full year later, against a background of deaths, abandoned farms and homes, fleeing civilians and economic upheaval.

      Given the Council of Europe’s work to foster interregional co-operation, the organisation has a duty to be at the centre of a new mechanism to prevent conflict throughout the Balkans.

      A permanent reconciliation or arbitration office consisting of Council of Europe observers in all of the countries of south-eastern Europe could provide early warnings of problems, which could thus be dealt with immediately to prevent the situation becoming more bitter and degenerating.

      The visit to Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo and “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia” provided an opportunity to test the feasibility of the proposal, which was very warmly welcomed by all of the officials we met.

      Their reaction was all the more favourable since there is no shortage of potential future problems – which are foreseeable because they are latent – in areas as varied as property rights, educational issues or compensation payments.

      A motion for an order (Doc. 8266) on the recovery of funds deposited by Croatian and Bosnian savers with the former Yugoslav bank, Ljubljanka Banka AG, which became Slovenian following the break-up of Yugoslavia, has been presented to the Assembly.

      The Assembly’s attention has also been drawn to the problems of discrimination against the Italian minority in Istria (Doc. 8273).

      The Assembly therefore recommends that the Committee of Ministers:

i.       set up a permanent negotiating office for the region by placing observers in each of the countries concerned, namely Croatia, Montenegro, Serbia, Bulgaria, “the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia”, Romania, Hungary and Slovenia;

ii.       ask the said office to report to the Assembly whenever it deemed necessary and at least once a year;

iii.       promote arbitration procedures and the rapid settlement of local conflicts or the claims of individuals;

iv.       encourage initiatives aimed at training local leaders in procedures for reaching friendly settlements.

Signed : ¹

Goulet, France, EDG

Aleffi, Italy, EPP/CD

Birraux, France, EPP/CD

Dhaille, France, SOC

Ehrmann, France, LDR

Hegyi, Hungary, SOC

Ivanov I., Bulgaria, EPP/CD

Mitterrand, France, SOC

Muehlemann, Switzerland, LDR

Neuwirth, France, EDG

De Puig, Spain, SOC

Toshev, Bulgaria, EPP/CD

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG:European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL : Group of the Unified European Left

      NR : Not registered in a group