Doc. 9594

14 October 2002

Project of federalisation of the Republic of Moldova

Motion for a resolution

presented by Mr Ilaşcu and others

1.       As a consequence of the war in 1992 between the separatist paramilitary forces from the left side of Dniestr (Transnistria) significantly and directly backed by the 14^th Russian Army, and the legal central authorities of the Republic of Moldova, despite all efforts of the Council of Europe and the international community to contribute to the reunification of the country and the dismantlement of the separatist rebel scourge in the region, the Republic of Moldova is still divided from the territorial point of view, which has negative consequences on the internal stability and also on the stability of South-Eastern Europe.

2.       Due to the presence of Russian military troops in the region as a destabilising factor, to the insignificant role played by the ombudsmen and the OSCE and to the weakness manifested by the authorities of the Republic of Moldova, the separatist enclave from the left side of the Dniestr (Transnistria), although not recognised internationally but significantly backed by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Belarus from the political, military, economic and diplomatic point of view, continue to control the occupied territory, violating the most fundamental human rights.

3.       In this context, the launch of a project on the federalisation of the Republic of Moldova under the auspices of the OSCE and the so-called “warrant countries” (the Russian Federation and Ukraine) providing for the separatist enclave (Transnistria) an equal status for its dialogue with the Republic of Moldova, is an event that the Council of Europe cannot afford to ignore.

4.       The fact that all political democratic forces and the civil society of this country reject the project by calling on the Council of Europe for help represent an important signal that the Parliamentary Assembly cannot ignore this issue anymore.

5.       By federalising the Republic of Moldova (a unitary state) according to the project insistently proposed by the Russian Federation and Ukraine under the screen of the OSCE, the Council of Europe faces the risk of being confronted, in the future, with serious territorial problems in many member states.

6.       This is why the Assembly:

a. calls for the organisation, without any delay, of an international conference under the auspices of the Council of Europe, on the opportunity of solving any separatist issue by federalising the European countries;

b. asks the Venice Commission to examine and provide the Assembly with an opinion on the conformity of the federalisation project of the Republic of Moldova (proposed by the Russian Federation, Ukraine and backed by the OSCE) with European practice and the Constitution of the Republic of Moldova;

c. calls on the member states of the Council of Europe to adopt a Framework Convention on the process of federalisation taking into account the geopolitical reality of the European countries at the beginning of the 21^st century;

d. calls on the authorities of the Russian Federation to respect without any delay their obligations taken at the OSCE Summit in Istanbul, in order to evacuate without any precondition the 14^th Army and the entire military arsenal from the territory of the Republic of Moldova before 31 December 2002.

Signed : ¹

Ilaşcu, Romania, NR

Barquero Vázquez, Spain, EPP

Berceanu, Romania, SOC

Coifan, Romania, LDR

González de Txabarri, Spain, EPP

Ionescu, Romania, NR

Landsbergis, Lithuania, EPP

Olteanu, Romania, SOC

Popa, Romania, LDR

Seyidov, Azerbaijan, EDG

Tevdoradze, Georgia, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP: 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