Dialogue and rights

A debate on the situation in Kosovo; the intervention of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I; the political analyses offered by Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt and Greek Prime Minister Kostas Karamanlis; and the speech of Caroline of Monaco, president of the world Association of the Friends of Childhood, in the framework of a special session devoted to the campaign against all forms of violence against and exploitation of children: these are just some of the events that animated the Palais de l’Europe, seat of the Council of Europe (COE) in Strasbourg, from 22 to 27 January. HUMAN RIGHTS, INTERFAITH DIALOGUE. The winter session of the parliamentary assembly of the COE opened with the re-election, by unanimous vote, of the Dutchman RENÉ VAN DER LINDEN as President for a third one-year term. In presenting his programme of work for 2007, the exponent of the People’s Party announced “the organization of a first debate, in April, on the situation of human rights and democracy in Europe, which ought to be a point of reference for debates in the national parliaments”. Van der Linden said he intends to dedicate himself to some issues he considered priorities: including “the promotion of intercultural and inter-religious dialogue”, “the consolidation of cooperation with the European Parliament”, and assistance to the process of democratisation in Belarus. To the dialogue between cultures and religions was dedicated the speech of BARTHOLOMEW I . Before the representatives of the 46 member countries, the Patriarch made an eloquent plea for dialogue as the only way of resolving intercultural and inter-religious conflicts, “especially in times such as those we are living in, where wars are proliferating all over the world”. The high representative of the Orthodox Church emphasized that “the Ecumenical Patriarchate has maintained a constant dialogue with the Moslem world”, because “interfaith dialogue has become a need for humanity”. KOSOVO, WHAT FUTURE? The situation of Kosovo and, more generally, of the Balkans was one of the key themes of the week at the Council of Europe. MARTTI AHTISAARI , special envoy of the UN Secretary General for Kosovo, addressed the COE parliamentary assembly. The Finnish politician declared that his proposals, “which will soon be made public”, “have as their principal objective the peaceful co-existence of all the communities, and the guarantee for everyone, in particular for the minorities, of dignified, secure and economically viable living conditions”. The same question was addressed by Greek Prime Minister KOSTAS KARAMANLIS , who underlined the “crucial role of the Council of Europe” in the Balkans, “especially in Kosovo, where the situation is very far from having been resolved”. “To establish a climate of peace in the region – explained the Greek premier – it is essential that the solution be sustainable both for the Serb and for the Albanian populations who live in the area. AGAINST ANY DISCRIMINATION. “The struggle against racism and xenophobia cannot be limited just to one day each year”. To mark the International Day of commemoration of the Holocaust, the “summit” of the Council of Europe issued a statement signed by the President of the Committee of Ministers, the San Marino representative FIORENZO STOLFI , the President of the Parliamentary Assembly René van der Linden, the Secretary General, the Englishman TERRY DAVIS, and the Commissioner for Human Rights, the Swede THOMAS HAMMARBERG . In their joint declaration, they say: “We have the duty to combat hatred and prejudice at all times and in all places, at school, on the workplace and on the street. Political leaders have a particular responsibility to liberate Europe from racism in all its forms, from anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, and including prejudices against gipsies”. They also point out that the new forms of discrimination do not just regard ethnic origin or racial differences, but also “religion, handicap or sexual orientation”. THE COURT RISKS PARALYSIS. An important event during the same week was the press conference of the new President of the Court of Human Rights, the Frenchman JEAN-PAUL COSTA . “If the Court becomes inefficient, it will lose credibility”. This “cry of alarm”, referred in particular to the need to achieve the entry into force “as soon as possible” of Protocol 14, the judicial instrument designed to help the Court deal more rapidly with its growing backlog of pending cases, some 90,000 at the present time: Russia alone counts for over 19,000 of them, Romania 10,000 and Turkey 9,000. To enter into force, the Protocol needs to be ratified by all 46 member states of the COE: so far 45 countries have done so, but the “yes” of Moscow is still awaited.