Photo: AP
In Strasbourg on Monday the start of the session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. The main issue for the Russian delegation will be to define its powers. At the beginning of the meeting with the initiative to challenge their representative UK Robert Walter. He was supported by a group of more than 30 members of the Assembly. According to the regulations for contesting the credentials of the delegation must be at least 30 votes. This means that they put this question to the vote, which will take place on Wednesday.
In the spring of delegation of the Crimea, which most members of the Assembly considered it illegal, denied the right to vote, but retained it as an opportunity to participate in the PACE, including participation in the preparation of reports.
PACE delegates on Monday met a small but noisy demonstration in support of Ukraine with slogans criticizing Putin and chanting “Freedom Hope Savchenko ». Demonstrators camped in front of the Council of Europe. Ukrainian deputies arrived on the first day of work in T-shirts with the inscription “Freedom Hope Savchenko », such as T-shirts handed out to everyone in the building Ukrainian journalists. Opponents of Ukraine also entered the building PACE on chairs and benches in the lobby of the headquarters of the Assembly can be found “white paper” about the crimes of the Ukrainian military in the Donbas issued by the office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Konstantin Dolgov , and elevators – Stickers , explaining that you can gain the support of PACE, among other things, “joined the Nazi gangs”, “killing o f journalists in the conflict zone” and “rejoiced senators in Washington».
According to the procedure, the authority of each national delegation confirmed at the beginning of the year. In order to initiate the issue of depriving the delegation of powers requires the consent of at least 30 PACE delegates – five from each national delegation. For the extension of the ban for the Russian delegation to vote unanimously supports the Ukrainian delegation, wrote on his Facebook page MP Borislav Birch.
«It is very likely,” – commented on Monday at a press conference PACE President Anne Brasseur proposal put to the vote the issue of suspension of powers of the Russian delegation. Voting on the powers of the Russian delegation can go on Wednesday night.
According to the interlocutor RBC to PACE, to this part of the delegations Saturday was structurally configured on the return of the Russian delegation the right to vote in the Assembly. P on to him, This followed the delegates, in particular, in line with the statements of German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who spoke about the need to resume the dialogue with Moscow. After “Saturday events” – shelling of residential areas from Mariupol Donetsk rebels and allegations of Alexander Zakharchenko about the upcoming “offensive” to the position of the Ukrainian security officials – this position may have changed, does not exclude it.
On Sunday, the chairman of the State Duma Sergey Naryshkin, speaking at a joint with PACE President Anne Brasseur news conference, said that if the Russian delegation will not be returned powers in full, the Moscow generally refrain from attending the meeting for the year. A member of the Russian delegation, Robert Schlegel on his page on Facebook wrote that “to say that the effort in Wednesday or Thursday will definitely be voting against Russia, while it is impossible. Over the past year, much has changed, and the ardor of many significant trifle less impressed. Russia’s position, according to Schlegel, is that if the delegation will again be hit by a rule, it will freeze the work of the Assembly on the whole of the current year, and if at the beginning of 2016 the authority will not be restored, not only leaves Russia PACE and the Council of Europe as a whole, including the European Court of Human Rights.
Option with Russia’s withdrawal from the Council of Europe interlocutor RBC PACE considers it unlikely, noting that the views of individual members of national parliaments does not necessarily reflect the policies of the national authorities. He cites the example of calls by some British MPs to withdraw the list of London under the Convention, the right to vote to prisoners.
At a press conference on Monday Brasseur expressed its disagreement with the position Naryshkin, who believes that the deprivation of voting rights of the Russian delegation is illegal. Sanctions may occur and for far less serious violations of the countries – members of the Council of Europe, for example, if a national delegation not represented by both sexes, or if the member states do not allow its territory representatives of the Assembly, said Brasseur.
“If a country does not follow the principles of our organization, we have to act, and that’s what we did. The effect of this decision in terms of resolving the crisis – is another question, “- she said.
If the Russian delegation to PACE will stop working, it would be” more than sad, “commented Brasseur words Naryshkin to freeze work in Russia PACE. She insists on the need to continue the dialogue with Moscow.
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