“We would like the election to be less controlled”
// The newly-appointed PACE head explained what he expects of Russia
The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) elected on Monday its new president, Spanish senator Lluís Maria de Puig. He met with Kommersant’s special correspondent Mikhail Zygar on Wednesday, and explained what awaits Russia during his presidency in the PACE.
“In your opinion, why was it you, and not Mikhail Margelov, who became the PACE president? During the previous session, your colleague in the Socialist Group Josette Durrieu said that Margelov would not become the president because Russia does not fulfill its obligations to the PACE. Was that the reason for Margelov’s non-election?”
“No, it wasn’t. The truth is that the PACE has recently had an open discussion concerning whether a candidate from the European Democrat Group, that is Margelov, can become the president. On the contrary, the future president’s nationality was not discussed. No one raised the question whether to elect a Russian, a Spaniard or a Jew. It was exclusively the choice of the group. Moreover, my faction, the Socialist Group, had already decided to support Margelov. Back in October, we voted for electing Margelov as the PACE head, and no one ever told me there are any problems due to his being Russian.
Then, however, two other groups [liberals and united leftists. -- Kommersant] said that the current rotation system is wrong. It was created 20 years ago, when the European Democrat Group was third in number of members, and there were just four groups in total. Now there are five, and the number of members in the factions changed as well. So, the PACE had to work out a new rotation system which would put everything in order. And that is absolutely right. For instance, someone does not want Margelov, or another European Democrat, or another Russian to become the president. Yet, if we have a clear rule, there will be no misunderstandings. That is why we made a new agreement. We introduced a new type of rotation, approved a new structure, and reduced the presidency term. In two years, it will be Margelov’s turn to head the PACE.”
“Your predecessor René van der Linden failed to make Russia ratify the already-signed protocols #6 and #14 to the European Convention on Human Rights, which stipulate abolishing death penalty and carrying out the European Court of Human Rights reform. What are you going to do about it?”
“Actually, we are not forcing Russia to sign the protocols. We do not force anyone at all. Russia joined the PACE voluntarily; it knew our requirements, and promised to meet them. We are waiting for Russia to fulfill its promises.
The fact that Russia has not yet ratified Protocol #14 is a strong blow against the European Court of Human Rights. Naturally, many PACE members do not like it. Many dislike the fact that Russia has not abolished death penalty yet. Many criticize the recent Duma election. We do not challenge its outcome, but there are some things which raise our concern. For instance, there was no equal access to mass media; one political party had enormous advantages while others were devoid of everything. We noticed all these shortcomings, and are now waiting for the presidential election in Russia. We would like our observations to be taken into account. A new mission will go to watch the election, and we are waiting for the report it will bring back. We would like it to be a more positive report than before. We hope the observers state that the Russian authorities have begun correcting the mistakes in the months between the elections. We would like the upcoming election to be less controlled. We hope to see less propaganda on TV and less frequent resorting to administrative resource. That is what we would like to see. Otherwise, we’ll make different conclusions.”
“The PACE will analyze the outcome of Russia’s presidential election at the session in April. You invited President Putin to attend it.”
“Our assembly is very liberal. Parliamentarians can say everything they want. I suppose if they want to criticize Putin in April, they will be able to do so.”
“If Vladimir Putin comes to the PACE, that must be his last visit as head of state. Do you invite him because you think he will keep playing the same part in politics even when he is no longer the president?”
“First, it was not I who invited him, but my predecessor. In the last week of his presidency, he went to Moscow to once again try to persuade Putin to abolish death penalty and agree to the European Court of Human Rights reform. So, if President Putin comes and announces from the PACE tribune that Russia is ratifying protocols #6 and #14, it would be wonderful.
However, we do not know whether Putin accepts our invitation or not. Speaking of the part he plays, we certainly think he will keep playing an important part in Russia’s politics even after his resignation. Yet, Russia will already have a new president in April, and I think I will invite him to Strasburg as well during my first visit to Moscow.”
“René van der Linden said after his meeting with Vladimir Putin that he drastically changed Russia, and made it a strong and stable country. What do you think of Putin’s contribution to changing Russia?”
“Putin is a very important leader for Russia. He headed the country during a difficult time period. He had to do a lot, and he did most of it. He is one of the few politicians in the world who have weight. I would even call him a landmark figure. It is very important for us to cooperate with him. We would like him to understand the Council of Europe, our goals and principles.”
“Many Russian politicians say that if the EU or the U.S. recognizes Kosovo’s independence, Russia might recognize Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Transdniestria. What will the PACE do?”
“The PACE shouldn’t be recognizing anyone. It is a matter of separate states or, for instance, the EU. On the other hand, when the PACE was discussing its resolution on Kosovo, many parliamentarians told me of the consequences which Kosovo’s independence might trigger in Scotland, Catalonia, Basque Provinces, and other regions. However, I would like to make a statement: the Kosovo case has nothing to do with other regions.”
“Can Kosovo become a PACE member someday?”
“The only thing I can say is the following: if Kosovo gets international recognition, it will surely become a PACE member.”
“The only country in Europe having no relations with the Council of Europe is Belarus. Don’t you think that isolating Alexander Lukashenka does not help at all? How do you plan to build relations with Belarus?”
“Isolation is impeding, both for us and for his country. However, it is Lukashenka who does not want to have anything to do with us now. We suggest he behave just like everyone else, but he refuses to undertake the obligations already accepted by all European countries. Apparently, Lukashenka thinks the whole world is wrong and only he is right. Anyway, Lukashenka is welcome to turn to the CE anytime and undertake the obligations. We will try to do our best to somehow establish contact, to open the doors, s as to make Belarus’ integration into Europe possible.
Interview taken by Mikhail Zygar
All the Article in Russian as of Jan. 24, 2008
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