Tiraspol Times & Weekly Review, Moldova
March 17 2007

Group warns of threat to democracy, security, and long term regional
stability

For nearly a year, a group of unrecognized countries has looked at
ways to enhance democracy and security guarantees. Its
Interparliamentary Assembly is led by a Moldovan. Grigory Marakutsa
says that they will warn the United Nations not to endorse moves that
risk upsetting the region’s fragile stability. By Times staff,
17/Mar/2007

Grigory Marakutsa, ethnic Moldovan and former Speaker of PMR’s
Parliament: Concerned about regional stability (file photo)TIRASPOL
(Tiraspol Times) – Building a common voice for those who have no voice
in the international community. That is the role of the Commonwealth
for Democracy and Rights of Nations, a small grouping of unrecognized
countries whose Interparliamentary Assembly is led by a Moldovan,
Grigory Marakutsa.

Now, says Marakutsa, the Commonwealth will seek to expand its
membership and next month will show the United Nations that peace,
security and stability must not be undermined or weakened.

Democracy requires security, stability and a guarantee of peace.
Conflict situations, bringing violence and risks of instability to the
region, undermine progress and democratic advances.

The Commonwealth for Democracy and Rights of Nations was founded by
the Presidents of South Ossetia, Abkhazia and Pridnestrovie – also
known as Transnistria – on 14 July 2006 to work on joint issues
involving social and economic progress of these states and obtaining
international recognition of their independence and sovereignty.
Later that same year, on 30 October, Speakers of the Parliaments of
the three member states met in Sukhumi, the capital of Abkhazia, to
establish the Interparliamentary Assembly for Democracy and Rights of
Nations under the auspices of the Commonwealth. The Assembly is open
to participation of parliaments of both recognized as well as
unrecognized states.

Possibility of expansion The Interparliamentary Assembly first met on
18 December 2006, establishing guidance on commissions and approving
the establishment of a secretariat. An official parliamentary
delegation from Nagorno-Karabakh took part in the meeting as
observers.

In December of 2006, the Assembly petitioned the United Nations to
recognize member states of the Assembly as members of the
international community and to declare valid the results of
referendums held in the member states of the Assembly. The
Interparliamentary commission for examining human rights violations by
the Republic of Moldova and Georgia was set up by unanimous
consent. Speaker of South Ossetia Parliament Tarzan Kokoity chaired
the commission. Grigory Marakutsa said, `At that time we scheduled the
next meeting of the Council of the Interparliamentary Assembly in
Sukhumi for March, 2007 to discuss the commission’s report relating to
drafting a statement and resolution on genocide and human rights
violations’.

New countries are likely to join the Commonwealth and its
Interparliamentary Assembly in the future. The group wants to speak
with a common voice in the United Nations and in other international
fora.

` – The full membership of the Parliament of Nagorno Karabakh in the
Assembly as well as the membership of other partially recognized
states is under discussion," said Grigory Marakutsa

" – Another new member would be Western Sahara. It is recognized by
some 60 countries though it is still under Morocco’s occupation and
doesn’t enjoy full sovereignty. The talks on cooperation and possible
membership in the Assembly are underway’.

Strengthening peace and security On the agenda for the Council is a
close eye on peace, and making sure that guarantees for their cease
fires are not undermined. Foremost on everyone’s mind is to prevent a
weakening of security and stability in the region. The three small
states are particularly worried that their larger neighbors will
mislead the United Nations in an attempt to change the existing,
well-functioning peacekeeping measures for a system which they fear
may not work at all.

` – On 15 April 2007, the UN will discuss peacekeeping operations in
different states," said Grigory Marakutsa. Moldova and Georgia filed
an appeal and will try to revoke Russia’s peacekeeping mandate in
Pridnestrovie, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It is our duty to
demonstrate the benefits of this peacekeeping operation to the UN, as
compared to other peacekeeping missions."

" – No serviceman, no civilian has died in Pridnestrovie during a
15-year peacekeeping operation. We don’t understand the motives of
Moldova and Georgia. It’s unclear why these states want to throw the
existing peacekeepers out of these territories. Maybe, they are
disappointed that no person has died here. We’ll debate it on April 10
and we’ll pass appropriate statements and petitions to the UN on
behalf of three states to prevent changes in the current peacekeeping
format’.

Elections in Abkhazia The Interparliamentary Assembly participated
with a commission to monitor the recent parliamentary elections in
Abkhazia. In this respect, the Special Interparliamentary Envoy for
interparliamentary relations said, `The observers of three states
monitored the elections under the aegis of the Interparliamentary
Assembly, we also encouraged observers from other European states to
participate in monitoring of the elections.’

` – The extent of transparency, availability of information and
openness of the elections set a worthy example to all of us. For
instance, the observers of all candidates had the opportunity to count
the voters’.

` – We witnessed no irregularities. Georgia made attempts to
destabilize the situation in the bordering area. The elections were
declared valid almost in all electoral districts except for one where
only one candidate had been nominated. By-elections will take place in
12 constituencies because two candidates received the same number of
votes and entered the second round of voting. Under Abkhazian law,
Parliament should convene and elect the Speaker within a month
following the elections. Parliament will meet to do this on 4 April’,
informed Grigory Marakutsa.

` – It’s often easier to solve problems with the help of
parliamentarians but not executive officials. For instance,
parliamentarians are invited to monitor referendums and elections.
Members of Parliament are public officers who represent their state’,
– Grigory Marakutsa noted.

Grigory Marakutsa (or Grigore Mãrãcuþã, in the Moldovan language) is
an ethnic Moldovan, alongside fellow ethnic Moldovan Alexander
Caraman, is considered one of the founding fathers of PMR, the
Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic. Until 2005, he was Speaker of PMR’s
Parliament. In December of 2005, the opposition won control of
Parliament in that year’s legislative elections and unseated
Marakutsa.

In 2006 Grigory Marakutsa was appointed General Secretary of the
Interparliamentary Assembly of the Community for Democracy and Rights
of Nations, an international grouping of South Ossetia, Abkhazia and
Pridnestrovie. (With information from vspmr.org)