Armenian paper says US official’s remarks on Karabakh “ignorant and
offending”

Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
19 Jan 05

Text of unattributed report by Armenian newspaper Hayots Ashkarh on 19
January headlined “What has America gained and what has it lost?”

US Assistant State Secretary Elizabeth Jones’ latest statement
followed by groundless accusations against Nagornyy Karabakh and its
authorities cannot but cause bewilderment and even angry in our
society.

What is taking place? The United States, which proclaims itself to be
the fighter for freedom, democracy, human rights and other human
values, deeply insults the Nagornyy Karabakh Republic [NKR] describing
its authorities as unstable, corrupt and criminal separatists.

Undoubtedly, the USA and Russia, which are the ones responsible for
ensuring security in the world and in our region, can and are obliged
to discuss settlement of post-Soviet conflicts. But when a senior
official of the number one superpower of the world, being absolutely
misinformed, is playing with the most sacred purposes of the whole
people, it does not matter who speaks and why.

The allegations levelled against the NKR authorities are a hard blow
to Armenian-American relations for several reasons.

1. Who told Mrs Jones that Nagornyy Karabakh is an unstable country?
Can she point at any foreigner who has recently visited Karabakh and
gained such an impression in Karabakh? The answer is obvious: only
Azerbaijan’s official propaganda has been spreading this slander about
Nagornyy Karabakh. So, is this “the level of information awareness” of
the number one superpower? Or does it simply not care about any
information.

2. Who told the American lady that Karabakh is a corrupt country?
Maybe, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. [Passage omitted] What kind
of corruption is Karabakh accused of if its only large property is its
people’s and authorities’ pride in their liberty gained with blood and
democracy. Moreover, all influential world bodies regard Azerbaijan as
one of the most corrupt states.

3. And finally, according to what international norms the NKR
authorities are regarded as separatists and criminal, when everybody,
including the US authorities, knows that Nagornyy Karabakh has never
been within independent Azerbaijan.

And when has the USA become an advocate of one of dictator Stalin’s
crimes? It is known that unlike the Dniester, Abkhaz and South
Ossetian conflicts, the USA is a key member of the OSCE Minsk Group
set up to settle the Karabakh issue. Its top officials visited the NKR
many times, negotiated with the Karabakh authorities, described as
“criminal separatists” by Elizabeth Jones. Who does the US assistant
state secretary offend but top officials of her own country?

Nevertheless, let us try to understand what America has gained and
what it has lost because of such an ignorant and offending statement
of Elizabeth Jones? The USA has gained the great sympathy of the
dictator of unstable, very corrupt and extremely criminal Azerbaijan
and lost the sympathy of the stable, free and democratic Karabakh
people who love freedom.

OBSE Directors will visit Stepanakert

A1+
19-01-2005

OBSE directors of the Minsk Group will visit Baku on January
28th. They will be in Yerevan on January 30th, then will continue on
to Stepanakert on February 1st. As ambassador, Russian co-director
Yuri Merslyakov informed the Regnum agency that the co-directors will
be accompanied by the acting director’s personal representative, Anjey
Kaspshik.

They will organize an investigation of Azerbaijani land in order to
find out how many Armenians are living there.

The Russian representative has commented positively on the meeting of
Armenia and Azerbaijan’s Ministers of Foreign Affairs, which took
place in Praha on January 11. According to Merzlyakov, it is important
to begin negotiations. The latter has mentioned that in spite of
previous meetings, details prevailed during this meeting, and that the
parties had begun to discuss more specific issues. Also important is
that Armenia’s agreement about the visit will allow for the revision
of UN’s agenda regarding the question about the situation of areas
taken by Azerbaijan. Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs Valery Loschinin stated the other day that Baku has removed
this question from the agenda of UN.

Isn’t the situation in Baku worth mentioning?

A1+
19-01-2005

«We all will remain barbarians until the world accepts this genocide,»
said Hranush Kharatyan about the genocide which took place in Baku and
Sumgait fifteen years ago. Mr. Kharatyan, who is the consultant of
Armenia’s vice president, was in Tsitsernakaberd today to address the
crowd which had gathered for a commemorative ceremony on this
genocide’s anniversary. Zori Balayan told the man next to him, ”There
should be 500000 people here instead of 50.” Mr. Balayan had been
told that ex-inhabitants of Baku would arrive via three buses.
”Where are they?” he asked. At that moment, one of the journalists
of ”Haylur” said, ”Yes, they are not sparse. Moreover, their number
is growing,” referring to the presence of the chairman of the
writers’ union Levon Ananyan and the parishioner of Kanaker’s
St. Hakob church, Sahak Ter Sahakyan. They were the last to join the
meeting.

Zori Balayan began his speech by saying that it is not right to gather
every time, return to our duties, and gather again next year. ” I
don’t envy that the people of Azerbaijan may gather today and speak
Russian,” he added. Then he read his speech, in Russian, reminding
those present of what had happened in Soviet Azerbaijan fifteen years
ago.

Some of the young people present were participating in the meeting,
while others were smiling and laughing, standing apart from the
crowd. Also, Ina Akopova, one of the victims of the Baku genocide,
presented a statement during the meeting which said that the chief of
police of the Nasiminyan area of Baku had admitted that Akopova’s
sister had been the victim of assault of soldiers during the
emigration.

Armenian ombudsman receives over 1,800 complaints in 10 years

A1+ web site
19 Jan 05

The ombudsman of the Armenian Republic received more than 1,800
complaints, 1,345 of them in writing, over 10 years of her
activities. The number of complaints filed from districts was 710, of
them 501 in writing.

A total of 555 complaints were considered, 506 were rejected, 136
complainants were given the opportunity to protect their rights and
freedoms, and 95 complaints were handed over to appropriate bodies.

There were 12 mass petitions from 1,420 citizens, 1,200 of whom lost
jobs after the ArmenTel company’s licence was renewed. In all, 85
complaints were dealt with, i.e. 24 per cent of complaints about
offences.

The highest number of complaints was filed by local government bodies
– 310, 205 by courts, and 180 from the Ministry of Social Security.

Armenian leader, justice minister discuss setting up administrative courts

Noyan Tapan news agency
19 Jan 05

YEREVAN

As part of the reform of Armenia’s judicial and legal system, it is
necessary to establish administrative courts and start work on the
relevant legal framework as soon as possible, Armenian President
Robert Kocharyan told Justice Minister David Arutyunyan during a
working meeting today.

The president said that the system of administrative courts, which is
widely applied in the world, will provide for an opportunity to defend
the interests of Armenian citizens and legal entities in their
disputes with the government apparatus. Administrative courts are
tentatively expected to start operating in Armenia in 2006.

[Passage omitted: minor details]

Azeri, Armenian presidents to meet in Warsaw on 16 May

Trend news agency
19 Jan 05

BAKU

Trend correspondent A. Raufoglu: The next meeting of the Azerbaijani
and Armenian presidents will take place in Warsaw on 16 May. Trend
news agency has learnt from diplomatic sources that it will take place
on the sidelines of the third meeting of Council of Europe heads of
state on 15-17 May.

“The dialogue between the presidents of Azerbaijan and Armenia will
take place at the initiative of the OSCE Minsk Group and has nothing
to do with the Council of Europe,” the Council of Europe foreign
relations committee told Trend. At the same time, the source said
that the Azerbaijani side has sent a notification to Strasbourg in
connection with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s visit to Poland
on 16-17 May. “The Council of Europe welcomes the intention of the
Azerbaijani leader to participate in the summit and pins great hopes
on the event,” the source said.

[Passage omitted: The Russian Foreign Ministry earlier issued a
statement about the meeting]

Russian pundit warns of dangers caused by wrong moves in CIS

Nezavisimaya Gazeta, Moscow
18 Jan 05

Russia has been losing its positions in the post-Soviet area because
of incompetent Kremlin spin doctors who tend to choose wrong allies to
support. If this trend continues, Russia will find itself in a
political predicament and this may affect the pace of its domestic
reforms, argues Alla Yazkova, senior research associate at the
Institute for International Economic and Political Studies. The
following is the text of report headlined “Foreign-policy botch-work.
Russia continues to play dangerous games in post-Soviet area” by
Russian newspaper Nezavisimaya Gazeta on 18 January; subheadings have
been inserted editorially:

The new year 2005 promises a series of fresh surprises in the
post-Soviet area.

Moldova

The parliamentary election in Moldova is scheduled for
March. Moldova’s approach to the solution of many foreign-policy
problems including the character of its relations with Russia,
Ukraine, and Georgia and its decision to either retain its neutrality
or step up the policy of Euro-Atlantic integration will depend on the
future alignment of political forces.

It is necessary to look for ways to settle the Dniester Region
conflict. If the election in Moldova takes place amid the same
political sentiments that brought to power the liberal opposition in
neighbouring Romania, Chisinau will even more actively insist on the
observance of the decisions of the 1999 Istanbul summit, the
elimination of Russia’s military presence, and the bringing of an
international peacekeeping contingent into the conflict zone. Tiraspol
will respond to this with the further toughening of its stance. In
this case Russia, which has rendered active support for the Dniester
Region’s separatist regime over the past decade, will face equally
difficult problems in the region as the ones it encountered in
Abkhazia or even more difficult ones.

Armenia

Hotspots in the former Soviet territory appear more and more often due
to the former elites’ inability or unwillingness to take into account
the growing trends to establish democratic norms in politics and
society. In April, the Armenian opposition will celebrate the second
anniversary of the adoption of the resolution on holding a referendum
of confidence in President Robert Kocharyan in view of the doubtful
results of the vote on his candidacy in the 2003 presidential
election. The opposition’s attempts to implement this decision was
suppressed by the security structures in April 2004. All the
indications are that the same scenario will be repeated this year
also. Armenia is subject to growing international pressure due to the
lack of constructive steps to settle the Nagornyy Karabakh problem and
liberate the occupied regions of Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, in defiance
of obvious logic Russia relies on the Kocharyan regime and renders it
substantial support including in the military sphere. It is for this
very reason that, according to representatives of the opposition
gaining strength, Moscow is dramatically losing its influence and
prestige in Armenian society.

Central Asia

Growing negative sentiments in relations with Moscow do not always lie
on the surface, but exist both in the policy of the Central Asian
leaders and that of Belarusian Old Man Lukashenka. The CIS is becoming
increasingly reminiscent of a kind of discussion club, whereas the
projects promoted within the framework of this organization are hardly
feasible, as attested by attempts to form the Single Economic Area
comprising Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, and Kazakhstan.

GUUAM

It cannot be ruled out that associations such as GUUAM (Georgia,
Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, and Moldova) can step up their
activities based on specific common interests as a counterweight to
this structure. In addition, most CIS countries become increasingly
oriented towards the outer world and in this situation Moscow’s
persisting illusions and the lack of strategy based on existing
reality cause dangerous mistakes.

More and more often sensitive spots on post-Soviet territory crop up
due to the Russian political elite’s inability or unwillingness to
take into account the growing trends to establish democratic norms in
politics and society.

Ukraine

Ukraine – the country where a globally unprecedented campaign to
support a pro-Kremlin candidate was waged during the presidential
election – proved to be the weakest link in the Kremlin’s strategy and
tactics last year. In Gleb Pavlovskiy’s opinion, Russia
“insufficiently participated in Ukrainian affairs;” meanwhile, it can
specifically be reproached for its excessively active attempts to
preserve the Soviet-type regime it controlled. Nor did it hesitate to
fan separatist sentiments in the Russian-speaking southern and eastern
regions of Ukraine. However, the Kremlin spin doctors proved unable to
professionally cope even with this task and failed to get to the
bottom of interclan disagreements or comprehend the distinguishing
traits of Ukraine’s national mentality, which were vividly
demonstrated at the turn of generations. Therefore, the reputable
German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine assessed the results of
“aggressive intervention” on the part of the Russian “advisers'” as
“foreign-policy botch-work.”

Abkhazia

Russia’s interference in the election process in Abkhazia at all its
stages was even more primitive. By getting involved in the purely
internal and, in essence, illegitimate election process in the
self-proclaimed republic Russia can suffer major losses in the long
run, for it placed the interests of its own and foreign clan
structures above its national interests. So far, this interference
substantially weakened Russia’s positions not only in Abkhazia itself,
but also in Russia’s relations with Tbilisi. If Russia aspires to
become a civilized democratic country maintaining normal relations
with its neighbours, it will sooner or later have to give up support
for separatism including in Abkhazia. The sooner this happens, the
better.

International organizations

The experience of Russian policy in Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine also
exposed the threat of Russia’s increasing sliding towards geopolitical
opposition and in a number of cases confrontation with the
Euro-Atlantic structures (the EU and NATO) and in the long run, also
with the United States.

How come Moscow, which worked so hard to strengthen its positions in
the West, is wasting everything in confrontation which cannot bring it
any dividends anyway? It is, indeed, difficult to imagine a situation
where Russia, acting in line with political logic, would consider it
worthwhile to simultaneously worsen relations with the EU, OSCE, NATO
and in the long run, also with the United States. Apparently, the
temperature of Russia’s relations with the West dropped to its lowest
level since the Cold War during the Ukrainian crisis. Will Russia,
left on its own, be able to withstand even “lukewarm confrontation”
with the rest of the world? And how can this affect the continuation
of the policy of domestic reforms?

Particularly since the post-Soviet states ever more actively choose
the European direction for their development, which gives food for
thought.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

Russian foreign minister on ties with USA, Iran, foreign affairs

ITAR-TASS news agency, Moscow
19 Jan 05

Russian agencies accorded extensive coverage to Russian Foreign
Minister Sergey Lavrov’s news conference in Moscow today [19 January]
which dealt with numerous international issues of interest to Russia.

Commenting on US President George Bush’ statement that non-diplomatic
methods may be used to resolve Iran’s nuclear programme, Lavrov said:
“I do not think it useful to talk, even hypothetically, about a
situation that will arise if anyone decides to resort to other,
non-diplomatic methods of resolving this problem,” Russian Interfax
news agency said at 0928 gmt.

He said Russia’s construction of Iran’s Bushehr nuclear power station
was “absolutely transparent and fully under the IAEA control” and
added: “As far as Iran is concerned, I would like to stress, first and
foremost, that all the main participants in the talks and contacts
aimed at resolving Iran’s nuclear problem proceed from the methods of
settling it by political means and there is every opportunity to do
this,” ITAR-TASS news agency quoted him as saying at 1004 gmt.

Russia welcomes the efforts by Arab countries to combat terrorism,
ITAR-TASS said at 1046 gmt. It quoted Lavrov as saying that “Russia
possesses certain documents and accords with Arab countries concerning
the fight against terrorism. There is also a dialogue during which
problems of internal and external security are discussed. Russia
welcomes the steps which her partners are taking to ensure their
territories are not used for terrorist activities.” Lavrov condemned
what he called “double standards in the fight against terrorism”.

“Those who prepare and carry out acts of terrorism must be judged by
the same yardstick. We expect persons suspected of preparing and
carrying out terrorist acts to be extradited.” “Ideally, it would be
necessary to compile a list of persons involved in terrorism. Russia
has already submitted a proposal to this effect to the UN Security
Council,” TASS quoted Lavrov as saying.

Lavrov described Condoleezza Rice as a “serious politician”. “I know
Condoleezza Rice and I do not think that the US administration will
depart from a course formulated by the Russian and US presidents,
aimed at developing partner relations,” ITAR-TASS said at 1236 gmt.

Commenting on US Department of State’s reports on Russia, he said that
“evaluations in them do not always coincide with Russia’s position”.

“Russia’s internal policies develop on the basis of the
Constitution. When constructive criticism of us is voiced, we pay
attention. When it is directed towards returning us all to the times
of the Cold War, we can not agree with this. Some people have recently
been trying, through the media, to portray the developments in Russia
as a throw-back to totalitarianism. I do not think this is in good
faith. Most likely some people do not like the fact that Russia is
getting stronger and becoming more independent economically and
financially.”

Looking forward to the Russian-US summit in Bratislava on 24 February,
Lavrov described relations between Vladimir Putin and George Bush as
“friendly, mutually respectful and based on an equal dialogue”.

Russian RIA Novosti agency said at 0910 gmt that Lavrov praised the
role of the CIS in the life of its members. “All CIS member countries
regard the CIS as an important forum for defining the strategic
interests of our states.” Lavrov praised trade and economic relations
with the CIS and advocated a closer integration among its members.

ITAR-TASS at 0921 gmt quoted Lavrov as saying that CIS needed to get
rid of a number of “ineffective” bodies, without specifying them. It
was necessary to implement reforms in such a way as to “preserve the
CIS’ underpinning principles of voluntariness and gradual
integration”.

Speaking of the issue of Nagornyy Karabakh in the context of his
forthcoming visit to Armenia in February, ITAR-TASS at 1042 gmt quoted
Lavrov as saying that Russia “is interested in the sides [to the
conflict] arriving at mutually-acceptable solutions to settle the
Karabakh issue”. Speaking of resumption of rail traffic between Russia
and Armenia, Lavrov said: “We hope, in the context of a general
progress of our dialogue with Georgia, to resolve the problem of
resuming the rail traffic on the Sochi-Tbilisi route and this will
make it possible to remove Yerevan’s long-standing concerns.”

Russian RIA Novosti agency at 0926 gmt said Lavrov was planning to
visit Azerbaijan on 2 February to prepare for the Azerbaijani
president’s visit to Moscow. Lavrov did not “rule out” discussing the
Karabakh issue: “Over the past few months, following the meeting
between Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents in Astana and their
meeting with Putin, positive shifts have begun to make themselves
felt. I am saying this with cautious optimism,” the agency quoted
Lavrov as saying.

Speaking of relations with the Baltic states, Lavrov said: “We want
our relations with the Baltic states to be good-neighbourly and
mutually advantageous, based on universally-accepted norms and on the
obligations our countries have internationally. We are interested in
developing mutually advantageous cooperation and settling all
problems, including the signing of border treaties,” ITAR-TASS, 0953
gmt, quoted Lavrov as saying.

Turning to the issue of Kosovo, Lavrov was quoted by ITAR-TASS, 1047
gmt, as saying that “Undue haste in resolving the status of Kosovo may
lead to unpredictable consequences. Russia has repeatedly called for
the decisions concerning Kosovo to be implemented. The situation of
ethnic minorities in Kosovo is becoming worse. A dialogue with Kosovo
authorities, national minorities and Belgrade is needed. Russia
regards it as necessary to cooperate with the international tribunal,
but not everything should hinge on the arrest of this or that leader,”
TASS said, quoting Lavrov.

Lavrov said that Japanese foreign minister’s recent Moscow visit “has
been very useful”. ITAR-TASS at 0955 gmt quoted him as saying that the
date of Putin’s visit to Japan may be specified after the visit’s
agenda has been agreed. “We confirmed the necessity of developing
relations on the basis of the Russian-Japanese action plan adopted at
summit level. This document provides for broad cooperation in all
fields with a simultaneous tackling of problems connected with a peace
treaty. We have acquired a more realistic idea of going forward in
keeping with the plan that has been adopted,” the agency quoted Lavrov
as saying.

Azeri ministry consents to OSCE fact-finding mission’s route via Armenia

Azad Azarbaycan TV, Baku
19 Jan 05

[Presenter] The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry has come to terms with
the OSCE fact-finding mission’s visit to Karabakh via Armenia. However,
while explaining its position it said this further attests to the fact
that Armenia is an aggressor.

[Correspondent over archive footage] Baku does not object to the OSCE
fact-finding mission’s travelling to the occupied territories through
Armenia, the head of the Foreign Ministry’s information department,
Tahir Tagizada, has said.

Pointing to the occupation of a fifth of Azerbaijani territory and the
fact that those areas are currently under Armenia’s control, Tagizada
did not rule out certain difficulties in the event of the experts’
visit to Karabakh through the territory of Azerbaijan. For this
reason, the Azerbaijani side sees the decision as temporary.

At the same time, the representative of the Foreign Ministry said that
the international experts’ decision to travel to Karabakh through
Armenia is the further proof of aggression on the part of Armenia.

To recap, the special representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office,
Andrzej Kasprczyk, said earlier that the decision to travel to
Karabakh via Armenia had been made in the interests of the experts’
safety.

Vuqar Aliyev, “Son Xabar”.

Viktor Yushchenko and Mikheil Saakashvili to address PACE winter session

Strasbourg, 19.01.2005 – Addresses by Ukrainian President-elect Viktor
Yushchenko and Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili are among highlights
of the winter session of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
(PACE), which takes place in Strasbourg from 24 to 28 January 2005.

Another highlight is a debate during which the Assembly will put forward its
proposals for the coming Third Summit of the Council of Europe. At the
summit, which takes place in Warsaw on 16-17 May, the heads of state and
government of the Organisation’s 46 member states are due to take stock of
its role as the guarantor of human rights across the continent and map out a
plan of action for the years ahead. French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier
will take part in the debate.

On Tuesday 25th at noon, there will be a ceremony to commemorate the 60th
anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, with the participation of the
Chairman of the Yad Vashem Council and former Knesset Speaker Szewach Weiss
and Auschwitz survivor Jean Samuel.

There will be possible urgent debates on the Asian Tsunami disaster and on
the prospects for Middle East peace. Other reports to be discussed include
relations between Europe and the United States, the circumstances
surrounding the arrest and prosecution of leading Yukos executives, and the
conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Kosovo’s Ombudsman Marek Antoni Nowicki will take part in a debate on the
protection of human rights in Kosovo and there will be the first assessment
since “the Rose Revolution” of Georgia’s honouring of its obligations and
commitments towards the Council of Europe.

The opening day of the session sees the election of a new Assembly President
as well as addresses from OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Alcee L.
Hastings, Council of Europe Secretary General Terry Davis – who will give
the annual communication on “the state of the Council of Europe” – and
Claude Frey, chairman of the Executive Council of the North-South Centre. On
Wednesday, Poland’s Deputy Foreign Minister Jan Truszczynski, representing
the Polish chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers, will address the
Assembly.

The parliamentarians will also debate how European governments should
respond to Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs), put forward a proposal to
establish a European remembrance centre for victims of forced population
movements and ethnic cleansing, and consider Europe’s response to
unemployment.

The Assembly will adopt opinions on new draft Council of Europe conventions
on trafficking in human beings and on the prevention of terrorism, including
terrorist financing.

An updated list of scheduled press conferences is available on the
Assembly’s website.

The following is a provisional order of business which may be altered by the
Assembly on the first day of the session.

Monday 24 January
* Election of the President and Vice-Presidents of the Assembly
* Progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and the Standing Committee
* Statement by Claude Frey, Chairman of the Executive Council of the
North-South Centre
* Statement by Alcee L. Hastings, President of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly
* Communication from Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of
Europe, on the state of the Council of Europe
* Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Tuesday 25 January
* The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region dealt with by the OSCE Minsk
Conference
* Ceremony to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the liberation of
Auschwitz
* Address by Viktor Yushchenko, President-elect of Ukraine
* Protection of human rights in Kosovo
* Statement by Marek Antoni Nowicki, Ombudsperson in Kosovo
* The circumstances surrounding the arrest and prosecution of leading Yukos
executives

Wednesday 26 January
* Election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to
Serbia and Montenegro
* Possible urgent debate: prospects for peace in the Middle East
* Address by Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia
* Communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Parliamentary
Assembly presented by Jan Truszczynski, Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs
of Poland, representing the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers
* The Third Summit
* Statement by Michel Barnier, Minister for Foreign Affairs of France
* Honouring of obligations and commitments by Georgia

Thursday 27 January
* Election of a judge to the European Court of Human Rights with respect to
Serbia and Montenegro (possible second round)
* Relations between Europe and the United States
* Possible urgent debate: Europe and the Tsunami disaster
* Establishment of a European remembrance centre for victims of forced
population movements and ethnic cleansing
* Opinion on the Draft Convention on laundering, the financing of terrorism,
search, seizure and confiscation of the proceeds from crime
* Opinion on the Draft Convention for the prevention of terrorism

Friday 28 January
* What solutions to Europe’s unemployment?
* Boosting social cohesion and employment: more and better jobs
* Opinion on the Draft Council of Europe Convention on action against
trafficking in human beings
* Revision of the terms of reference of Assembly committees
* Constitution of the Standing Committee

See the Assembly’s website, , for further details.

Additional information may also be found on the Council of Europe web
portal,

Contact:
Communication Unit of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly
Tel. +33 3 88 41 31 93 Fax +33 3 90 21 41 34; e-mail: [email protected]

2

Press Release
Parliamentary Assembly Communication Unit
Ref: 015a04
Tel: +33 3 88 41 31 93
Fax :+33 3 90 21 41 34
[email protected]
internet:

The Parliamentary Assembly brings together 630 members from the national
parliaments of the 46 member states.
President: Peter Schieder (Austria, SOC); Secretary General of the Assembly:
Bruno Haller.
Political Groups: SOC (Socialist Group); EPP/CD (Group of the European
People’s Party); LDR (Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group);
EDG (European Democratic Group); UEL (Group of the Unified European Left).