PACE president on visit to Serbia

PACE president on visit to Serbia

Asked about "the chances of Kosovo becoming a member of the CoE" at a press conference following her address to the Serbian parliament, Brasseur told reporters that "programs were being prepared aimed at protecting human rights and democracy in Kosovo."

"These programs are being realized in cooperation with Serbia. Serbia gives support to the Council of Europe in this regard," she stressed.

Brasseur pointed to the importance of continued cooperation and communication where no opinions are imposed on the parties involved.

"What we have to do is enable the citizens of Kosovo to benefit from the rights deriving from the Declaration on Human Rights. At the present moment, the citizens of Kosovo cannot use the Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg," said Brasseur.

In her address to the Serbian Assembly, the PACE president "welcomed the positive development in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue, expressing confidence that even greater progress will be made in the future," Tanjug reported.

Today, Serbia is a stable, democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-cultural country, Brasseur said during a special parliamentary session.

"As the current OSCE chair, Serbia is an important player on the European scene, it is an EU candidate country and an important factor in the region," said Brasseur, adding that Serbia "shares the values of the European community and the highest standards in human rights, rule of law and democracy."

Also on Tuesday, Brasseur met with Serbian Parliament Speaker Maja Gojkovic and thanked Serbia for its efforts to strengthen stability in the region.

Speaking at a joint press conference Brasseur said that Serbia had done a lot, "but there was more work to do in the judiciary reform area and in the fight against corruption."

She said growing extremism, hate speech and the crisis in Ukraine were major challenges facing us today, stressing that war and violence were not the answer to solving problems and that parliamentary diplomacy should continue.

Gojkovic told reporters that she expected PACE to sound positive notes about Serbia in its European integration progress report.

She said that Brasseur had commended Serbia’s efforts, stressing that of the 47 member states of the Council of Europe, Serbia occupied a high 11th place by activities.

Gojkovic thanked for PACE's support in the implementation of all important values promoted by the Council of Europe, such as the respect for human rights, judicial reform, which was underway in Serbia, and respect for differences.

Transparency of media ownership

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Anne Brasseur said on Tuesday that further work lies ahead of Serbia to ensure the rule of law and human rights, further judiciary reform, and more efficient implementation of the laws governing the fight against discrimination.

Addressing MPs in the Serbian parliament, Brasseur said that Serbia needs higher transparency of media ownership.

The recently passed media laws provide the legal framework, but their implementation should be a priority, Brasseur said at a special parliament session.

The media should be immune to influence, adhering to the journalism code of ethics, Brasseur said, pointing to the importance of respecting independent bodies and appreciating their findings and recommendations.

Marty report

The Council of Europe has not given up on ascertaining whether the allegations concerning the human organ trafficking in Kosovo, presented in the report by Council of Europe Special Rapporteur Dick Marty, are true, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Anne Brasseur said in Belgrade on Monday.

In his report published in December 2010, Marty placed the blame for the human organ trafficking on members of the so-called Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and its commanders, including Kosovo's former prime minister Hashim Thaci. The issue of the human organ trafficking was first raised by former ICTY chief prosecutor Carla Del Ponte in her book "The Hunt: Me and the War Criminals" in 2008.

"We never give up," Brasseur said at Belgrade's Faculty of Political Sciences, where she held a lecture on the CoE.

According to Brasseur, it is important to find out the truth about the missing, and the CoE continues with the efforts in that direction.

She also underscored that the CoE approach to Kosovo is governed by UNSC Resolution 1244.

Kosovo is not a member of the CoE, Brasseur said, "not dismissing a possibility that this might be the case some day," Tanjug reported.

"Kosovo's request does exist, but that depends on the region, we should not hurry," she said, noting that the CoE "takes a different approach when compared to the EU, so a joint solution should be reached."

As regards the fight against corruption, Brasseur said that Serbia has made progress, but much work still lies ahead.

Brasseur said that Serbia should secure freedom of expression and protection for journalists, and solve the issue of media ownership.

Only pluralism guarantees media freedom and that is important for democracy, she said.

Brasseur said she came to Belgrade to learn the situation in Serbia first-hand, and not to do some kind of monitoring.

PACE President Anne Brasseur, who arrived in Belgrade on Monday and met with Foreign Minister Ivica Dacic, today met with President Tomislav Nikolic and will later travel to Novi Sad.