FRY Seeks Council of Europe Membership

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]
Date: Sun, 22 Mar 1998 11:43:07 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: FRY Seeks Council of Europe Membership

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Felix Corley <[email protected]>

FRY Seeks Council of Europe Membership



Council of Europe
 
The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Seeks Council of Europe Membership
 
Strasbourg, 19.03.98 - The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia today
applied for membership of the Council of Europe in a letter handed to
the 40-nation Organisation's Secretary General, Daniel TARSCHYS, by
the FRY's Deputy Minister for Multilateral Questions, Branko
BRANKOVIC.

Welcoming the application, the Secretary General said he interpreted
it as an expression of the FRY's desire to participate in European
cooperation and to work towards compliance with the Council's human
rights and democratic standards, which are essential ingredients for
resolving the country's present problems.The application would open up
new opportunities for dialogue, he said.

Membership of the Council of Europe implies important commitments to
the other member states and to one's own citizens. It means an
acceptance that the protection of human rights knows no frontiers, Mr
TARSCHYS said.

As was stressed by the delegation of the Council of Europe's
Parliamentary Assembly in Belgrade last week, membership also
presupposes that an applicant country has brought its institutions and
legal system into line with the basic principles of democracy, the
rule of law and human rights. It means free and fair elections,
guaranteed freedom of expression, in particular media freedom, respect
for cultural diversity and observance of international law, he added.

Underscoring that admission would require signing up to the European
Human Rights Convention, Mr TARSCHYS said it was crucial for the
spirit of the FRY's application to be reflected in the handling of
major issues on the country's political agenda, including the
situation in Kosovo.

Finally, Mr TARSCHYS voiced his support for the initiatives of the
OSCE and the Contact Group for a peaceful conclusion to the crisis in
Kosovo.

The letter from Belgrade will now be forwarded to the Council of
Europe's Committee of Ministers which will decide on the further steps
to be taken.

Founded in 1949, the Council of Europe is the oldest European
Organisation. Based in Strasbourg, France, it has 40 member countries
and covers every policy area except defence. It is separate from the
European Union.

Press Contact
Dmitri Marchenkov, Council of Europe Press Service
Tel. +33 3 88 41 38 44 - Fax. +33 3 88 41 27 89
E-mail: [email protected]

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