IHF: Letter to Greek PM on MFA and National Minorities

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From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 30 Aug 1999 08:56:41 +0300 (EET DST)
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Subject: IHF: Letter to Greek PM on MFA and National Minorities

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Greek Helsinki Monitor <[email protected]>

IHF: Letter to Greek PM on MFA and National Minorities


H.E. Costas Simitis
Prime Minister, Athens
in care of the Embassy of Greece, Vienna
 
Vienna, 20 August 1999
 
OPEN LETTER
 
Dear Mr. Simitis,
 
I am writing on behalf of the International Helsinki Federation for
Human Rights (IHF), which represents human rights monitoring groups in
37 countries in the OSCE region, to express our strong support for
recent statements by Foreign Minister George Papandreou, in which he
acknowledged the rights of people to identify themselves as
minorities, consistent with the principle of self-determination.
 
We welcome the Foreign Minister's important recognition of the rights
of self-identification of minorities as protected by international
human rights standards, and we consider this a positive development -
one of a number of such developments in Greece over the past three
years.
 
On the 25th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece, 13
civil society organizations, including the Helsinki Federation's
affiliate Greek Helsinki Monitor, and three deputies, issued an appeal
to recognize the existence of Macedonian and Turkish minorities and to
ratify the Framework Convention for the Protection of National
Minorities of the Council of Europe.
 
Their appeal deserves the support of all Greek citizens and their
leaders. We are deeply concerned, however, by the strong hostile
reaction these proposals met - proposals that are consistent with
European standards and which, if accepted, would bring Greece more
closely into the family of nations in which it belongs, and instill
confidence among all citizens in the humanity and civility of your
society.
 
This reaction reflects, more than anything, a lack of understanding
about international and European standards and Greece's international
obligations.  It suggests the need for an information campaign aimed
at clarification of these issues and a renewed commitment to
dialogue.  We are ready to work with you and your colleagues on such a
campaign.
 
In closing allow me to reiterate our support for Mr. Papandreou's
courageous efforts, and our hope that the recent debate in Greece will
mark more progress toward compliance with human rights standards.
 
Yours sincerely,
 
Aaron Rhodes
 
Copies to:
OSCE Delegations
Council of Europe
UN Human Rights Center
National Helsinki Committees

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