Pase threatens to exclude Ukraine from the Council of Europe

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) with 46 votes "FOR" and 13 "Against" adopted on Thursday a resolution containing a point on the possibility of the exclusion of Ukraine from the Council of Europe.

As RIA Novosti reports, clause 19 of the resolution to the report of the observers of PACE "On the political crisis in Ukraine" states that "in the event that illegal and unconstitutional attempts are made in the country to impose political reforms by revising the constitution or subject to the inability of Ukraine to guarantee equal and free presidential elections on October 31, 2004, Pase could decide on the decision about questioning the powers of the Ukrainian delegation. "

The document also says that in this case, the Assembly "may demand from the Council of Ministers to suspend the membership of Ukraine in the Council of Europe."

The decision to adopt a resolution in Ukraine was made after almost two -hour debates on the PACE observers on the political situation in Ukraine on Thursday, and then on amendments to the resolution.

European parliamentarians have criticized the political situation in Ukraine.

Recently visited Kyiv, observer PACE Hannah Sverinsen from the rostrum of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe said that amendments to the Constitution of Ukraine in the pre -election year "is not an internal affair of Ukraine, since it is contrary to the obligations that it has taken over to the Council of Europe."

The Ukrainian parliament at the end of December decided to amend the Basic Law of Ukraine, which provides for the election of the president by parliament.

According to the document, starting in 2006, the head of state will elect the Verkhovna Rada.

Sveinsisen recalled that her opinion was shared by representatives of the so-called Venetian commission created as part of the Council of Europe to verify the constitutional acts of the member countries for their compliance with European norms.

The representative of the Netherlands Rene van der Linden, in turn, stated that in this situation, "the question arises about the membership of Ukraine in the Council of Europe."

Observers of PACE Hannah Sverinsen and Renata Volvent, after visiting Kyiv, prepared a report in which they declared the unacceptability of a change in the constitution in the pre -election year.

Official Kyiv did not agree with this wording and accused the speakers of gross interference of the country's internal affairs.

“There is no question of any constitutional crisis in Ukraine. The situation does not require serious interventions,” said the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Konstantin Grishchenko in Strasbourg.