Yushchenko is Asked to Renege Agreement With Yanukovych

STRASBOURG, France -- Hanne Severinsen - rapporteur of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) - hopes that, even after the Yushchenko-Yanukovych memorandum, amnesty will not be given to those involved in election falsification.

Hanne Severinsen
"We hope that the election amnesty agreement will not apply to those who were involved in electoral manipulations. Those involved should be handled through the court system," said Severinsen during the PACE hearing about Ukraine.

Severinsen also underlined her position that reforms should not stop "due to political struggles, and are not supposed to depend on which side holds the power at the moment."

Additionally, Severinsen noted lack of progress in the Gongadze investigation.

Renate Wohlwendg, another rapporteur of the PACE in Ukraine, criticized the General Prosecutor's Office (GPO).

"Right now, the Office is operating under an outdated Soviet example. The General Prosecutor's Office has not reached full operational competency," said Wohlwendg.

She added, "we call upon Ukraine to restructure the Office in a way that would prevent the General Prosecutor to take on the responsibilities of ombudsman."

Wohlwendg remarked that the political reform adopted in December of 2004 "leaves grounds for doubts."

She named two clauses in the amended Constitution with which the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe disagrees: i) the right of the GPO to maintain a general oversight of law enforcement, and ii) the prohibition for deputies to switch factions in the new Verkhovna Rada.

Finally, Wohlwendg expressed hope that the next Ukrainian Parliamentary elections will be free and democratic.

Co-rapporteurs Severinsen and Wohlwendg prepared the draft resolution for PACE which, aside from criticisms, includes accolades towards recent developments in Ukraine. The debates on this resolution took place in the Parliamentary Assembly during the first half of the day on Wednesday, October 5th, 2005.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda