This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 PARIS 002610 
 
SIPDIS 
 
FROM AMCONSUL STRASBOURG 
 
STATE FOR EUR/ERA, EUR/WE 
STATE ALSO FOR EUR/ERA - A. Carnie and L - A/S Bellinger 
 
TAGS: PHUM PREL COE
SUBJECT:  COUNCIL OF EUROPE: PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY 
STRUGGLES WITH EU COOPERATION, SPLITS ON HAMAS INVITATION 
 
Ref:  A) State 55459; B) Paris 02272 
 
¶1.  (SBU)  Begin Summary:  A somewhat subdued Parliamentary 
Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), meeting in 
Strasbourg April 10-14, continued to wrestle with its 
overlap with other EU institutions.  The PACE dodged a 
potential minefield when Palestinian Legislative Council 
(PLC) representatives, including Hamas, failed to attend 
the session, apparently unable to obtain visas.  Financial 
concerns with the expanding CoE dominated the agenda and 
the new Human Rights Commissioner told delegates that he 
could not carry out his mandate with the minimal resources 
allotted.  The European Court of Human Rights is taking the 
largest portion of the COE budget but has yet to reduce its 
backlog of 4000 cases.  In contrast to previous sessions, 
the delegates avoided negative comment on the U.S. with no 
reference to the death penalty and detention camps.  End 
Summary. 
 
COE to Avoid Duplication but Wants Lead in Human Rights 
 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  The Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly, 
which met April 10-14 in Strasbourg, produced an informal 
memo of understanding between the COE and EU, agreeing to 
consult but adding little detail.  The PACE called on both 
organizations to avoid duplication of the work of the CoE 
bodies in the relevant areas of EU action and for the 
opening of a permanent office of the European Commission in 
Strasbourg.  Comment.  The COE and the city of Strasbourg 
are struggling to hold on to the COE seat although the 
budgets have long since been under scrutiny.  The lucrative 
positions held by the COE secretariat staff will not easily 
be reduced, in spite of the duplication of services and its 
huge bureaucracy.  End comment. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  Luxembourg Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker 
proposed that the European Union become a member of the 
Council of Europe by 2010.   Recommendations in his COE - 
requested report, "Council of Europe-European Union:  a 
Sole Ambition for the European Continent" include:  EU 
member states should open the way for EU accession to the 
European Convention on Human Rights; EU bodies should 
recognize the COE as the "Europe-wide reference source" for 
human rights; and member states should insure that the CoE 
has the resources it requires.  COE Secretary General Terry 
Davis supported Juncker's proposals, notably that of 
European Union membership in the Council of Europe.   Davis 
distinguished the CoE mandate to protect human rights from 
that of the EU's obligation to respect those rights.  He 
called for supervisory mechanisms to ensure that EU 
competence is exercised in full compliance with the 
European Convention on Human Rights.  Davis also supported 
early accession of the European Union to the European 
Convention on Human Rights.  Comment:  Davis often 
complains of the "EU" club within the Council of Europe and 
that outgoing chair, Romania, in its quest to join the EU, 
often is more interested in appeasing the Club than in 
asserting its chairmanship of the COE Council of Ministers. 
End comment. 
 
¶4.  (U)  The Romanian Prime Minister, Calin Popescu- 
Tariceanu, said that joining the EU is his country's 
primary objective and is inseparable from that of 
strengthening the role of the Council.  Romania has been a 
member of the CoE for 13 years.  Russia succeeds Romania as 
chair on May 19, 2006. 
 
Middle East Subcommittee Split on Inclusion of Hamas 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  Anticipation of a possible Hamas appearance saw 
many of the usually empty seats filled in the Assembly's 
hemicycle.  PACE Middle East Subcommittee rapporteur, 
Mikhail Margelov, (Russian Federation, European Democratic 
Group ((EDG)), made clear his disappointment with the 
absence of the Palestinian Liberation Council delegation. 
A COE Assembly Member since 2002, Margelov also expressed 
displeasure with the European Parliament's position that 
Hamas members would not be granted access to its Parliament 
taking place in Strasbourg just prior to the PACE. 
Parliamentary Secretary General Sorinas and External 
Relations director Yann Kleisen told Strasbourg CG that the 
PACE invited the PLC, not Hamas. Obviously uncomfortable 
with the press given the issue, Sorinas said that the 
Assembly insists that all groups invited be "pluralistic." 
The same requirement is applied to the Knesset, Israel 
being a formal observer at the CoE since 1956. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  The PACE passed a relatively tough resolution on 
"The Situation in the Middle East" that noted the 
"incompatibility" of involvement in armed or terrorist 
activities with participation of the Palestinian parties in 
the political process and that use of violence and 
terrorism cannot be accepted as a measure to achieve 
political goals.  It also called for the international 
community, and in particular the Quartet, to contribute to 
conditions which would enable the resumption of contacts. 
The PACE declined to include an amendment drafted by the 
Israeli Observer that explicitly denied Hamas attendance at 
the COE until it rejects terrorist activity.   Prior to the 
start of the assembly the House International Relations 
Committee requested the PACE to rescind its invitation to 
the PLC in a letter to PACE President Rene van der Linden. 
 
¶7.  (SBU)  Some 29 speakers commented on the resolution. 
The French representative (Socialist Group) said Hamas is 
"over-demonized" and that one should consider that the 
Palestinian Authority is at the edge of bankruptcy.  A 
French Liberal Group representative said the majority of 
Palestinians do not subscribe to Hamas' ideology but voted 
against Arafat's corrupt legacy.  However, he said that the 
PACE cannot enter into dialogue with terrorists and there 
should be no invitation to Hamas until it condemns 
violence.  The Norway (European People's Party ((EPP)) 
representative called for Hamas to meet its international 
requirements; Lithuania (EDG) noted that Hitler, (like 
Hamas) also, was elected. 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  Rapporteur Margello called attention to PACE 
resolutions passed in 2001 and 2005 requiring participation 
from two representatives of the Knessett and two from the 
Legislative Council.  He said the PACE should investigate 
why the invitation to the PLC was blocked.  Ignoring a 
Hamas victory will not promote a peaceful settlement, 
Margello said, noting that he was an observer of the 
January 25 election. Israeli Ambassador Arie Avidor told 
Strasbourg CG that Israel has few friends on the mid-East 
committee and wondered aloud who was behind the failure of 
Hamas to appear. 
 
New Human Rights Commissioner and Court Under funded 
 
 
¶9.  (U)  The incoming Human Rights Commissioner Thomas 
Hammarberg, said that his "barefoot budget" and staff of 
only 15, make it impossible to carry out his mandate.  The 
position, created in 1997, is charged with the effective 
observance of human rights, identifying legislative 
shortcomings and promotion of awareness.  The final report 
by outgoing commissioner Alvaro Gil-Robles, who has held 
the position since its creation, called attention to 
inadequate budgetary support and poor communication between 
relevant organizations such as the United Nations Human 
Rights Commission.  Gil-Robles also charged that the poor 
staffing and lack of coordination with the European Court 
of Human Rights further weakened the office. 
 
¶10.  (U)  The PACE elected Mark Villiger as Judge to the 
European Court of Human Rights in respect of Liechtenstein. 
The Court recently hired 46 new lawyers but it faces a 
four-year backlog in cases and is eating up 50 percent of 
the CoE budget.  A UK Representative urged that resources 
dedicated to the EU Fundamental Rights Agency go instead to 
the Court.  The delegate claimed that the new EU agency has 
a budget equal to one-third that of the entire Council of 
Europe. 
 
Trafficking in Women before the FIFA World Cup 
 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Some 30,000-60,000 women will be imported to 
Germany to work in the sex industry during the World Cup, 
according to the Rapporteur of the Committee on Equal 
Opportunities for Women and Men, Ruth-Gaby Vermot-Mangold 
(Switzerland).  A spirited group of representatives called 
for measures to reduce exploitation, including filming the 
clients and posting names on the internet.  An Irish 
delegate suggested that CoE member states offer protection 
to women prostitutes who wanted to leave the profession. 
Delegates charged that World Cup organizers have set up 
temporary mobile brothels and expect an additional 60,000 
women from Brazil and several countries in Eastern Europe. 
The representatives claim that although prostitution is 
legal in Germany, those women brought in for the World Cup 
are usually sex slaves, abused and see little of the 
profits. 
 
Resurrection of Nazi Ideology Condemned along with Conduct 
of Belarus Election 
 
 
¶12.  (U)  PACE adopted a resolution on combating the 
resurrection of Nazi ideology.  In a sparsely attended 
session, the Political Affairs committee rapporteur noted 
the alarming number of cases involving revival of Nazi 
elements, number of neo-Nazi groups in Spain, Austria, 
Czech Republic and Germany increasing along with internet 
neo-Nazi websites. 
 
¶13. (U)  The Assembly also condemned the undemocratic 
conduct of the March 19 presidential election as a blatant 
disregard by Belarusian authorities of Council of Europe 
values and standards.  It noted "with great disappointment" 
that the Russian Federation recognized the legitimacy of 
the elections and that it should be the priority of the 
upcoming Russian chair of the COE to bring Belarus closer 
to CoE standards and European democracies.   The PACE took 
notice of the call of the European Parliament and US 
Congress for a repeat of the election but noted also the 
need for radical change and a revision of the electoral 
code to avoid the same biased results. 
 
¶14.  (U)  Prime Minister of the Former Yugoslav Republic 
of Macedonia said the country is a successful model of 
multi-ethnic and multicultural society.  Viado Buchkovsi 
noted Macedonia, a member of the CoE since November 1995, 
faces a test in carrying out fair and democratic 
parliamentary elections (to which the CoE will send 
observers); and that it deserves to be considered a leader 
in regional cooperation. 
 
¶15.  (SBU)  Comment:  The Council of Europe faces tough 
going in the coming months as it continues to justify its 
existence and wrestle with demands on its budget.  Many 
members and secretariat staff are less than enthusiastic 
about Russian Federation's presidency of the CoE Committee 
of Ministers. The fight amongst the CoE divisions for money 
is getting more vocal.  The discontent with the Court of 
Human Rights burgeoning costs and large share of the 
overall budget also is growing.  The bureaucracy is such 
that secretariat staff complain that different divisions 
work on the same issue, unaware of the duplication. 
 
¶16. (SBU)  What is noteworthy about the PACE is its more 
cooperative and collegial tone and the lack of negative 
reference to the U.S.  Very much absent was any reference 
to alleged detention camps, renditions, Guantanamo or the 
death penalty.  Indeed the U.S. was mentioned only briefly 
in comments on the failure of the Hamas representative to 
participate in the sub-committee on the Middle East. 
Secretary General Terry Davis continues to make overtures 
 
SIPDIS 
to U.S. representatives and seek participation from the 
Congress.  Although he does not miss an opportunity to 
profit from media events that paint the U.S. in an 
unfavorable light, such as his April 1 press conference on 
alleged renditions, he regularly participates in the CG's 
representational events ranging from dinner with the U.S. 
and other COE observers to a Jazz History Month concert. 
Davis, as do other senior secretariat staff, clearly desire 
the visible presence and engagement of U.S. representatives 
and see that participation as another means of validating 
the work of the Council. 
 
 
STAPLETON