The FINANCIAL — Strasbourg – The co-rapporteurs for the monitoring of Ukraine of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Mailis Reps (Estonia, ALDE) and Ms Marietta de Pourbaix-Lundin (Sweden, EPP/CD) stressed the need for the authorities to seek a broad consensus among all political forces in Ukrainian society on the future geo-political direction of the country and its further European integration, according to the Parliamentary Assembly.
"The sudden U-turn of the authorities with regard to the Association and free trade agreements with the European Union has raised legitimate questions among individuals and groups in the Ukrainian society that must be answered", the co-rapporteurs stated.
They welcomed the agreement reached between the opposition and the ruling majority in the Verkhovna Rada on a general amnesty for those involved in the Euromaidan protests. However they stressed that a genuinely independent inquiry into the police violence on 30 November is still needed.
" The amnesty agreement underscores both the need and potential for a continuing dialogue between authorities and the political forces united in the Euromaidan, about the further European integration of the country. We call upon all political forces to seriously commit themselves to such dialogue. In addition we expect that the right to freedom of expression and peaceful manifestation will be fully respected. The search by security forces of the headquarters of an opposition party contradicts such principles", the co-rapporteurs added.
The Assembly will discuss the developments in Ukraine during its Winter Session (Strasbourg, 27-31 January 2014). The rapporteurs expressed their readiness to return to the country before that debate if the political developments in Ukraine so warrant.
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