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Andres Herkel: We should await new co-rapporteur to fix the date of our visit to Azerbaijan

02 October 2007 15:33 (UTC +04:00)

There were short debates concerning Azerbaijan,â€ Andres Herkel, co-rapporteur of the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) Monitoring Committee for Azerbaijan told APA Europe bureau exclusively. Noting that he touched upon the issues he raised at the meeting of the Monitoring Committee early in September in Paris this year, Andres Herkel said forms of cooperation on improving the Electoral code and law on freedom of assembly between Venice Commission and Azerbaijan for holding better elections next year were made clear.
â€œBesides, I raised the issues on freedom of speech, arrest of journalists and political prisoners in Azerbaijan. I regret that the working group on political prisoners did not meet again and there are no remarkable outcomes in the work of the group,â€ he said.
Andres Herkel said they touched upon the issue on a second co-rapporteur for Azerbaijan and his colleague Tony Lloyd stated that he had to stop his activity as a co-rapporteur, since he has a lot to do as a member of Labor faction in the British parliament.
â€œWe should await new co-rapporteur to fix the date of our visit to Azerbaijan. This problem will certainly be solved, but I do not believe that the new co-rapporteur will be appointed in the fall session,â€ he said.
Andres Herkel said the new co-rapporteur will be from socialists group, but underlined that the Monitoring Committee will make the final decision.
â€œIf the Venice commission and Azerbaijan end talks by this year-end and the parliament ratifies the amendments to the laws, we will possibly visit Azerbaijan early next year to examine the implementation of the law,â€ he said.
As to the appointment of new co-rapporteur on political prisoners for Azerbaijan, Andres Herkel said it depends on PACE committee on legal affairs.
â€œI think if a new rapporteur is appointed on this issue, the work of the co-rapporteurs for Azerbaijan, i.e. our work will become easier, we will have more time for other important issues, such as establishing and improving democratic institutions,â€ he said. /APA/