Council of Europe ready to play major role in Ukraine peace deal, Berset says

Speaking ahead of a session of the CoE Committee of Ministers in Strasbourg on Wednesday, November 26, Berset said that the independent international mechanisms recently proposed by the Council, including a Register of Damage and future Complaints Commission, should become central to the peace-deal implementation process, Ukrinform reports.

"While it is too early to assess the outcome of the discussions taking place in Geneva, the fact that a somehow articulated proposal is on the table is in itself a positive thing," Berset said. "But let's not forget the context. As these discussions go on and as I speak in front of you right now, soldiers are dying on the frontlines and civilians are being killed in their homes."

He also welcomed recent peace-facilitating initiatives by CoE member states Switzerland and Turkey.

Berset noted that the Council of Europe is ready to support Ukraine in achieving a just and lasting peace in areas where it has unique expertise.

"We will do it where we have the most added value. Although we are not at the negotiating table, if you look at the substance, our work is clearly central in many areas covered by the proposed plan," he said.

Among these areas, he mentioned, in particular, reparations, minority rights, religious tolerance, the path to EU accession and humanitarian issues, as well as the possible assistance of the Venice Commission in any constitutional reform that may be triggered by the peace agreement.

"Any provisions of any peace agreement will have to produce ECHR compliant effects in post-war Ukraine. And it is the Strasbourg Court, our Court, which will ultimately assess those effects. And it is the Council of Europe Register of Damage and future Claims Commission which will be the independent international tools to address reparations," Berset said.

According to him, the Hague Diplomatic Conference on December 16, at which the Convention Establishing an International Claims Commission for Ukraine is to be adopted, will be the first fully-fledged diplomatic event addressing the implementation of one of the main elements of the peace process.