Berset says special tribunal is ready, political will is not
The Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Alain Berset, called for the involvement of the Council of Europe in discussions at the highest level, in particular in the "Coalition of the Willing," on the need to launch a Special Tribunal for the aggression of the Russian Federation in order to receive "clear support" from states.
As reported by the correspondent of the Interfax-Ukraine agency, Berset stated this at a joint press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Andriy Sybiha.
"Let me be clear. Too slow. It is going too slowly. We in the Council of Europe are ready. We have done our job. We are also ready with Ukraine. We have a signature under the agreement signed in Strasbourg in June last year on the establishment of a special tribunal between the Council of Europe and President Zelensky, who signed it on behalf of Ukraine," he stressed.
Berset noted that nine months have passed since the signing of the document, and the Council of Europe "has done its job."
"We are ready with the legal framework, with the organization. We have the agency. We have the funding for the agency. Now we need the clear support of the states that are involved in the implementation of this project," the Secretary-General said.
He stressed that "nothing happens without the strong commitment of the states that are ready to do it." "And that was my main message this morning to my dear friend Minister Sybiha: please use us as best you can, let us engage in the negotiations at the highest possible level to make sure that the discussion of the tribunal is addressed at the highest possible level," he urged.
According to Berset, engagement in the process is not enough right now.
"That means we must be able to participate in all the discussions of the Coalition of the Willing, we must be able to be at the highest level, addressing heads of state, heads of government and convincing them of how important it is to do this," he noted.
According to him, the Council of Europe is ready to be present at the highest possible level to ensure that the issue of the special tribunal moves forward.
