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| Europe | |
| Europe told not to paralyse democracy | |
| 2005-03-19 | |
| Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski warned Council of Europe member states on Friday against paralysing democracy in the fight against organised crime and terrorism. "We must be careful to avoid that the fight against terrorism and organised crime do not paralyse the smooth functioning of a normal democratic society. We must not lose what constitutes the basis of a democratic society," said Kwasniewski, whose country has chaired the Council's Committee of Ministers since November. "Given that criminal activity transcends national borders, we must reinforce cooperation among our intelligence services and better control the flow of people and merchandise," Kwasniewski told the meeting in Warsaw. But he stressed that any moves to clamp down on organised crime and terrorism must be taken with respect for individual freedoms. Interior ministers and other high-ranking government officials from the 46-member Council of Europe have been meeting, together with members of international organisations such as Interpol and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, in Warsaw since Thursday. Ministerial-level meetings at the conference are being held behind closed doors and are focussing on special investigative techniques, the protection of witnesses, money laundering and the financing of terrorism. The officials are also debating two draft conventions aimed at nipping in the bud terrorism and other forms of serious crime in the early, preparative stages. The draft convention on the prevention of terrorism proposes criminalising acts deemed as laying the groundwork for a terrorist attack, such as provocation of terrorism, recruitment and training. On Thursday, the Council's Secretary General Terry Davis urged delegates to move quickly and decisively against terrorism. "We can't wait for another Madrid or Beslan," he said, calling on delegates "to provide a message of support for the new instruments" being debated at the two-day meeting.
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| Posted by:Fred |
| #20 Yeah, don't try this at home, kids. The routine being performed here is for professionals only. |
| Posted by: .com 2005-03-19 10:59:28 PM |
| #19 Heh, Sobiesky, you know which button to press, don't you? :) |
| Posted by: SwissTex 2005-03-19 10:52:47 PM |
| #18 *such* qualities |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2005-03-19 10:46:54 PM |
| #17 I don't believe I've ever claimed some qualities in me towards your persons. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2005-03-19 10:44:13 PM |
| #16 ouch! Touched a tender spot....where's the tolerance and love? |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-19 10:36:32 PM |
| #15 Almost as cute as those flags of America with swastikas instead of stars. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2005-03-19 10:35:07 PM |
| #14 Well my Take your pick |
| Posted by: FlameBait 2005-03-19 10:32:41 PM |
| #13 FlameBait, is it already adopted or pending? |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-19 9:57:43 PM |
| #12 So, among the two of us, who's the believer in top down and who's the one in bottom-up? Keep that in mind, come foreign-aid time. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-03-19 9:55:38 PM |
| #11 |
| Posted by: FlameBait 2005-03-19 9:50:57 PM |
| #10 Aris,just a pre-emptory summary in the case you would get ideas and start wondering... My posessions are truly minimalistic. I moved from one place to another a lot, often with just a shirt on my back. I don't even have a hankie, perfumed or not. Box of kleenex, yes. Attributes... I am so thoroughly average that it is not even funny. Being a minimalist, I probably don't have any attributes, whatsoever. Back to topic. I am believer in bottom-up. Na zdorovye! |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-19 9:47:50 PM |
| #9 Your lack of support is acknowledged |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-19 9:47:31 PM |
| #8 The people at the top believe in top down. The people at the bottom believe in top down. Another cliche not in evidence about the difference between Europe and America. It's Americans that I've seen arguing that little details like going to war should not be decided by the people but by their leaders. Example: People here knew far before 3/11 that most of Spain's people opposed the presence of Spanish troops in Iraq. Yet you still objected to the election of a leadership that'd actually obey the people's will on the issue. I on the other felt that only countries whose people supported the war should send troops there -- such countries were only United States and UK AFAIK. So, among the two of us, who's the believer in top down and who's the one in bottom-up? |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2005-03-19 9:32:33 PM |
| #7 The reason Europeans fear democracy can be seen in the post "More on the Rising Popularity of Hitler in Europe". The people at the top believe in top down. The people at the bottom believe in top down. Everybody else came to America. |
| Posted by: Mrs. Davis 2005-03-19 6:02:53 PM |
| #6 I, on the other hand, have not had. Nor a wig. I could wonder about your attributes and possessions, Sobiesky, but Patience suggests I'll keep such wonderings to myself. |
| Posted by: Aris Katsaris 2005-03-19 5:07:22 PM |
| #5 Hey! I've had perfumed hankies! |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2005-03-19 4:04:24 PM |
| #4 lol, pretentions only. Fred - good analogy as the EUcrats are not the creators of wealth and technology, just the choke knot that will strangle it. IMHO, of course |
| Posted by: Frank G 2005-03-19 2:02:34 PM |
| #3 Do you think Aris may have a perfumed hankie (I doubt the wig part). Maybe he has a big future as Aristocrat Aris, even without a hankie. |
| Posted by: Sobiesky 2005-03-19 1:50:01 PM |
| #2 I read a book, probably 30 years ago, when I was working on my bachelor's degree, that went in detail into the distinction between the "nobility" and the overlapping "aristocracy." As I recall, the gist of it was that the nobility were the guys with the swords and horses who started the great houses of Europe, and the aristocracy were the guys with the perfumed hankies and periwigs that their descendants eventually became. I think I'd call the present EUrocrats an aristocracy. |
| Posted by: Fred 2005-03-19 12:36:19 PM |
| #1 Perhaps the EU is moving to replace democracy with something Europeans are more comfortable with, a noble class. Not really a return to monarchy, but a heriditary nobility similar to what ruled much of Europe for 1500 or more years. A lot of Europeans are just uncomfortable with the idea of democracy. It is too chaotic, too unpredicatable and prone to radicalism for their tastes. They think it's just better for someone like Chirac to be a prince, rather than for him to be distracted by elections and the dirt of politics. Chirac would most certainly think so. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-03-19 9:57:34 AM |