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Mr. Chairperson,
Distinguished Ambassadors,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First of all I would like to congratulate you, Mr. Chairperson, and the Government of Liechtenstein for leadership and really successful chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. Lithuania looks towards its own Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers as a great responsibility. Lithuanian Chairmanship programme has four main priorities: 1) fight against terrorism; 2) support to the enlargement process of the Council of Europe; 3) promotion of regional co-operation 4) effectiveness of the functioning of the Council of Europe. In implementing these objectives we will co-operate with the L4 countries.1. Fight against terrorismLithuania will seek to strengthen the fight against terrorism, using the specific expertise and instruments of the Council of Europe, and improving the mechanisms and means for co-operation with other international organizations and observer states in combating it. Legal co-operation to combat terrorism should be intensified. Lithuania will encourage other states to sign and ratify anti-terrorism conventions as well as seek to ensure that work be carried out in the Council of Europe to review and modernise existing international instruments and, where necessary, to draw up new rules. Building a European legal space to fight terrorism should be complemented by deeper analysis of the roots of terrorism. Lithuania will seek to realise the potential of the Council of Europe for promoting intercultural and inter-religious dialogue. In this context, Lithuania will give high priority to the examination of the Progress Report which will be presented) at the next Session of the Committee of Ministers in Vilnius in May 2002.2. Support to the enlargement process of the Council of EuropeIn the Budapest Declaration, Council of Europe member states declared their determination to fully use the potential of the Council of Europe to bring together all the countries of the continent for the purpose of consolidating its stability based on democratic institutions. Today this task is not yet being completed. Monaco, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and Belarus are still not members of the Council of Europe. I am convinced that Bosnia and Herzegovina will benefit greatly from the membership in the Council of Europe. We should do our best to bring the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia into our organisation as soon as feasible, judging it on its own merits in the efforts for democratic transformation. I intend to visit both Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during my chairmanship.Co-operation between the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly will continue to be important in promoting closer relations between the Council of Europe and Belarus. Lithuania notes that the forthcoming Parliamentary Assembly Political Affairs Committee meeting will be held in Vilnius and welcomes the inclusion of the question of Belarus on its agenda. Fresh impetus to promote genuine democratic process in Belarus would show our democratic solidarity for the whole of Europe. The four criteria established by the Parliamentary Troika [powers of the parliament, independence of media, legislation on elections and opposition] remain the essential reference point.As your future Chairman, I shall give priority attention to the above-mentioned questions, also through personal contacts or through my representatives.3. Promotion of regional co-operationCouncil of Europe encourages us to stop looking back to our past. We continuously work for the good neighbourly relations creating the fruitful environment for our cooperation for the stability in Europe. The creation of a stable and democratic Europe depends on co-operation between states, and trans-frontier cooperation between local and regional authorities, as well as between the Council of Europe and regional organizations of its member states. Lithuania would like to seek to develop the synergies between those levels of co-operation. Therefore, Lithuania would like to thank the distinguished representatives of the Council of Europe member states for their decision to hold the 110-th Committee of Ministers session in Vilnius. As a central theme for discussions we propose: “Regional Co-operation: Its Impact on Stability and Democratic Reforms in Europe”.Lithuania will seek to ensure greater visibility of the Organisation’s work and achievements and thus provide the Council with a higher public profile.The Council of Europe is especially qualified, owing to its experience and expertise to contribute, in co-operation with other international organisations, to the process of stability and democratisation in the some regions, such as the Balkans and the Caucasus. International efforts to create democratic stability in the region should draw on the Council of Europe to provide its experience in the fields of protection of human and minority rights, rule of law, cultural diversity.The questions of regional co-operation, taking into account the inherited complexities of not so distant past, are also especially important in these regions. Someone must make the first step.The Chair will organise a meeting of the Council of Europe and the Council of the Baltic Sea States (CBSS).Lithuania will continue the follow-up initiative of a colloquy of the Secretary General of the Council of Europe under a theme European Tomorrow: Shared Fate or Common Political Future, which is being implemented jointly during the chairmanships of the L-4 countries.4. Effectiveness of the functioning of the Council of Europe. Lithuania will further seek to increase dialogue and complementarity between the Council of Europe and other international organisations - EU, OSCE, UN and its specialised agencies. Co-ordination meetings during the Lithuanian chairmanship are envisaged, as well as I personally will have the opportunity to turn the spotlight on various activities of the Council f Europe during the OSCE Bucharest Meeting on December 3-4, as well as my representatives during the General Assembly debate on co-operation between the UN and the Council of Europe.The primary responsibility for ensuring the respect of human rights and the rule of law remains with Governments, yet the European Court of Human Rights plays the key role in maintaining the high standards of respect for human rights. We have the duty to ensure that the Court, which faces an ever-increasing workload, would be given necessary resources to fulfil its tasks in an efficient way. As a Chair, we are ready to give utmost importance to urgent consideration of all the recommendations contained in the Evaluation report. The Commissioner for Human Rights substantially reinforced the Council of Europe’s human rights protection system. The Chair will support the European Commissioner of Human Rights, particularly his work in strengthening national ombudsmen institutions.By concluding, let me note that the monitoring systems of the Parliamentary Assembly and the Committee of Ministers provide further mechanisms for ensuring human rights compliance. Work remains to be done in order to improve the monitoring mechanism. In addition, more efforts should be made to ensure the best possible coordination among the monitoring activities of the Committee of Ministers and the Parliamentary Assembly.We note the progress achieved in Ukraine in honouring its obligations and commitments and hope that the visit of the Chair to Ukraine will contribute to their honouring of the few remaining commitments before the Organisation.The activities of the Committee of Ministers have continued to focus on the Caucasus, including the developments in the Russian Federation related to the Chechen Republic. We must remember that measures against terrorism must be consistent with the requirements for democratic principles and human rights. Lithuania welcomes the consultations on a political solution to the conflict organized in the framework of the Parliamentary Assembly Joint Working Group with the Russian State Duma. Political solution through dialogue, economic and social reconstruction and the restoration of the rule of law and protection of human rights remain essential for the region. We hope that the Chair visits to Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Moldova will contribute to the knowledge of the Committee of Ministers how to assist these member states in fulfilling their accession commitments.Thank you, Mr.Chairman, dear colleagues, for your attention. Now I would like to encourage you to make questions and comments.