Originally published by the Voice of America (www.voanews.com).
Voice of America is funded by the US Federal Government and content it
exclusively produces is in the public domain.

Polish Leader Urges Europe to Help East Become More Democratic
--------------------------------------------------------------

(http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=D82870:3919ACA

President Aleksander Kwasniewski opened summit of  Council of Europe,
continent's oldest political organization





Poland's President Alexander Kwasniewski, left, shakes hands with
Ukraine's President Viktor Yushchenko Polish President Aleksander
Kwasniewski says members of the European Union must support democratic
reforms in countries on the continent's eastern fringe, so that they,
too, can one day enjoy freedom and prosperity. Mr. Kwasniewski opened
a summit of the Council of Europe, the continent's oldest political
organization.

The Council of Europe, based in Strasbourg, France, was founded in
1949 to oversee the democratization of Western Europe after the World
War II. With democracy now thriving among the 25 members of an
enlarged European Union and improving among those countries that seek
to join the bloc, the Council of Europe has become the continent's
main human rights monitor, tasked especially with helping countries
carry out political and legal reforms and exposing breaches of civil
liberties wherever they occur.

All of the countries of greater Europe, except Belarus, ruled by an
authoritarian government, are members of the Council. And most of
those that are not members of the European Union want to join the EU
as soon as they can.

Mr. Kwasniewski, as host of the two-day summit, has been pushing hard
for the EU, now suffering from enlargement fatigue after incorporating
10 new, mostly former communist members last year, to keep the door
open to countries further east. And first among those is Poland's
neighbor, Ukraine. The Polish president says the EU has a duty to
bring such countries into the European fold, if the continent is to be
truly united.

"We must lend our support to all of those who want to live in
accordance with European standards and democratic value in whatever
region of our continent," he said.

Mr. Kwasniewski, referring to another of Poland's neighbors, Belarus,
says no European country should be forgotten or abandoned to its own
fate.

Ukrainian President Viktor Yushchenko, who is trying to get the EU to
consider his country for membership, warned against the side-by-side
existence of a Europe of haves with one of have-nots. Noting that his
government has dropped visa requirements for EU citizens, he called on
the bloc to reciprocate by simplifying visa rules for Ukrainians.

With the EU planning to set up its own human rights agency, and the
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe also monitoring
Europe-wide compliance with human rights and the rule of law, Council
of Europe Secretary-General Terry Davis wants the continent's leaders
to clarify his organization's mandate.

"The challenge facing this summit is to answer the question 'what is
the purpose of the Council of Europe?' We cannot find the answer in
the past. Instead, we must focus on the future," he said.

Mr. Davis says the people of greater Europe want more democracy, more
respect for human rights and more attention paid to the rule of law.
That may be so, but most of the leaders of Europe's great nations,
Britain, France and Russia among them, have stayed away from this
summit, calling into question the Council of Europe's relevance as the
influence of the EU spreads ever wider.