Brussels - European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighborhood Policy Stefan Fule has said he is confident that the European Parliament's monitoring mission of former Presidents Pat Cox and Aleksander Kwasniewski will help Kyiv resolve problems in the case of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
The commissioner said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine that the mission of Cox and Kwasniewski was operating on the basis of the mandate granted by the European Parliament. Fule also said that the December 2012 EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions on Ukraine also refer to the Cox-Kwasniewski mission.
“This clearly defines that the powers [of the mission] should meet the problems of politically motivated justice, including the case of Tymoshenko. This was also clearly stated in a statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and my statement that the Cox-Kwasniewski mission can help resolve these problems through its work. This is not about how an elegant way out of this problem could be found. This is about how to achieve results that will meet the expectations of the EU member states, as stated in the December 10 conclusions,” Fule said.
When asked whether Tymoshenko could be released in the short term, he noted that the decision depends on the authorities and on the extension of the Cox-Kwasniewski mission, and it depends on what “conclusions the Ukrainian authorities make based on the mission’s recommendations.”
“I want to say that the member states very clearly outlined their position, and I won’t interpret it. The EU position was outlined in our statements, which I won’t repeat again and again, like some mantra. The trial of Tymoshenko did not comply with internationally recognized standards as independent and impartial. It’s necessary to decide how the decision and facts established by the European Court of Human Rights should be taken into account. All steps should be taken to reform, in particular, the judicial system and resolve the problems of politically motivated justice,” Fule said.
