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PACE’s plans for debates on Russian election go too far – deputy chief delegate.

Slutsky believes that conducting the debates in such a format would be a step going too far

MOSCOW, January 12 (Itar-Tass) —— Moscow is against the idea of urgent debates at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe over the State Duma elections in Russia and the subsequent adoption of a resolution, the chairman of the State Duma’s CIS affairs committee, Leonid Slutsky, told the media on Thursday.

He recalled that in December two commissions of the assembly – those for monitoring and political affairs - came out with the idea of including in the agenda of the winter session of the PACE, opening in Strasbourg on January 23, the question of conducting urgent political debate on the parliamentary elections in Russia. A final decision on considering the issue and also on appointing a reporter on the subject will be made on the first day of the session at a meeting of the PACE Bureau. If the proposal is approved, then the discussion will be held in Strasbourg on January 26.

Slutsky believes that conducting the debates in such a format would be a step going too far.

“Moscow will be demanding that the discussion on the issue should be held in the routine format, and not in the format of urgent debate, which would entail the mandatory adoption of a resolution,” the deputy chief delegate explained. He believes there is no reason for conducting urgent debate.

Slutsky said that “a number of Russian and foreign non-governmental organizations, as well as a number of political parties that have remained outside the State Duma, and a number of other oppositional public associations have been artificially fanning tensions in Strasbourg on the issue.”

“There is a risk the Russian dossier at the forthcoming three PACE sessions will be obviously over-loaded, which by no means promotes a normal working relationship between Russian delegates and their European counterparts,” Slutsky said.