CE asks solving problem concerning parliamentary delegation to PACE

The head of the Moldovan delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ana Gutu said the Communist MP Grigore Petrenco tried to manipulate the PACE lawmakers at the session held during April 27-30 as he described the political situation in Moldova, but did not say that the Communist parliamentary group does not attend the sittings of the Parliament. “I manipulated no one. I informed the Europeans that we boycott the legislative body's work because the Alliance for European Integration refuses to tell the people when the Parliament will be dissolved and when early elections will take place,” Grigore Petrenco said. In a news conference on May 4, Ana Gutu said the Opposition has the right to complain, but it must not tell lies. “It is not right when a politician tries to manipulate the members of the PACE. Grigore Petrenco's speech was against ours,” she said. Ana Gutu also said she considers that Moldova should not be mentioned alongside such countries as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Armenia, and Belarus, which experience deep constitutional or political crises. “The Europeans saw the policy and reform changes that took place in Moldova after the government coalition came to power eight months ago,” Gutu said. She also said that the chairman of the PACE Monitoring Committee Dick Marty asked the Moldovan representatives to solve the problem concerning the composition of the delegation to the PACE as Moldova's delegation to three sessions already has not been complete. Ana Gutu explained that the Communist MPs Maria Postoico and Iurie Stoicov withdrew from the delegation, but the Parliament's decision is still in force. Grigore Petrenco has told Info-Prim Neo that he attended the PACE session at the invitation of the group of MPs of the European United Left, which covered his traveling expenses. He stated the Communist parliamentary group insists that the PCRM's proposal concerning the modification of the composition of the Moldovan delegation to the PACE be included in the agenda. The Communists propose Vladimir Voronin and Grigore Petrenco as permanent representatives of the PCRM in the delegation, while Maria Postoico and Iurie Stoicov as substitute candidates. The Liberal-Democrat lawmaker Valeriu Ghiletski, who is a member of the delegation, said the Communist MPs should come to the sittings and request that the issue be put to the vote. “They had the necessary number of votes to exclude us. Now they can easily include us,” Grigore Petrenco commented. Ana Gutu said in the conference that Vladimir Voronin is expected by well-prepared persons at the PACE as they want to put him questions.