THE 38 nation Council of Europe voted yesterday to admit Russia as a member, but attached a number of conditions designed to force Moscow to improve its human rights record.
The vote by the council's parliamentary assembly was 164 for 35 against and 15 abstentions. The assembly agreed to ask the Committee of Ministers to ratify the decision and assign Russia 18 assembly seats. The council is a pan European organisation which promotes democracy and human rights.
The formal admission ceremony, at which Russia's blue white and red flag is raised at the Strasbourg based council will take place in late February.
Just hours before yesterday's vote, deputies had said the outcome was uncertain because of concern over Russia's handling of the Chechen independence drive, which has caused much bloodshed.
"It is not sure how it will turn out," the French Foreign Minister, Mr Herve de Charette, said as debate on the admission began after several days of fierce lobbying.
Besides ratifying the European Convention on Human Rights Russia was given a year to adopt a number of Council of Europe conventions on protecting minorities, the extradition of criminal suspects and fighting money laundering.
During the debate before the vote, Mr Vladimir Zhirinovsky leader of Russia's ultra nationalist right, claimed Moscow could set up its own rival "Council of Eastern Europe" if the vote was "no".
He attacked western Europe's own human rights record and said the Red Army had won the second World War. "When you talk of the European paradise, it's been defended by the Russian army," he told delegates. "It's not Russia that's sick, it's you."
Insulting a string of Council of Europe member countries, he said: "The Turks bombard the Kurds and Germans firebomb the Turks. Those are European norms."
Patrick Smyth adds: The Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, made a strong appeal to the Council of Europe to admit Russia to its ranks. Speaking to the assembly, Mr Bruton argued that "if Russia is within the council all problems including human rights can be talked through".
The Taoiseach's speech reflected the strong view of EU foreign ministers that, despite the war in Chechnya and clear evidence of human rights abuses, Russia's democratic forces would be strengthened by membership. He warned the parliamentarians not to set membership tests for Russia which others had not had to pass.
There was a danger, he told journalists later, that, if excluded, Russia would behave like others excluded anywhere. The lessons of Irish history over the last century showed the folly of exclusion, Mr Bruton said.
Russian accession was also strongly supported by Mr Jim Mitchell TD who said they "had a responsibility to nurture democracy". He doubted whether the West had done enough to help Russia's economic transition.
The first Taoiseach to address the assembly since Mr Sean Lemass in 1966, Mr Bruton was a member of the Irish delegation in 1990.
The council's main function since its establishment in 1948 has been to set human rights standards.