Strasbourg, 23/01/2013 (Agence Europe) - Challenged on Monday at the start of the 2013 session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), the powers of the Hungarian Tamas Gaudy Nagy, member of the Jobbik Party, and of the Greek Eleni Zaroulia (Golden Dawn) were confirmed this Tuesday by the Rules Committee of the Strasbourg-based assembly. Both extreme-right deputies may therefore continue to hold their seats despite yesterday's intervention by the Italian member Fiamma Nirenstein, with the support of several of her colleagues. A member of Silvio Berlusconi's “People of Liberty” party, she pointed out that Gaudy Nagy had attacked Jews in his parliament and that Zaroulia had described immigrants as “subhuman”. These views run counter to the ideals and principles of the Council of Europe as listed in Article 3 of its statute and Article 7.1 of the Regulation of the assembly, Nirenstein stressed, calling, with the support of at least 10 members of the assembly present in the chamber, representing at least five national delegations, for the two extreme-right members to be removed. The Rules Committee rejected her request, on the basis of rules in force which do not allow elected representatives mandated by their own parliaments to be denied accreditation. However, the conclusions state, “this decision should not be interpreted as the expression of any support or recognition, even indirect, of any political activities, beliefs, actions or positions which the Parliamentary assembly has denounced for the last 63 years”. (VL/transl.fl)