22/12/2003 (Agence Europe) - The President of the Liberal group in the European Parliament, Graham Watson, issued a warning over the unfolding of the Khodorkowski trial, in the Yukos case (see EUROPE of 7 November, p. 3), concerning the reassuring statements made by Silvio Berlusconi over Russian justice following the summit with Vladimir Putin in Rome, and of 8 November, p. 5, for the comments by the European Commission spokesperson Reijo Kemppinen on the repercussions for foreign investors in Russia to this scandal and the way it has been tackled). I will closely follow the development of the trial, which has repercussions beyond Russia, warned the British Liberal Democrat. Moreover, while recalling that during the summit in Rome President Putin promised a 'fair, transparent and non-discriminatory' trial, he noted that the unfolding of the trial until now seems to indicate that the two accused have been deprived of the rights conferred by Russian legislation, notably in terms of access to lawyers.