IPU logoThe Journal of the IPU
MONTHLY WEB PUBLICATION6 October 1999, Number 4
  Event of the month

102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Berlin

I N T E R V I E W
Wolfgang Thierse
Speaker of the Bundestag
By Luisa Ballin

Wolfgang Thierse The Inter-Parliamentary Union will hold its 102nd statutory Conference from Sunday, 10 October, to Saturday, 16 October 1999, at the International Conference Centre in Berlin. The inaugural ceremony will take place on Sunday, 10 October, at 7 p.m. in the Reichstag building in the presence of the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, Mr. Johannes Rau, and the Speaker of the German Bundestag, Mr. Wolfgang Thierse. The three guests of honour of the Conference are the German Chancellor, Mr. Gerhard Schröder, the President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Mr. Cornelio Sommaruga, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mrs. Mary Robinson. They will take the floor on Monday, 11 October, from 4.30 p.m.

Q: The German Parliament is hosting the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference, which will take place in Berlin from 10 to 16 October. What is the importance of this event?

W.T.: The 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference constitutes the first major inter-parliamentary event involving parliamentarians from around the world to be held in our country since unification and the move of the Bundestag from Bonn to Berlin. The fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 was a symbol of freedom and democracy for the whole of Europe. Ten years after this momentous event, the Conference will be a very appropriate opportunity not only to remember but also to underscore the need to promote the values of parliamentary democracy all over the world.

Q: What role, if any, can parliaments and their members play in major crises or similar situations such as the war in Yugoslavia, the break-up of the former Yugoslav Republic and, indeed, the reunification of your country?

W.T.: As many of the Inter-Parliamentary Conferences in the past have shown, parliamentarians are able to build bridges where the government representatives of their countries are often still subject to tight diplomatic restrictions. One should not underestimate the important contribution of the many bi- and multilateral meetings of parliamentarians taking place during such a large Conference towards keeping the lines of communication open. Parliamentary diplomacy therefore often proves to be a valuable tool in the arsenal of crisis anagement.

Q: One of the main items to be discussed at this Conference is the need to respect international law. What particular role do you foresee for parliaments in achieving this objective?

W.T.: I fully agree with the notion that, on the one hand, virtually all countries have ratified the Geneva Conventions on international law but, on the other, some of them tend to breach their provisions in time of war. Sadly enough, there was recently another example of this on the European continent. The parliamentary meeting in Berlin will seek to contribute to efforts to remind us all of how previous these Conventions are and that no one, wherever he may live and whatever country he may govern, will escape the sanctions of the international community when he breaks international law.

Events in Berlin

The global financial system also on the agenda
"The need to revise the current global financial and economic model" is another item on the agenda of the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference. In addition to the seven hundred men and women parliamentarians representing every region of the world and the entire political spectrum who are expected in Berlin, Mr. Jo Ritzen, Vice-President of the World Bank for Policy Development, and Mr. Selim Jahan, Deputy Director of UNDP's Human Development Report Office, will also be present at the International Conference Centre.

Proposed emergency item on East Timor
The National Group of Portugal has requested that "The troubling situation in East Timor" be discussed at the 102nd Inter-Parliamentary Conference in Berlin as an emergency supplementary item.

Second Meeting of Women Parliamentarians
The second official Meeting of Women Parliamentarians will be held on Sunday, 10 October, at 9.30 a.m. at the International Conference Centre in Berlin. It will be chaired by Mrs. Rita Süssmuth, representing the host Parliament. The findings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union's survey "Beijing + 5: 1995-2000 - A Preliminary Assessment" will be presented to the participants by Mrs. Genevičve Pascaud-Bécane (a former official of the French Senate). Five years after the Fourth World Conference on Women, this study undertakes a preliminary assessment of follow-up by national parliaments, governments and political parties to the Platform for Action adopted in Beijing in 1995 prior to the convening of a tripartite meeting on "Democracy through Partnership between Men and Women" in New York during the Special Session of the UN General Assembly.

The ICRC and the IPU launch a handbook for parliamentarians entitled "Respect for International Humanitarian Law"
As the international community celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Geneva Conventions, the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will jointly launch a handbook for parliamentarians entitled "Respect for International Humanitarian Law", at a press conference on Monday, 11 October, in Berlin.
Composed of seven chapters and seven questions, the handbook - the first in a series launched this year - provides a lively and educational introduction to international humanitarian law and an overview of what parliamentarians can do to ensure its respect. It also proposes model instruments and reference material as aids for parliaments acceding to international humanitarian law treaties and engaging in follow-up activities. The handbook is available in English and French and will shortly be published in Spanish. It may be order from the IPU and the ICRC (see also the interview with the President of the ICRC, Mr. Cornelia Sommaruga, in issue No. 3)

  Flashes

  Morocco in the spotlight

The second session of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments was held in Rabat on 8 and 9 September 1999. The President of the House of Representatives of Morocco, Mr. Abdelwahed Radi, assesses the results of the meeting, commenting also on his country's position regarding women following the accession to the throne of King Mohammed I.

"The main object of the Rabat meeting was to prepare a draft declaration for the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments to be held from 30 August to 1 September 2000 at United Nations Headquarters in New York on the eve of the Millennium Assembly. The version proposed by the Preparatory Committee in Vienna and Arles will be streamlined by the IUP Secretariat and finalised at a meeting in Geneva on 31 January and 1 February 2000. In Rabat we also drew up rules for the participation of observers and other guests in the millennium Conference."

At a time of accelerating political change in Morocco since the changeover of power and, in particular, the accession of King Mohammed VI, Mr. Abdelwahed Radi describes the influence of the Parliament he represents on the Moroccan political scene and internationally.

"Domestically, Parliament maintains the prerogatives established by the Constitution and, as the latter has not been changed, those prerogatives still concern the Legislature and oversight of the Government through commissions of inquiry, parliamentary questions or even motions of no-confidence. As Parliament is the forum in which major issues affecting Moroccan society are debated, we often call on the Government to state its position on such issues. Internationally, Morocco continues, within the IPU, to work for closer relations among parliamentarians all over the world. We also play an active part in the proceedings of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in the Mediterranean (CSCM) and we are members of the Executive Committee of the young Union of Parliaments of Muslim countries which has just been established and of the Executive Committee of the Union of African Parliaments, as well as being a party to Euro-Mediterranean dialogue and Euro-Arab and Arab-African cooperation. But Morocco's primary goal continues to be the quest for peace, particularly in the Middle East, as has long been demonstrated, especially in the context of rapprochement between the Palestinians and Israelis."

With regard to the situation of women, the new sovereign, King Mohammed VI, has said: "How can we hope to achieve progress and prosperity while women, who make up half of society, have their interests flouted?" What practical steps do the King, the Government and the political parties intend to take to secure respect for women's rights in Morocco and better representation for women in politics?

"To help women overcome the situation in which they currently find themselves, not only in Morocco but all over the globe and particularly in the Third World, just a few practical measures are not enough; the measures taken must be spread over a period of time in order to change mentalities. People must be prepared for a gradual change so as to avoid destabilisation and confrontation, because the issues involved affect every home in every region. To secure a consensus and long-term success, an educational approach must be adopted." In Mr. Radi's view, "the fact that His Majesty the King, the Head of State, has publicly proclaimed his intention to improve the status of women is a source of moral and political encouragement and an outstanding gesture of support".

The Inter-Parliamentary Union and UNESCO, in association with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, are convening a Forum at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris from 1 to 3 December 1999 entitled "Perspectives on Democracy: How Women Make a Difference". Mr. Radi concluded with the following comment: "Women have just as much to offer as men - if not more. They can help to remedy existing shortcomings, having had first-hand experience - as victims - of their effects. I hope that women's contribution will lead to an improvement because women's investment is made with an eye to the longer term."

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