N E W S L E T T E R

november/december 1999

REPORT from the Parliamentary Assembly

OSCE PA activities at the Istanbul Summit

President Helle Degn addresses Summit

In her address to the OSCE Summit on 18 November, Mrs. Helle Degn, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, congratulated the Norwegian Chairmanship and stated that the OSCE should seriously reconsider its decision-making process, as advocated by the Parliamentary Assembly since 1993. "It is hardly democratic when a single country can block the common will of 53 others and can prevent essential and timely action when it is needed. We have consistently advocated a modest change in the decision-making process which would mean no single country vetoes", said Mrs. Degn.

The President also reminded the Summit that the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly still lacks formal status in the decision-making process of the Organization. Many important decisions, such as the approval of the budget or appointment of senior officials are taken without any involvement or consultation of the Assembly, which represents "an obvious democratic deficit in the OSCE".

According to Mrs. Degn, a Danish MP, "democratically elected parliamentarians have to stand up for the development of democracy in their own international organizations and should play a crucial role as guardians of democracy, transparency, accountability, the rule of law and respect for human rights at the national, regional and international level."

She emphasized the invaluable role of parliamentary "democracy teams" in helping to build democracy, promote national reconciliation and support democratic institutions in transition countries. In particular she mentioned the established Democracy Teams on Kosovo, on the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe, as well as the Democracy Team on Moldova, whose mandate is to facilitate a solution of the Transdniestrian conflict.

Finally, Mrs. Degn drew attention to the gender issue. While paying tribute to the efforts of the Norwegian Chairmanship, she added: "The current gender imbalance in the political concept and among the staff of the OSCE must not be allowed to continue. However, we should not limit our focus on international matters of our Organization. We must strive to promote equality for the women of all our countries and, in particular, those struck by instability."

OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Helle Degn addresses the Istanbul Summit.

President Degn participates in panel on combating trafficking in human beings [photos: click here ..]

On 18 November, President Helle Degn participated in the panel on the role of the OSCE in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. The panel, led by Chairman-in-Office Knut Vollebaek, was held on the margins of the Istanbul Summit and included presentations by Ms. Ruth Dreifuss, President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Andris Skele, Prime Minister of Latvia, Ms Tarja Halonen, Foreign Minister of Finland, Ambassador GŽrard Stoudmann, Director of ODIHR, Ms. Stana Buchowska, representing the La Strada Foundation against Trafficking in Women, and Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton, First Lady of the United States.

President Degn focused her presentation on the role of parliamentarians and recalled that during its Eighth Annual Session last July in St. Petersburg, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly unanimously adopted a Resolution condemning trafficking in women and children. "By adopting this Resolution," she said, "the Parliamentary Assembly has contributed to the visibility of this issue, while in addition the Resolution can also serve as a point of reference for discussion in parliaments and for NGOs throughout the OSCE area."

Mrs. Degn emphasized the special role that parliamentarians have to play in combating trafficking in human beings. Not only can they pass or even initiate the necessary legislative steps, but they can also alert the public. Moreover, parliamentarians can work to establish special parliamentary committees that advise legislative and administrative authorities, control the implementation of measures against criminality and allocate governmental funds for the combat of organized international crime, including the trafficking in people. According to President Degn the issue of trafficking in people needs more attention on both the national and international political scenes.

"I intend to follow up on the Resolution adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly this year by putting this item high on the agenda of our next Annual Session in the year 2000. I also encourage all my colleagues to debate this issue in their national parliaments and to demand action", said Mrs. Degn.

The President's bilateral meetings

On the occasion of the OSCE Istanbul Summit, Mrs. Helle Degn, met with President Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia, President Askar Akaev of Kyrgyzstan, and President Heidar Aliev of Azerbaijan, in order to discuss recent events in their countries and the future plans of the Parliamentary Assembly. President Degn also met with Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa and Armenian Foreign Minister Vardan Oskanian.

While meeting with President Shevardnadze, Mrs. Degn stressed her satisfaction with the generally positive report of the recent mission to the parliamentary elections in Georgia headed by OSCE PA Vice President, Bruce George. She also discussed ways that the Assembly hopes to follow up on the election observation, including a return visit by some Delegation members in the near future.

In her meetings with Presidents Akaev and Aliev, along with discussing regional developments, President Degn explained the role that the Parliamentary Assembly expects to play in the forthcoming Kyrgyzstani and Azeribaijani parliamentary elections in 2000. She discussed plans for the Croatian parliamentary elections with Croatian Prime Minister Matesa, and also mentioned her plans for a visit to the Caucasus in spring 2000 to President Aliev and to Foreign Minister Oskanian.

President Degn officially extended the condolences of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly to the Armenian Foreign Minister for the country's losses from the October massacre in the Armenian Parliament.

Bilateral meeting in Istanbul with President Eduard Shevardnadze of Georgia.

Meeting of the Expanded Bureau

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly held a meeting of the Expanded Bureau on 17 November, in conjunction with the OSCE Summit in Istanbul. The Expanded Bureau, comprised of the Bureau Members and the Officers of the three General Committees, was addressed by the Speaker of the Turkish Parliament, Mr. Yildirim Akbulut, and by Ambassador Kim Traavik, representing the Chairman-in-Office.

The agenda of the meeting included a review of the Annual Session held in St. Petersburg last July as well as consideration of the follow-up to the Declaration adopted by women parliamentarians at the Copenhagen Annual Session in 1998. The Expanded Bureau members discussed a report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Election Monitoring. President Degn announced the appointment of the Democracy Teams on Kosovo, Moldova and the Stability Pact for South-Eastern Europe. The work of the Democracy Team on Belarus was highly appreciated. The members exchanged views regarding a common theme for the next Annual Session to be held in Bucharest next July. Observation of the Russian elections and elections in Croatia was also high on the agenda of the meeting.

The next meeting of the Standing Committee of the OSCE PA takes place on 13-14 January 2000 in Vienna. The next meeting of the Expanded Bureau will be held in April 2000 in Antalya in conjunction with the Parliamentary Seminar on 'New Risks and Challenges: Minorities in the 21st Century'. Cyprus will be the venue for the Expanded Bureau Meeting in autumn 2000, in conjunction with a Parliamentary Seminar, the theme of which will be decided later.

Democracy Team in Belarus meets with Government and Opposition

After the Assembly's Expanded Bureau Meeting and during the Istanbul Summit, members of the OSCE PA Working Group on Belarus met with the governmental and opposition team-members of the forthcoming roundtable talks on creating conditions for free, fair and recognizable elections in Belarus in 2000.

Headed by the former Foreign Minister of Romania, Mr. Adrian Severin MP (Romania), the Assembly's Democracy Team held extensive meetings with the team of three representatives from the Belarus Government, as well as with the ten-member Opposition team of political party leaders. They discussed issues which each side regards as necessary to resolve before talks on elections can be initiated. The Democracy Team also met with the Head of the OSCE Advisory and Monitoring Group in Minsk, Ambassador Hans-Georg Wieck.

Meeting of the Ad hoc Committee on Election Monitoring

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's Ad hoc Committee on Election Monitoring met in Istanbul on 17 November. The meeting was chaired by the President of the Parliamentary Assembly, Mrs. Helle Degn. The Ad hoc Committee was established last spring and is composed of six senior parliamentarians. It has concentrated on developing a follow-up mechanism for the OSCE's election monitoring reports. The meeting in Istanbul was also attended by Ambassador GŽrard Stoudmann and other representatives of the ODIHR.

The Committee received short reports from the recent elections in Kazakhstan and Georgia and discussed the monitoring of the forthcoming elections in Russia and Croatia. The main focus, however, was on the establishment of a follow-up mechanism. It was agreed that after issuing the final report of elections, monitored by the OSCE PA and ODIHR, a follow-up will be decided upon. In general, the Head of the PA's Delegation, together with representatives of the ODIHR and other appropriate persons, will visit the country concerned and discuss with the proper authorities the report, its findings, recommendations and follow-up. The modalities of the follow-up will be decided country by counry. Other major international organizations will be invited to join the follow-up delegations in cases where they have cooperated with the OSCE in monitoring those elections. The first country where the new mechanism will be put into practice will be Georgia.

OSCE Parliamentarians monitor elections

Georgia

Bruce George MP (United Kingdom), Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and Chair of the Defence Committee of the House of Commons, was appointed Special Representative of the Chairman-in-Office to lead the OSCE Election Observation Mission to the Parliamentary Elections in Georgia on 31 October 1999 and to issue the preliminary election statement for the OSCE.

The OSCE Parliamentary Observer Delegation consisted of 23 parliamentarians from OSCE countries, including Armenia, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine and the United Kingdom. The team also included representatives from the North Atlantic Parliamentary Assembly and the US Congressional Helsinki Commission.

While in Tblisi, Mr. Bruce George and his delegation met with high-level Georgian officials. The delegation also held meetings with representatives of political parties, the mass media and NGOs. On election day, members of the Delegation visited numerous polling stations and were present at the opening and closing of the vote. The day after polling, Mr. George issued a preliminary statement in conjunction with Nikolai Vulchanov, Head of the ODIHR Long-term Election Observation Mission.

According to the OSCE statement, the conduct of the 1999 parliamentary election represents a step towards Georgia's compliance with OSCE commitments. "Despite some irregularities", Mr. George said, "it appears that Georgian voters were generally able to express their will. Regrettably, voting could not take place in Abkhazia and parts of South Ossetia."

Russian Federation

President Helle Degn is the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office with the task of leading the OSCE short-term election observation mission to the parliamentary elections in Russia on 19 December and to deliver the post-election statement. The mission to Russia comprises some hundred OSCE parliamentarians representing Armenia, Austria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

The team also includes representatives of other international parliaments including the Nordic Council and the Baltic Sea Parliamentary Conference. Prior to election day, the parliamentarians will attend an extensive briefing programme organized by the International Secretariat in close co-operation with the Russian State Duma and ODIHR. On election day, the OSCE PA will deploy observer teams to several areas including Moscow, St.Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk, Murmansk, Nizhny Novgorod and Yaroslavl.

Croatia

President Degn is also expected to be the Special Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office for the OSCE short-term election observation mission to the parliamentary elections in Croatia on 3 January 1999 and to deliver the preliminary election statement.