PACE winter session starts today

The report which Dick Marty will present to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) questioning the fairness of UN and EU blacklists and the one to be presented by Lord Russell-Johnston on developments as regards the future status of Kosovo will be the focus of debates to be held by the PACE at its forthcoming winter session (21-25 January 2008).

Another highlight of the session will be the debate on the disappearance of newborn babies for illegal adoption in Europe.

A delegation led by the head of Azerbaijani parliamentary delegation to PACE Samad Seyidov has left for Strasbourg for participating in the session.

The guest speakers that have been invited to address the Assembly include the Presidents of Algeria, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Georgia, Mikheil Saakashvili, and Albania, Bamir Topi.

Other speakers will be the Prime Ministers of Slovakia, Robert Fico, and of Hungary, Ferenc Gyurcs?ny, as well as Mikhail Gorbachev (to be confirmed), President of Green Cross International, and Michel Platini, President of UEFA.

At the opening of the session at 11.30 am on Monday 21 January, the Assembly will elect its new President as successor to Ren? van der Linden, there will be progress report of the Bureau of the Assembly and the Standing Committee.

Election of judges to the European Court of Human Rights (as well as list presented by Azerbaijan) will be discussed, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Terry Davis, will present a report on the state of the Council of Europe, Global warming and ecological disasters will be debated and Mikhail Gorbachev, President of Green Cross International will address the session.

Other highlights of the session are United Nations Security Council and European Union blacklists, the situation in the Republics of Central Asia, address by Mikheil Saakashvili, President of Georgia on January 24, honoring of obligations and commitments by Georgia, disappearance of new-born babies for illegal adoption in Europe are in the highlight of the session to be held on January 23.

Meetings with representatives of the Belarus parliament will be held during the session.

/APA/