TO THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE ON MIGRATION, REFUGEES AND DEMOGRAPHY
SECRETARIAT OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY
Synopsis No. 2000/048
29 March 2000
The Sub-Committee on Refugees (of the Committee on Migration, Refugees and Demography), meeting in Paris on 24 March 2000, with Lord Judd in the Chair:
– held a hearing on population displacement in the Caucasus with the participation of the following guest speakers:
- Mr Dennis SAMMUT, Executive Director, London Information Network on Conflict and State-building;
- Ms Gesche KARRENBROCK, Deputy Director in charge of Eastern Europe, Regional Bureau for Europe, Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
- Mr Christian SKOOG, Humanitarian Affairs Officer responsible for CIS countries, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);
- Mr Werner SCHOLZ, Operational Co-ordinator for Newly Independent States and Eastern Europe, European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO);
- Ms Ann Mary OLSEN, Head of Europe Section, International Department, Danish Refugee Council (DRC);
- Ms Holly CARTNER, Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division, Human Rights Watch (HRW);
- Mr Martin FALLER, Deputy Director, Europe Department, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC);
- Mr Francis AMAR, Head, International Organisations Division, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC);
- Mr Marco BORSOTTI, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Resident Representative and UN Resident Co-ordinator in Georgia;
- Mr Steinar SORLIE, Secretary General, Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC);
- Mr Frunze KHARATYAN, Member of the Parliament of Armenia;
- Mr Hadi RAJABLI, Member of the Parliament of Azerbaijan;
- Mr Kaha CHITAIA, Member of the Parliament of Georgia;
- Mr Albert ENGELICH, Embassy of Austria, Paris, on behalf of the Chairman-in-office of the OSCE;
– agreed to propose that parliamentarians from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia should meet informally during the April part-session of the Assembly in the framework of the inter-parliamentary co-operation process in order to discuss prospects for setting up a working group on refugees and internally displaced persons in the Southern Caucasus;
– agreed to meet on the occasion of the full Committee meeting on 14-16 September 2000 in Skopje (subject to confirmation and authorisation by the Bureau).
Simon Newman/Agnieszka Nachilo