FOR THE ATTENTION OF MEMBERS OF THE POLITICAL
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE
Secretariat of the Assembly
Synopsis N°2000/071
10 May 2000
The Political Affairs Committee, meeting in Paris on 3 May 2000, under the chairmanship of Mr Davis (United Kingdom, SOC):
As regards:
- Requests for Council of Europe membership:
. Armenia (Rapporteur: Mr Demetrio Volcic, Italy, SOC): considered a draft report and a draft opinion. The members have been invited to send written amendments to the draft opinion to the Secretariat, before the Committee meeting of 15 May in Dublin, with a view to adopt and present it during the June session;
. Azerbaijan (Rapporteur: Mr Jacques Baumel, France, EDG): considered a draft report and a draft opinion. The members have been invited to send written amendments to the draft opinion to the Secretariat, before the Committee meeting of 15 May in Dublin, with a view to adopt and present it during the June session;
. Bosnia and Herzegovina (Rapporteur: Mr László Surjan, Hungary, EPP/CD): heard a statement by the rapporteur on his visit to the country (26-29 April 2000) and authorised him to visit it again in June 2000 (subject to the Bureau’s authorisation);
- Role of the United Nations in the new millennium (Rapporteur: Mrs Hanne Severinsen, Denmark, LDR): took note of the Reply of the Committee of Ministers to Recommendation 1411 (1999), examined an outline report and decided to propose to the Bureau to hold a debate during the September 2000 part-session;
- Conflict in the Chechen Republic (Rapporteur: Lord Judd, United Kingdom, SOC): held an exchange of views on the follow-up of Recommendations 1444 and 1456 (2000) and expressed the wish that the outgoing Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ministers could participate to the meeting of 15 May in Dublin;
- South-East Europe following the Kosovo conflict (Rapporteur: Mr András Bársony, Hungary, SOC): held an exchange of views and took note of the Committee of Ministers’ replies to Recommendations 1422, 1423 and 1424;
- Situation in Belarus (Rapporteur: Mr Wolfgang Behrendt, Germany, SOC) : was informed of an informal exchange of views of its Chairman and its Rapporteur with the Committee of Ministers (Strasbourg, 5 April 2000) and of a forthcoming visit of the “Parliamentary Troďka” to that country in June 2000;
- Work programme:
- appointed Mr René van der Linden (Netherlands, EPP/CD) Rapporteur on “European architecture of the 21st century” considering the relative urgency of this question;
- examined various other activities and set priorities and a timetable for reports to be presented to the Assembly;
- decided to continue the appointment of rapporteurs at its meeting in Rome;
- Parliamentary Co-operation among the Caucasian countries: was informed by its Chairman of a meeting of Representatives of the three delegations during the last session and of the next meeting of working groups in Dublin on 15 May;
- Sub-committee on the Middle-East: made additional appointments as follows:
Members Mr ALIEV, UEL Russia Mr GLESENER, EPP/CD Luxembourg Mrs PAEGLE, EPP/CD Latvia Mr SURJAN, EPP/CD Hungary Mr VAN DER LINDEN, EPP/CD Netherlands - Colloquy of the Committee on Economic Affairs and Development (Dubrovnik, 22-24 May 2000) on the subject “One year of Stability Pact for South-East Europe: the Way Forward”: appointed its Chairman and Mr András Bársony (Hungary, SOC) spokepersons;
- Next meetings: decided to hold its next meetings as follows:
- Plenary Committee:
. Dublin, 15 May 2000 (4 pm-6.30 pm)
. Rome, 12-13 June 2000
. Strasbourg, during the third part-session of the Assembly (26-30 June 2000)
. Prague (Czech Republic), 3-5 September 2000 (subject to the Bureau’s authorisation)
- Sub-committee on the Middle-East (Dublin, 15 May 2000, from 3 pm to 3.30 pm)
- Sub-committee on the relations with non members countries (Dublin, 15 May 2000, from 3.30 pm to 4 pm)
Barış Perin, Marja Ruotanen, Catherine Hügel