Doc. 8376
14 April 1999

Constitution of an ad hoc committee to follow preparations for celebrating the year 2000 in Bethlehem

Motion for an order

presented by Mr Goulet and others

This motion has not been discussed in the Assembly and commits only the members who have signed it

      The Assembly,

      Recalling that:

i.       the Jubilee for the year 2000 will begin in nine months’ time and that the pilgrimage to Bethlehem will be the key event in the commemorations organised as part of the Bethlehem 2000 project sponsored by the UNO;

ii.       the hold-up in the peace process between the Israelis and the Palestinians has led the Palestinian leaders to draw the international community’s attention to the difficulties of all kinds met with in organising the events connected with the celebrations for the year 2000;

iii.       the festivities, which will be spread over a period of eighteen months from December 1999 to April 2001 and will include theatrical performances, music festivals, exhibitions and various religious services, provide a unique opportunity for the Palestinians to develop tourism and to raise awareness and understanding of their situation;

iv.       Europe, through the MEDA Programme, is the Palestinian territories’ main funder, having paid out 304 million dollars between 1993 and 1998;

v.       the Council of Europe, given its action to foster the peace process in the region, cannot remain absent from the concert of nations involved in these celebrations and an ad hoc committee must be set up to report to the Assembly on the situation on the spot,

Decides

a.       to create, as soon as possible, an ad hoc committee to monitor the preparations for the millennium celebrations in Bethlehem and to make a report to the Assembly in particular on any difficulties encountered, whether of a technical, political or material nature;

b.       to draw up the outline of a co-ordinated approach by member states to this issue, which concerns not only Christians, but all those members of the international community that wish to see a lasting peace established in that part of the world.

Signed : ¹

Goulet, France, GDE

Aguiar, Portugal, EPP/CD

Baumel, France, EDG

Branger, France, EPP/CD

Dumitrescu, Romania, SOC

Gabrielescu, Romania, EPP/CD

Guirado, Spain, SOC

Lopez Henares, Spain, EPP/CD

Lupu, Romania, EPP/CD

Mignon, France, EDG

Schreiner, France, EDG

¹        SOC: Socialist Group

      EPP/CD: Group of the European People’s Party

      EDG: European Democratic Group

      LDR : Liberal, Democratic and Reformers’ Group

      UEL: Group of the Unified European Left

      NR: not registered in a group