OSCE Parliamentary Assembly holds annual meeting in Vienna

VIENNA, 17 February 1998 - Around 65 Parliamentarians representing 48 OSCE Participating States will gather in Vienna this week for an annual meeting at OSCE headquarters. The purpose of the meeting is to hear reports from senior OSCE officials and to convene a meeting of the Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly.

The Meeting will open on Thursday, 19 February with remarks by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Polish Foreign Minister Bronislaw Geremek and by OSCE Secretary General Giancarlo Aragona. Also addressing the Parliamentary Assembly will be Ambassador Gérard Stoudmann, Director of the ODIHR; Mr. Freimut Duve, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media and Mr. Frans Timmermans, Advisor to the High Commissioner on National Minorities. The President of the Austrian Nationalrat, Dr. Heinz Fischer, will host a reception for participants on Thursday evening and will speak at the meeting on Friday morning. Also on Friday, Austrian Chancellor Viktor Klima will make a statement to the Assembly.

The OSCE Parliamentary Assembly is made up of more than 300 parliamentarians from the 54 OSCE States. Each year, the Assembly debates issues and passes resolutions and recommendations pertinent to the work of the OSCE. The Assembly plays a leading role in the OSCE election monitoring efforts and cooperates closely with other OSCE institutions. The President of the Parliamentary Assembly is Mr. Javier Ruperez, Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Parliament. The Secretary General is Mr. Spencer Oliver of the United States. The Secretariat is located in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Press Arrangements:

Photo Opportunity:

Thursday, 19 February, 15:00: Opening of the Meeting: Mr. Geremek,

Neuer Saal

Press Conference:

Friday, 20 February, 12:45: - Mr. Javier Ruperez, President of the Parliamentary Assembly,

Room 201, 2nd Floor, close to the Neuer Saal.

A list of parliamentarians as well as an agenda of the meeting is available by request.

For accreditation, please either bring your OSCE badge or a press identification card. Parking is available for press on Thursday from 14.30 - 18:30 and on Friday from 9:00 - 14:00 in the OSCE-reserved parking area for those with clearly marked "Presse" signs