OSCE PA President Adrian Severin meets political leaders in Cyprus

LIMASSOL, CYPRUS, 9 October 2000 - During the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Seminar on Organized Crime and Corruption held from 4-5 October, 2000 in Cyprus, President Adrian Severin met with the President of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Glafcos Clerides and other leading officials including the President of the House of Representatives, Mr. Spyros Kyprianou, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides and the Mayor of Nicosia, Mr. Lellos Demetriades. In the spirit that "every party to a conflict should have their case heard", Mr. Severin also met with the leader of the Turkish community, Mr. Rauf Denktash. During this meeting, Mr. Severin stressed that "the international community only recognizes one Cyprus, as a single international legal subject" and that in finding a solution to the dispute, "constitutional arrangements should be based on the relevant UN Documents."

The two-day parliamentary seminar on Organized Crime and Corruption consisted of a series of presentations and discussions on various aspects of the topic, including the distorting effects of organized crime and corruption on economic development and the process of post-conflict rehabilitation, as well as international strategies to combat crime and corruption. The Seminar was addressed by prominent officials and experts including Dr. Gherardo Colombo, Deputy Attorney General, Procura della Repubblica di Milano, Mr. Paul Higdon, Interpol Director of the Criminal Intelligence Directorate and Mr. Thomas Price, OSCE Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities. The Seminar was attended by 80 parliamentarians from 31 OSCE participating States and observers from the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Co-operation.

The Seminar was preceded by a two-day meeting of the Assembly's Expanded Bureau, consisting of the President, the Vice-Presidents, the Treasurer and the Committee Officers. The Expanded Bureau reviewed current and forthcoming Assembly activities and heard a report on OSCE activities from Ambassador Franz Parak, who represented the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austrian Foreign Minister, Mrs. Benita Ferrero-Waldner.

For further information please contact Mr. Jan Jooren, Press Counsellor of the OSCE PA,e-mail press.counsellor@oscepa.dk, tel. +45 33378040, fax. +45 33378030.