Press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

VIENNA, 15 February 2010 - The following is a press release issued by the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly today. The views expressed in this press release do not necessarily reflect those of the OSCE Chairmanship, nor of all OSCE participating States.

OSCE PA's Winter Meeting to debate Afghanistan

COPENHAGEN, 15 February 2010 - A special debate on the situation in Afghanistan will take place at the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly's ninth Winter Meeting in Vienna 18-19 February. The special debate will start at 13:30 on the second day of the Meeting. Like all sessions during the two-day meeting, it is open to the media.

Among the speakers on opening day are OSCE PA President Joao Soares, the President of the Austrian Nationalrat Barbara Prammer, and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan's Foreign Minister Kanat Saudabayev. The Chairperson-in-Office's speech will be followed by a question and answer session.

Almost 250 OSCE parliamentarians from 53 participating States, and parliamentarians from three Mediterranean Partners, are expected to participate in the Winter Meeting. The Vienna meeting is the second largest event on the PA's annual calendar after the Annual Session, which is being held from 6 to 10 July in Oslo.

OSCE Secretary General Marc Perrin de Brichambaut will speak and answer questions during the closing session on 19 February. Several heads of OSCE institutions are also scheduled to speak at the Meeting.

As in previous years, the Winter Meeting will be preceded by a Standing Committee Meeting, starting at 9:30 on 18 February. At the Standing Committee Meeting, members will discuss Assembly business and will be briefed by President Soares, Treasurer Roberto Battelli, and Secretary General Spencer Oliver on various PA activities, including election observation and the work of Special Representatives and Ad Hoc Committees.
Tone Tingsgaard, the Assembly's Special Representative on Gender Issues, will give her report during the closing session on 19 February.

The three General Committees of the Assembly will meet in special sessions during the two-day conference.

Additional information can be found on the Parliamentary Assembly's website at www.oscepa.org
 

Contact:
Klas Bergman, Director of Communications, OSCE PA.
Tel. +45 33 37 80 40; Mob. +45 60 10 83 80; Email: klas@oscepa.dk