Parliamentary Assembly President to visit Finland, Estonia and Latvia

COPENHAGEN, 14 October 1999 - Mrs. Helle Degn, President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, will visit Finland, Estonia and Latvia, 18-23 October. President Degn represents more than 300 parliamentarians from 54 OSCE participating States.

On 18-19 October 1999, the president will visit Finland at the invitation of Mrs. Riitta Uosukainen, Speaker of the Finnish Eduskunta (Parliament). On Monday, 18 October, she will meet with the President, Mr. Martti Ahtisaari. In the absence of Foreign Minister Tarja Halonen, Mrs. Degn will have talks with Foreign Ministry State Secretary Jukka Valtasaari. On Tuesday, 19 October, Mrs. Degn will meet with the Finnish OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Delegation and the Foreign Affairs Committee, under the leadership of Ms. Liisa Jaakonsaari. The discussions with parliamentarians and representatives of the Government of Finland, which currently holds the presidency of the European Union, will include several items, such as the forthcoming OSCE Summit in Istanbul and the role and activities of the OSCE South-Eastern Europe.

President Degn will visit Estonia on 19-20 October. On Wednesday, 20 October, she will meet with the President Lennart Meri; Prime Minister Mart Laar; Mr. Tunne Kelam, Vice President of the Estonian Parliament, and Mrs. Katrin Saksam, Minister for Ethnic Affairs. Among other things, the talks will include the recently revised law on language and activities of the OSCE Mission to Estonia.

President Degn will visit Latvia on 21 and 23 October, as part of her efforts to improve the visibility of the Parliamentary Assembly and support the work of OSCE Missions. She will meet with the Latvian President, Ms. Vaira Vike-Freiberga; the Speaker of Parliament, Mr. Janis Straume, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Indulis Berzins. Discussion topics include the Government's Social Integration Programme and progress in the dismantling of the Skrunda Radar Station.

Since her election in July 1998, President Degn has visited 10 other OSCE Field Missions.

MEDIA CONTACT: Mr. Jan Jooren, Press Counsellor, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Copenhagen, e-mail: press.counsellor@oscepa.dk ; tel. (+45) 33378040, fax: (+45) 33378030.