Chair-in-Office De Hoop Scheffer to address 12th OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Annual Session in Rotterdam

COPENHAGEN, 3 June 2003 - From 5 to 9 July 2003 more than three hundred parliamentarians from the 55 OSCE participating States will gather on the premises of the Doelen Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, for the Twelfth Annual Session of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA). The opening Plenary Session, on Saturday 5 July will be addressed by the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who, in accordance with established tradition, will also answer questions from the floor. Delegates will also hear welcoming remarks by the President of the House of Representatives, Frans Weisglas, and the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Jan Peter Balkenende.

Several senior OSCE Officials, including OSCE Secretary General Jan Kubis, the High Commissioner on National Minorities, Rolf Ekéus, the Director of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) Christian Strohal, and the Representative on Freedom of the Media, Freimut Duve, will also brief the parliamentarians. The opening Plenary will be chaired by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Bruce George, Chair of the Defence Committee of the British House of Commons.

During the meetings on 6, 7 and 8 July the Assembly's General Committees will consider three reports and draft resolutions. These reports and resolutions deal with different and interrelated aspects - political, economic and human rights - of the central theme of the Twelfth Annual Session: "The Role of the OSCE in the New Architecture of Europe". Other resolutions on current issues and problems in the OSCE area may also be considered. The Assembly will also hear reports from PA President Bruce George, PA Secretary General R. Spencer Oliver, and PA Treasurer Jerry Grafstein.

On Tuesday 9 July, the closing Plenary Session will consider the resolutions of the three Committees and adopt a Final Declaration. The Assembly will also elect its President and other Officers.

Attached for your information is a draft programme of the Session. For information on media accreditation procedures please contact Rob Fransen, Press Office of the Dutch House of Representatives, tel: + 31 (0) 70 318 23 56, fax: + 31 (0) 70 318 23 56, e-mail: r.fransen@tk.parlement.nl.