THE HIGH NORTH – ENVIRONMENT, SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY 4^TH SUB-REGIONAL CONFERENCE TROMSØ, NORWAY, 12-13 MAY 2005 GENERAL INFORMATION Date and Place The  Conference  will  start  at  09:00  on  Thursday  12  May and  end  on  13  May  2005.  It  will  take  place  at  the  Rica Ishavshotell in Tromsø, Norway. Participants Members  of  the  OSCE  Parliamentary  Assembly,  OSCE Partners for Co-operation, Official Observers of the OSCE PA, OSCE Officials, Sub-regional Parliamentary Assemblies,    as    well     as    international     and     regional organisations. Programme The    detailed    programme    will    be    distributed    to    all registered   participants   before   the   end   of   March   2005. Questions  concerning  the  programme  can  be  directed  to Mr.     Allon     Groth,     tel.     +47     23313594     or     e-mail: [email protected] Hotels Two hotels are offered,  both must be booked through the Rica Ishavshotell, att. Ms. Renate Jørgensen. Bookings at the  Rica  Ishavshotell  will  be  made  on  a  first  come  first serve  basis.  When  this  hotel  is  fully  booked,  participants will automatically be booked at the Radisson SAS. Deadline for reservation: 21 March 1. Rica Ishavshotell 150   available   rooms . The   conference   hall,   conference lunch   restaurant   etc.   are   located   inside   this   hotel.   All excursions  begin  here.   Address:  Fr.   Langesgt.  2,  9008 Tromsø,  Norway.  Tel:  +4777666400.  Fax:  +4777666444 Single room:    NOK 854,- (incl. breakfast) Double room:  NOK 967,- (incl. breakfast)

2 2. Radisson SAS 70 available rooms .  Located approx . 100 meters from the Rica  Ishavshotell. Address:  Sjøgata  7,  P.O.  Box  928,  N - 9259 Tromso, Norway. Tel: +4777600000, Fax: +4777685474. Single room:    NOK 795,- (incl. breakfast) Double room:  NOK 996,- (incl. breakfast) (10 NOK = 1,2 EURO = 1,6 USD) Transportation Participants  arriving  at  Tromsø  airport  on  11  May  2005 will     be     offered     bus     transportation     to     the     hotels. Participants leaving for the airport after the conference on the 14 or 15 May 2005 will also be offered transportation. Air    travel    to    Tromsø    includes    transit    through    Oslo international   airport,   where   passengers   need   to   walk (indoors)  from  the  international  to  the  domestic  terminal. Checked-in luggage will proceed automatically to Tromsø. There will be a special information desk at Oslo airport to assist the conference participants. Transportation in Tromsø   No transportation is needed between the conference hotels. Bus transportation will be provided for the reception on 12 May,   excursion   14   May   and   accompanying   persons’ programme. Languages Simultaneous interpretation in all OSCE official languages will be provided at all meetings. Facilities Within  walking  distance  from  the  The  Rica  Ishavshotell you  will  find  the  following  facilities:  Travel  agency,  post office and bank offices. Medical service; Please contact the hotel reception. Excursion A   sightseeing   tour   of   the   Polaria   wildlife   center   and surroundings of Tromsø including a lunch is scheduled for 14  May.  The  excursion  will  begin  at  09:00  –  participants will be back at the hotels at approx. 14:00 . Those wishing to participate should indicate so in the attached registration form. Accompanying persons A guided tour of the surroundings of Tromsø is previewed for  Thursday  12  May.   Accompanying  persons  are  also

3 invited to the reception on 12 May and to the excursion on 14 May. Those wishing to participate should indicate so in the attached registration form. Visas Norway is a Schengen country. Citizens of the following countries do NOT need a Schengen visa to enter Norway: http://www.udi.no/templates/Page.aspx?id=5523 A   Schengen   visa   can   be   obtained   from   the   nearest Norwegian diplomatic mission. The contact information of all  Norwegian  diplomatic  missions  can  be  found  here: http://odin.dep.no/ud/norsk/dok/andre_dok/veiledninger/0 32001-990097/dok-bn.html The   visa   application   form   can   be   downloaded   here: http://w03.signform.com/SFDownload/~SFC617.DOT Currency Cash payments in Norway can only be made in Norwegian krone    (NOK).    Credit    cards,    particularly    VISA    and MasterCard,  are  accepted  in  all  hotels  and  in  almost  all shops, and can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs. Climate Tromsø  is  located  above  the  polar  circle.  The  average temperature   in   May   is   around   +4   degrees   centigrade although  the  actual  temperature  can  be  up  to  10  degrees above or below that. Solar radiation is strong, particularly near  snow.  Bring  a  warm  winter  coat  and  shoes  –  but  do not forget dark sunglasses. Tourism Tromsø is an excellent starting point for a vacation in the Tromsø  region  and  Northern  parts  of  Norway,  for  a  boat cruise  along  the  fjords  to  the  North  Cape  or  Bergen,  or  a flight    to    Spitzbergen.    Contact    your    travel    agent    or www.visitnorway.com Registration Please return the attached registration forms no later than 21  March  2005  Forms  should  be  sent  to  the  OSCE  PA International    Secretariat    in    Copenhagen    and    to    the Norwegian Parliament (addresses below). Information For further information please contact: Ms. Lisbeth Merete Stock Assistant to the Norwegian Delegation Stortinget - The Norwegian Parliament Tel: +47 2331 3555 Fax: +47 23313824

4 e-mail: [email protected] Ms. Lisa Callan Conference Co-ordinator OSCE PA International Secretariat Tel: +45 33 37 80 40 Fax: +45 33 37 80 30 e-mail: [email protected]