Ref: 12590 06 E Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 5 September 2006
TO SECRETARIES OF DELEGATION FOR DISTRIBUTION TO
MEMBERS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE
Dear Member,
Re: Â Â Â Â NATO PA draft declaration on NATO's Riga Summit
At the Standing Committee meetings in Gdynia in March and Paris in May, discussions took place on how the Assembly should communicate its views to the NATO Heads of State and Government prior to their summit in Riga on 28 and 29 November 2006.
In view of the proximity of the Riga Summit to the Assembly’s Annual Session in Quebec, it was decided that a special meeting of the Standing Committee should take place in Brussels in late September in order to agree upon a declaration. During the Paris Session, the Assembly’s five Committees invited their members to consider the issues that they believed should be included in such a declaration.
The Rapporteurs of the Defence and Security Committee and the Political Committee – Mr. Julio Miranda Calha (Portugal) and Mr Bert Koenders (Netherlands) – were then asked to develop a draft declaration based both on their own reports and upon the suggestions which had been received from the Committees. Their draft is attached for your reference.
I would be grateful if you could forward any proposed amendments to Susan Millar, Executive Assistant to the Secretary General, at the International Secretariat by Friday 15 September at the latest (fax: + 32 2 513 5923, e-mail: [email protected]).
The draft and all the amendments received will then be discussed and voted upon during the special meeting of the Standing Committee which will take place at the Palais d'Egmont in Brussels on Friday 29 September. Please note that this meeting will commence at 10:00, and every effort will made to ensure that it concludes by late afternoon in order to enable participants to depart on evening flights.
As you may recall, a block reservation has been made at the Hilton Hotel in Brussels. Information concerning the reservation procedure plus the hotel reservation form [138 SC 06 E], was forwarded to all delegations by Salima Chebrek in the Secretariat's Conference Service by e-mail on 12 June 2006.
I hope you had the opportunity to take a restful and restorative summer break.
Yours sincerely,
           
Pierre Lellouche