MINUTES

STANDING COMMITTEE

OF THE OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY

 

Toronto

 

Saturday 20 September 2008

 

2.00 p.m.

 

1.         Call to Order

The meeting was opened at 2.00 pm. with Mr Joao SOARES (Portugal), President of OSCE PA, in the Chair.

 

 2.        Adoption of the Agenda

 

The draft agenda was adopted.

 

 

3.         Welcoming remarks by the Head of the Canadian Delegation to the OSCE PA

 

The PRESIDENT thanked the Canadian Delegation for their hospitality and for the arrangements for the meetings.

 

Speaker: Mr DI NINO (Canada)

 

The President thanked Mr Di Nino.

 

4.         Remarks by the President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, Mr Joao SOARES.

 

The PRESIDENT addressed the Standing Committee.

 

5.         Report by the Treasurer.

 

Mr RAIDEL (Germany) presented the Treasurer’s report to the Standing Committee.

 

Speakers:  Mr HEATH (United Kingdom), Mr RAIDEL, The President.

 

 

 

 

 

6.         Report by the Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

 

Mr Spencer OLIVER (Secretary General of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly) presented his report.

 

Ambassador NOTHELLE spoke about his work in Vienna.

 

Speakers: Mr GRAFSTEIN (Canada), Secretary General, Mr CALLELY (Ireland), Secretary General, The President, Mr NIEDERBERGER (Switzerland).

 

 

7.         Reports and Information on Activities of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly

 

Ms Tina SCHØN, Deputy Secretary General, informed the standing Committee about the arrangements for the Pre–election Seminar in the United States and for the election observation mission in Belarus at the end of September.

 

Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh

 

Mr Göran LENNMARKER (Sweden), (President Emeritus of the Assembly), Special Representative on Nagorno-Karabakh, addressed the Committee.

 

Speakers: Mr MIGLIORI (Italy), Mr NERI (France), Procedural Adviser, the President.

 

Special Representative on Central Asia

 

Mr Kimmo KILJUNEN (Finland) (Vice President of the Assembly), Special Representative on Central Asia, addressed the Committee.

 

Special Representative on Gender Issues

 

Ms Tone TINGSGÃ…RD, Special Representative on Gender issues, addressed the Committee.

 

            Ms Tone TINGSGÅRD, Vice President of the Assembly, took the Chair.

 

8.         Briefing by the head of the Finnish OSCE Chairmasnship task Force, Ambassador Aleksi Härkönen.

 

Mr Härkönen addressed the Committee.

 

Speaker: Mr Göran LENNMARKER (Sweden), (President Emeritus of the Assembly).

 

Mr Härkönen replied.

 

9.         Briefing by the OSCE Secretary General, Ambassador Marc Perrin de Brichambaut on the proposed OSCE Budget for 2009

 

Mr Perrin de Brichambaut addressed the Committee.

 

Speakers: Mr CARDIN (United States), Mr HEATH (United Kingdom), Mr LENNMARKER (Sweden), (President Emeritus of the Assembly).

 

Mr Perrin de Brichambaut replied.

 

The President resumed the Chair.

 

10.       Future Meetings of the OSCE PA

 

 

The PRESIDENT announced that the dates proposed by the Lithuanian delegation for the 2009 Annual Session were 29 June to 3 July.

 

The dates were agreed.

 

The PRESIDENT announced further meetings, as follows:

 

-  Meeting of the Bureau on 3 December 2008 in Helsinki, Finland (in conjunction with the OSCE Ministerial Council Meeting 4 and 5 December 2008).

 

-  Winter Meeting on 19 and 20 February 2009  in Vienna, Austria (meeting of the Standing Committee, joint and individual meetings of the three General Committees)

 

-  Meeting of the Bureau in  April 2009  in Lisbon, Portugal (exact date to be fixed)

 

-  OSCE PA Economic Conference on 27 to 29 May 2009 in Dublin, Ireland

 

-  Fall Meetings 2009 (Standing Committee, Conference and Mediterranean Forum), Athens, Greece (exact dates to be fixed).       

 

Speaker: Mr TOKAYEV (Kazakhstan), Mr EFTHYMIOU (Greece), the President, Mr CALLELY (Ireland).

 

 

 

 

11.       Close of meeting

 

Speakers: Mr NERI (France), the President.

 

The PRESIDENT closed the meeting at 4.23 p.m.