Second Part of the 1997 Ordinary Session of the Council of Europe - Strasbourg - 21/25 April

A parliamentary delegation led by the Hon Karl Chircop, MP; and including the Hon Maria Camilleri, MP; the Hon Guido de Marco, MP; the Hon Chris Cardona, MP; the Hon Alex Sceberras Trigona, MP; and the Hon John Vella, MP, will be attending the Second Part of the 1997 Ordinary Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg between the 21st and 25th April 1997.

The General Assembly will be addressed by Mr Constantinos Stephanopoulos, President of Greece; Mr Petar Stoyanov, President of Bulgaria; Mr Niels Helveg Petersen, Foreign Minister of Denmark and Chairman-in-Office of the OSCE; Mr Daniel Tarschys, Secretary General of the Council of Europe; and Ms Tarja Halonen, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Finland and Chairman-in-office of the Committee of Ministers, who will be presenting a communication from the Committee of Ministers to the Assembly.

Topics for discussion include:-

· Proposals for the second summit of heads of state and government of the Council of Europe;

· Conflicts in Transcaucasia;

· Instruments of citizen participation in representative democracy

· Progress of economic reform in central and eastern Europe;

· Traffic of women and forced prostitution in Council of Europe member states;

· Honouring of commitments and obligations by Romania;

· Protection and reinforcement of the human rights of refugees and asylum-seekers in Europe;

· Situation in Albania;

· European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; and

· European air transport policies - civil aviation in transition.