Parliamentary Delegation to attend Council of Europe Meeting

The parliamentary delegation to the Council of Europe will be attending the Fourth Part of the 1999 Ordinary Session of the Council of Europe to be held in Strasbourg between the 20th and 24th September 1999. The delegation which is led by the Hon. John Vella, comprises the Hon. John Attard Montalto, the Hon. Francis Agius, the Hon. Michael Asciak and the Hon. Joe Debono Grech.

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe will be addressed by Mr Halldor Asgrimsson, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iceland and Chairman-in-Office of the Committee of Ministers; Mr Donald Johnston, Secretary General of the OECD, and Mr Cornelio Sommaruga, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Mr Milo Djukanovic, President of Montenegro, is also expected to deliver a statement to the Assembly.

During the course of this session the following topics will be discussed:

• South-East Europe and Kosovo;

- economic reconstruction and renewal in South-Eastern Europe following the Kosovo conflict;

- evaluation of the humanitarian situation in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and particularly in Kosovo and in Montenegro;

- respect for international humanitarian law in Europe;

- future of senior citizens: protection, participation, promotion;

- extremist parties and movements in Europe: a threat to democracy; and

- national procedures for nominating candidates for election to the European Court of Human Rights.

The Assembly will be holding the election of a judge to the European court of Human Rights on behalf of the Russian Federation, and the election of the Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe.