PanARMENIAN.Net

OSCE PA 15th Session to Be Held in July
09.06.2006 16:36 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 29 and 30 May three members of the International
Secretariat paid a final preparatory visit to Brussels for the 15th
Annual Session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
to be held in the Belgian capital from 3 to 7 July. Deputy Secretary
General Vitaly Evseyev, General Services Officer Kurt Lerras and
Presidential Advisor Gustavo Pallarés met with the staff of the
Belgian Federal Parliament to review and finalize all aspects of the
Annual Session including the program and organizational
modalities. Under a unique arrangement with the Belgian Federal
Parliament, the Annual Session will be held on the premises of the
European Parliament. The Secretariat team visited the European
Parliament, which will provide excellent conditions for the Session.

During his visit to Brussels, President Hastings also met with the
OSCE Chairman-in-Office to discuss matters regarding the OSCE and the
PA, including preparations for the Assembly’s Winter Meeting in Vienna
and election monitoring activities. Minister de Gucht has appointed
President Hastings as his Special Coordinator for the Presidential
elections in Belarus and the Parliamentary elections in Ukraine. While
in Brussels President Hastings also met with the European Parliament’s
Election Co-ordination Group to discuss co-operation in future
election observation missions and with Mr. Edward McMillan Scott,
Vice-President of the EP. The members of the International Secretariat
met with the members of the Belgian Delegation Mr. Pieter de Crem and
Mr. Francois-Xavier de Donnea as well as with the Secretaries General
of both Chambers of the Belgian Parliament. They also had a meeting
with the Head of Protocol of the European Parliament. The Assembly’s
Annual Session in Brussels will coincide with the Belgian Chairmanship
of the OSCE in 2006, reported the OSCE press office.