London meeting canceled over ban on Zimbabwe
SA meeting of international leaders for next year in London was canceled because Britain refused to lift a ban and allow leading members of the government of Zimbabwe to enter the country. The Inter-Parliamentary Union said Monday that a majority of its member countries voted against holding the meeting in Britain without the banned Zimbabwean leaders. African nations had threatened to boycott the meeting if it were held in London. "It is disappointing the meeting won’t go ahead in London, but this is the principle that our organization stands for", Anders Johnsson, the Union’s Secretary General said from the organization’s Headquarters in Geneva.
International Herald Tribune – 15 October 2003

Summit cancelled after Britain bans Mugabe Henchmen
A summit of international leaders in London next year, due to be opened by the Queen and addressed by Nelson Mandela, has been cancelled after the Government barred members of Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwean regime. A dispute in the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), set up in the 1890s to promote world co-operation and peace, has led to the withdrawal of next year’s annual conference from Britain in March, after several years of planning.The British delegation to the IPU, led by the Labour MP John Austin, argued it would be unethical to break the EU travel ban, and any meeting would be seen as sanctioning human rights abuses by the Mugabe regime. "I think the entire British group of the IPU will be extremely disappointed by this decision to withdraw the conference, but there are certain principles you have to stick by", Mr. Austin said. "The UK Government is absolutely right to adhere to this ban".
The Independent – 13 October 2003

Rwanda moves to top women MP list
Following elections [in October 2003], 48,8% of Rwanda’s MPs are women, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Sweden, where 45% of MPs are women, has been the longstanding leader of the IPU ranking of women in parliament. The first polls since the 1994 genocide were marred by reports of intimidation and the IPU said it hoped that the women MPs would help society. Of the 80 seats in the national assembly, 24 were reserved for women and another 24 were elected. A further six women were elected to the Senate. "Women bring something special to legislative work. They have a different view of society than men do", said IPU Secretary General Anders Johnsson. He told the AFP news agency that they were particularly strong on social issues.
BBC News – 22 October 2003

Inauguration of The House of Parliaments
After a week of intense discussions on the problems of the IPU (140 member parliaments), the major questions of the day, and the Organisation's involvement in the application of the "Road Map", the IPU accomplished a long-standing dream, in the words of Secretary General Anders B. Johnsson. The inauguration of "The House of Parliaments" will mark an important stage in the life of the IPU, for it is a tool for action that will provide a landmark for parliamentarians, helping, through ongoing, dispassionate dialogue, to make the debates less contentious", added Jean Charles Gardetta, President of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament of Monaco.
Le Soleil du Sénégal – 6 october 2003