Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Amman, 1 May 2000
N° 4

The "support of parliaments for the rights of refugees and persons displaced by war and occupation, and assistance with a view to their repatriation and for international cooperation to develop and implement strategies to combat the criminal activity of people-smuggling" will be debated as a supplementary item during the 103rd IPU Conference.

The joint proposal, presented by the National Groups of Algeria and Australia, received 1338 votes in favor, 45 against and 106 abstentions. The two other items which will be discussed by 686 members of 128 national parliaments, including 148 women parliamentarians present in the Jordanian capital, are :" Achieving peace, stability and comprehensive development in the world and forging closer political, economic and cultural ties among peoples", and "The dialogue among civilisations and cultures".

The President of the Jordanian House of Representatives, Mr Abdulhadi Al Majali, has been elected President of the 103rd Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union which will run until 6 May in the Grand Hyatt/Zara Expo Center.

Before the opening of the Conference, the Council, the governing body of the IPU, accepted a request for reaffiliation from the Parliament of Niger and for affiliation from the Parliament of Guinea-Bissau. The Council has also examined the situation of the Parliaments of Côte d'Ivoire, Pakistan and Sudan. Noting that those parliaments had ceased to function, the Council decided to suspend their affiliation to the IPU.

The IPU Secretary General noted that it was "an administrative decision and not a sanction and that it does not in any way express a political view of the IPU." He also said the Council had "expressed the hope that national parliaments will soon be re-established in those countries and that they will resume their place within the Inter-Parliamentary Union."

The IPU now has 138 national parliament affiliated and 5 regional parliamentary assemblies as associate members.

PRESS CONFERENCE, WEDNESDAY 3 MAY AT 1:00 P.M.
ROOM C, LEVEL 1, ZARA EXPO

Theme: launching of the Arabic, Russian, Japanese, Spanish and German versions of the Handbook for Parliamentarians "RESPECT FOR INTERNATIONAL HUMANITARIAN LAW", published by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): in the presence of several Heads of national parliamentary delegations.

Contact in Amman for information and interviews (on the spot or by telephone): Mrs Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer. Tel.: 463 7639, fax 462 8430, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org