Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Geneva, 21 January 2000
N° 88

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will hold the third session of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments at the United Nations Office in Geneva (UNOG) on 31 January and 1 February 2000 at the invitation of the Director-General of UNOG, Mr. Vladimir Petrovsky.

The purpose of the session is to finalise preparations for the Conference of Presiding Officers of National Parliaments to be held on the occasion of the Millennium Assembly at the United Nations General Assembly Hall in New York from 30 August to 1 September 2000.

Presiding officers from the following national parliaments have confirmed their intention to attend:

Mr. Neil Andrew (Australia), Mr. Humayun Rasheed Choudhury (Bangladesh), Mr. Mélégue Maurice Traoré (Burkina Faso), Mr. Gildas Molgat (Canada), Mr. Ahmed Fathy Sorour (Egypt), Shri G.M.C. Balayogi (India), Mr. Luciano Violante (Italy), Mr. Abdulhadi Majali (Jordan), Mr. Abdelwahed Radi (Morocco), Mr. Mosé Tjitendero (Namibia), Mr. Guennadi N. Seleznev (Russian Federation), Mrs. Frene Ginwala (South Africa) and Mrs. Brigitta Dahl (Sweden).

Mr. Hanspeter Seiler, President of the Swiss National Council, will be present in Geneva to meet his counterparts.

The President of the Council of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (governing body), Mrs. Najma Heptulla (India), the Secretary General of the IPU, Mr. Anders Johnsson (Sweden), the Vice-President of IPU's Executive Committee, Mr. Fernando Solana (Mexico) and the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for External Relations, Ms. Gillian Sorensen (USA), will also take the floor at the event.

The IPU, established in 1889 and with its headquarters in Geneva, currently has 139 affiliated national parliaments and 5 associated regional parliamentary assemblies. It provides a parliamentary dimension to the United Nations by encouraging direct participation and involvement by national parliaments and their members in UN activities and international intergovernmental cooperation.

Contact for additional information or interviews: Mrs Luisa Ballin, IPU Information Officer, tel.: (41.22) 919.41.16 or 919.41.27, fax: (41.22) 733 31 41 or 919 41 60, e-mail: lb@mail.ipu.org or cd@mail.ipu.org.

The IPU has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York, tel.: (1.212) 557.58.80, fax (1.212) 557.39.54, e-mail: ny-office@mail.ipu.org

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