Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Istanbul, 15 April 1996
N°3

The 95th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organization of parliaments, was officially opened in Istanbul today by the President of the Republic of Turkey, H.E. Süleyman Demirel, who called for more tolerance and democracy in the world.

"In today's world, there is no room for fanaticism," the President said in an inaugural address to 614 parliamentarians from 116 countries gathered at the Istanbul Atatürk Cultural Centre. "We should be working on the common features of cultures rather than their differences, and to spread tolerant attitude and try to bring up our children with a culture of tolerance."

Mr Demirel also said that "democracy is a common prerequisite for peace development and welfare", and that the IPU represents the "parliamentary aspect of global co-operation, solidarity, consensus and tolerance".

"We should work together to prove that genocide, conflict, poverty, famine and epidemics are not the destiny of the world," Mr Demirel said.

The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour, who is also President of the Egyptian People's Assembly, appealed to delegates to "direct due attention to the crucial issues of safeguarding human rights and democracy".

He said these were important considerations for the two main items on the Conference's agenda, namely the protection of minorities, and the preservation of world fish stocks.

"The issue of minorities is not expected to fade away," Dr Sorour said. "Recent developments in Africa and Europe reaffirm that this is an ever-lasting issue in the world today, which being a small village requires tolerance and cultural conciliation."

"I need not stress the fact that national and international peace, stability, and security are greatly affected by internal and external issues of minorities. Bosnia is a recent example. Over the past few years in particular the world has witnessed unprecedented violations of human rights, wide-scale ethnic cleansing and massive genocide leading, among other things, to an influx of refugees especially in Europe and Africa," Sorour said.

"Minorities are not second-class citizens," he added. "They have the right to democracy in the same way as members of the majority. It is also in the interest of the state that the aspirations of the groups living in its territory may be fulfilled within a transparent and democratic framework."

The problem of diminishing fish stocks is also a challenge for the international community, Dr Sorour said, because of the "urgent need" to apply more effectively existing international agreements on the conservation and management of fish stocks such as the 1982 Law of Sea Convention, and its 1995 implementing agreement.

"I am sure that our work this week on the conservation of world fish stocks will contribute to ensuring human survival," Dr Sorour said.

The opening ceremony heard a message from the UN Secretary-General, in which Dr Boutros Boutros-Ghali said that the current globalization of the economy "must go hand in hand with a globalization of democracy. From that point of view, you have an essential role to play, within your national parliaments, within the Inter-Parliamentary Union and alongside the United Nations."

In his message, read to the opening ceremony by his special representative, Mr Hassan Fodha, the UN Secretary-General told delegates of the "considerable importance I attach to the democratic example you are giving to peoples and nations the world over."

"It is thanks to you and your dedication that the United Nations can evince its determination to move imperceptibly from concerted action between states to transnational co-operation, and thus to institute a veritable global assembly."

The President of the Turkish Grand National Assembly, Dr Mustafa Kalemli, expressed his belief that parliamentarians "share a common destiny in ensuring a more democratic, more prosperous world for humanity where people will be able to live in an atmosphere of peace and tolerance."

He called the IPU the "universal symbol of democracy", promoting the essential values of "international peace, friendship, understanding and solidarity". Citing the problems of ethnics clashes, wars, racism, xenophobia, cruelty and intolerance, Dr Kalemli said the IPU, in bringing together representatives of the world's people, bore the "great responsibility" of putting an end to such human tragedies and preventing their recurrence.

In his speech, the President of the Turkish IPU Group, Mr Irfan Köksalan, stressed in particular the importance of dealing with terrorism, saying that "no democratic country can ever remain indifferent to this crime against humanity". Those who do not consider terrorism as a crime "can never be entitled to mention human rights", he said.

"I express my hope that peace and stability as fundamental objectives of the IPU will govern our world," "Mr Köksalan said.

Following the inaugural ceremony, the Conference moved to the Ciragan Palace to proceed with its work.