Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Istanbul, 19 April 1996
N°5

The 95th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) ended five days of debate on minorities, fish stocks and terrorism in Istanbul on 19 April by adopting motions recommending specific action by countries on these issues.

In resolutions adopted on the three main subjects debated by the week-long conference, 609 MPs from 118 countries called for more legal recognition for minorities in all countries, condemned terrorism and sought an international convention to prevent its spread, and urged more responsible fishing policies and anti-pollution measures to conserve world fish stocks.

The IPU is the world organization of parliaments, and regularly brings together MPs from around the world to advance solutions to key issues of international concern. The Conference, which took place in the Ciragan Palace from 15 to 19 April, was hosted by the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA).

The resolution entitled "Fighting terrorism, an international phenomenon which threatens democracy and human rights as well as international peace and security and which hampers development; measures needed on the national and international levels to prevent acts of terrorism", was adopted by 1225 votes in favour, 30 against, and 8 abstentions. (The vote was requested by the delegation of Israel.)

It said the world parliaments "strongly condemn all forms of terrorism" and urged the international community to conclude an "international convention capable of protecting the world against the terrorism". The convention would provide for sanctions against States which support terrorist acts in any way including by providing terrorists with a safe haven, and also provide for the extradition of terrorists.

The resolution said the parliamentarians were "deeply disturbed by the pernicious effects of the rapid development of terrorist practices, by the attempts of terrorists in certain countries to impose their political, economic, social and religious views through oppression and the threat or use of force against the democratically expressed will of the people".

It said the refuge and support given by countries to terrorists was "one of the most serious causes of terrorism". The MPs rejected political motives as a defence against extradition, saying "it is necessary for the act of terrorism to be considered as a crime which requires terrorists to be extradited and handed over to the authorities of the affected country".

The parliamentarians also called for an international code of ethics to strengthen international co-operation "in order to rid the world of terrorism".

"Absence of democracy, failure to respect human rights and refusal to settle disputes by peaceful means are decisive factors in the development of terrorism," the resolution said, recommending that all States strengthen democracy and promote human rights as a means of preventing terrorism.

Moreover, alluding to the recent events of Southern Lebanon, the Conference said it "considers that the massacre perpetrated against a refugee camp under the protection of the United Nations constitutes an act of State terrorism". A move to have this reference in the resolution deleted, by the delegation of Israel, was rejected by the Conference by 663 votes to 451, and 132 abstentions.

The resolution, entitled "The protection of minorities as a global issue and a prerequisite for stability, security and peace", was adopted without a vote. It called on governments and parliaments to "enhance the legal status of minorities", "condemn expulsion, persecution and ethnic cleansing", and settle minority disputes "by peaceful and non-violent means".

Emphasizing that problems of minorities "often pose a challenge to the democratic constitution of States", it also called for "political dialogue" with minorities, the opportunity for them to "present their interests and objectives to parliament", and the right to freedom of expression including in a minority language.

Governments and parliaments should "promote the conditions necessary for persons belonging to national minorities to maintain and develop their culture, and to preserve their religion, language, traditions and cultural heritage".

For their part, minorities have "duties and obligations to respect civil order and the rule of law" and to "refrain from using violence in securing their rights", the resolution said.

The parliamentarians said they were convinced that oppression and persecution of minorities were the "most frequent causes of expulsion, refugee flows and war", and that the cost of preventing conflicts by implementing minority rights standards "is minute compared to the cost of peace-keeping operations".

The resolution recommended that the world's parliaments use the tool of "parliamentary diplomacy" to examine and solve questions concerning minorities. It also requested the UN Commission on Human Rights to "identify minority communities around the world and develop general guidelines on defining minorities".

The resolution on the "Conservation of world fish stocks in order to provide an important source of protein and ensure the continued viability and economic stability of fishing around the world", was also adopted by the Conference without a vote.

In the resolution, the parliamentarians said they were "deeply concerned that in the 1990s, the supply of fish for direct human consumption has stagnated owing mainly to overfishing and degradation of the freshwater, marine and coastal environment", and "convinced that improved fisheries management could yield substantial economic benefits".

The resolution urged all fishing nations to adopt legislation to "ensure responsible fisheries management" as well as to ensure the "zoning and mapping of fishing grounds for sustainable fishing". It called for "immediate action to curb marine pollution" and urged fishing nations to minimize environmental degradation of their inland waters and coastal areas which are the habitats and spawning grounds of fish.

The resolution urged states to ratify the 1982 UN Law of the Sea Convention as well as its 1995 implementing agreement "which are of importance for the management, conservation and exploitation of living marine resources", and to comply with the Food and Agriculture Organization's (FAO) 1995 Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries.

It also called on states to work to eliminate government subsidization of the fishing industry "which maintains excessive fishing capacity", and to develop legislation on "appropriate enforcement mechanisms" to ensure the use of selective and environmentally safe fishing gear and practices and preserve the marine environment.

The resolution said that technical and financial assistance should be provided to less-developed countries to help them ensure the sustainability of their fishing industries for food security.

Finally, the resolution called on all 133 IPU members to forward their resolution to the UN's World Food Summit, scheduled to take place in November in Rome, to ensure that MPs are included in national delegations, and to "redouble their efforts" in pursuit of their Istanbul conclusions on this subject.

A total of 609 representatives from 118 of the world's parliaments took part in the Istanbul conference, including 117 women MPs (19.21% of the total).

The 96th Inter-Parliamentary Conference will be held in Beijing, China, from 16 to 20 September 1996, at the invitation of the National People's Congress.

The results of the work of several IPU committees which met during the 95th Inter-Parliamentary Conference, including the report of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians (cases of MPs subjected to arbitrary measures), will be made public during the session of the IPU's governing body, the Inter-Parliamentary Council, when it meets in the Ciragan Palace on the morning of 20 April (starting at 9 a.m.). The human rights report will include the results of the Committee's discussions of cases of Turkish MPs of Kurdish origin, as well as the results of the two-day fact-finding visit (11-12 April) by members of the Committee to Turkish parliamentarians who are in prison and those who have recently been sentenced.

The IPU Council will also review the work of its committees on Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean (CSCM), Cyprus, and the Middle East, and of the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians.