Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Jakarta, 16 October 2000
N° 4

The theme bringing an end to the tension and violence in the Middle East, protecting civilians in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention, and action to save the peace process in accordance with the relevant United Nations Resolutions has been included as an emergency supplementary item during the 104th IPU Conference. This item, adopted by consensus by the 588 members of national parliaments coming from 111 countries (including 141 women parliamentarians) gathered in the Indonesian capital, is a merge of the three original proposals presented by the delegations from Algeria, Indonesia and Morocco.

Another item proposed by the Parliament from Belgium entitled "Are embargoes and economic sanctions still ethically acceptable, do they still work, and are they suited to achieving their purpose in an ever more globalised world?" will be debated as a supplementary item during the 104th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. This proposal received 960 votes in favour, 178 against and 248 abstentions.

The two other items which will be discussed are: "the prevention of military and other coups against democratically elected governments and against the free will of the peoples expressed through direct suffrage, and action to address grave violations of the human rights of parliamentarians", and "financing for development and a new paradigm of economic and social development designed to eradicate poverty".

The Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives, Mr Akbar Tandjung, has been elected President of the 104th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union which will run until 20 October at the Jakarta Convention Center.

Before the opening of the Conference, the Council - the IPU governing body - accepted requests for affiliation from the Parliaments of São Tomé and Principe, Samoa and Liechtenstein.

The Council has also examined the situation of the Parliament of Fiji. Noting that this Parliament had ceased to function, the Council decided to suspend its affiliation to the IPU. The Council however expressed the hope that the national parliament will soon be re-established in this country and that it will resume its place within the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The IPU, founded in 1889 and based in Geneva, currently has 140 member parliaments affiliated and 5 regional parliamentary organisations associated. It also has a Liaison Office with the UN in New York.