Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Moscow, 7 September 1998
N° 4

The President of the Russian Federation, H.E. Boris Yeltsin, today opened the 100th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the Moscow Kremlin. "No doubt economic problems will receive due treatment in the debates of the 100th Inter-Parliamentary Conference. International financial markets have recently entered a period of instability. The Russian people are suffering the effects of an unstable economic situation to which both internal and external factors have contributed. However, it is my firm belief that we will manage to improve the situation. What matters most is to seek international mechanisms for preventing economic crises and neutralising their consequences" said Mr Yeltsin at the beginning of his address to a gathering of nearly 700 parliamentarians from 127 countries.

Turning to the main items on the Conference agenda, President Yeltsin said "many Russians are concerned about the issue of human rights. We have successfully eliminated the violation of human rights characteristic of totalitarian societies. A lot remains to be done in this field, but the promotion of human rights is one of our top priorities. The nations of the world sighed with relief when the superpowers gave up the nuclear arms race. However, the threat of nuclear proliferation still persists, as a growing number of countries wish to join the "nuclear club".

International terrorism, one of the most acute problems of the 20th century, regional armed conflicts whose number is far from falling and could even raise, and drugs are all problems of concern. Participants at the Conference will be engaging in intense and interesting activities. I believe that the ancient Moscow Kremlin and the hospitable Russian capital are an ideal place for this. I wish delegates every success in their work and hope that important resolutions will be adopted", said Mr Yeltsin in conclusion.

"It is a great honour for Russia to host this Conference of parliamentarians from all over the world", said Mr Guennady Seleznev Chairman of the State Duma in his address to the Conference. He went on to stress the imporant role of parliaments as the place where different political forces reach to agreement, and affirmed that social and political stability can exist only when "despite all differences between the powers, conflicts can be resolved by co-operation between parliament, government, the Head of State and the other political institutions. If one of those bodies assumes all the powers dictatorship takes hold, and sooner or later dictatorship leads to self-destruction and tragedy".

Parliamentarians are well aware of the need for a balance between the powers. A government can only carry out a programme if it has the support of parliament and civil society".

After referring to the item "Strong action by national parliaments in the year of the 50th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights to ensure the promotion and protection of all human rights in the 21st century", which he described as "the crucial subject for the 100th Inter-Parliamentary Conference", Mr Seleznev said that he was glad to announce that the Meeting of Women Parliamentarians was to become official organ of the Conference. He stressed the essential role of women in legislative and representative bodies.

Mr Kofi Annan addressed the assembly in a written message delivered by the Director of the United Nations Office at Geneva, Mr Vladimir Petrovsky. "It gives me great pleasure to greet the parliamentarians from all over the world who have gathered in Moscow for this important Conference. The IPU is a good friend and ally of the United Nations, and I am pleased that our ties continue to grow closer, nurtured along by the signing of a co-operation agreement two years ago". Mr Kofi Annan referred to "the tremendous responsibilities" that parliamentarians carry.

I am especially pleased, in this year in which we commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, that you recognise the need for strong action by national parliaments in this regard. More than anyone else, you must give voice to your peoples' struggles and aspirations. In the field of human rights, progress in one area generates progress in another; violations in one are a setback for all.

Over the next 30 years, more than 60 per cent of the world's population will face water-related problems", said the UN Secretary-General, commenting on the IPU's decision to discuss the means required to preserve, manage and make the best use of this essential resource for sustainable development. "As with human rights, we must do more. There is an enormous unfinished agenda". "I look forward to our continued co-operation as we approach the new millenium, as we seek to broaden awareness of the United Nations among parliamentarians and as we try, together, to find ways to address the ever-more complex challenges of a new globalised era", said Mr Kofi Annan in conclusion.

Mr Miguel Angel Martìnez, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, took the floor shortly afterwards. Recalling the decision taken at the 99th Inter-Parliamentary Conference held last April in Windhoek, Namibia, that in order to strengthen the UN's parliamentary dimension, a Conference of Speakers and Presidents of Parliaments from all countries would be organised in two years time at UN Headquarters in New York. "The Secretary-General himself is expected to address our parliamentarians' meeting for the first time, at UN Headquarters in New York next October".

This is the first time that an Inter-Parliamentary Conference has been convened in Russia, and in recent years the Russian Federation has played an increasingly active role in the Union", said President Martínez.

"Mr Guennady Seleznev and Mr Yegor Stroyev, the Speakers of the two Chambers of the Russian Parliament, have played a decisive part in consolidating the role and activities of the Russian Parliament, thus greatly furthering the democratic process. On Thursday 10 September, we will have the honored of hearing the Russian Foreign Minister, Mr Evgeni Primakov who, as a parliamentarian, was a distinguished member of the Union's Executive Committee a few years ago. And let me recall the remarkable role of your parliamentarian Mrs Tatian Yariguina, a member of our Executive Committee".

On the issue of human rights, Mr Martínez welcomed the adoption of the Statute of the International Criminal Court in Rome last June as "a major recent development in the human rights field". He went on to recall that the IPU had turned its attention to the establishment of such a court as early as the 1920. "We must now work towards the ratification and implementation of the proposed Statute and must encourage those countries which are still reluctant to accede to an instrument so essential for progress of the international community. Parliamentarians, as legislators and overseers of government, are in a key position to bring human rights concerns to the forefront of their national agenda".

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact in Moscow:

• IPU Press Officer: Yves Bellégo, tel. (70 95) 910 18 19/910 19 21/910 19 94 fax (70 95) 910 14 68/910 19 22
• Russian Press Officer: Guennadi Dyakonov, Deputy Director, Information Service of the Parliament, Moscow, tel. (70 95) 292 33 66; fax (70 95) 292 94 64