Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Ouagadougou, 11 September2001
N° 5

The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), through the intermediary of the President of the IPU Council, Dr Najma Heptulla, and the President of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso, Mr Maurice Mélégué Traoré, who is chairing the proceedings of the 106th Inter-Parliamentary Conference, has made the following declaration on the subject of the unprecedented attacks that have taken place in the USA:

"We, the representatives of the people, meeting at the 106th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, are distraught and deeply shocked at the news of the heinous attacks carried out today, 11 September 2001, on the territory of the United States of America, in New York and Washington, D.C.

In keeping with our mission to promote the ideals of peace and security of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, we condemn these monstrous acts with our utmost energy and pledge to mobilise all our forces, in our own countries and internationally, to prevent any similar situation from arising in any other country.

We wish to assure the people of the United States of America, the Congress and Government, of our solidarity in the face of this tragedy, the ramifications of which are incalculable.

We express our condolences and our compassion to all the families and countries of origin of the innocent victims of these terrorist acts.

We pledge to do everything to ensure that our Governments contribute to the speedy identification of the perpetrators and to their punishment."

Established in 1889 and with its Headquarters in Geneva, the IPU, the oldest multilateral organisation, currently has 142 affiliated national parliaments and five regional assemblies as associate members. The organisation of the world's parliaments also has a Liaison Office with the United Nations in New York.