Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Seoul/Geneva, 8 April 1997
N°1.Rev.1

SEOUL HOSTS 97th IPU GENERAL CONFERENCE

The 97th Inter-Parliamentary Conference, bringing together some 600 representatives of national parliaments from around the world, will take place in Seoul, the Republic of Korea, from 10 to 15 April 1997. Organised by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), the world organization of parliaments, and held at the invitation of the Parliament of the Republic of Korea, the Conference will be opened by the President of the Republic, H.E. KIM Young Sam.

The Conference will take place in the Korean National Assembly building, and will be the second time that an inter-parliamentary conference has taken place in Seoul; the first one being in 1983.

Taking place on the Korean peninsula, the last remaining legacy of the Cold War, at a time of much uncertainty in many corners of the world, the Conference highlights the Union's commitment to strengthening peace and co-operation among peoples. On behalf of the host Parliament, National Assembly Speaker KIM Soo Han (who will chair the Conference) notes the timeliness of the Conference in underscoring the importance of inter-parliamentary co-operation in the efforts to strengthen the chances for peace and prosperity in Northeast Asia and other regions faced with diverse threats to security and stability.

The first main topic of discussion will be: Co-operation for world and regional security and stability, as well as for respect for all forms of the sovereignty and independence of States. This will allow MPs to address a wide range of issues, such as conflict prevention and resolution, crisis management, parliamentary diplomacy, conversion of military forces and facilities for peaceful uses and the problem posed by national laws having extra-territorial scope.

The second topic will be: Measures required to change consumption and production patterns with a view to sustainable development.

The Conference will start on Thursday 10 April, at 11.30 a.m., with an Inaugural Ceremony at the Seoul Sejong Cultural Center, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Korea. Other speakers at this ceremony will include the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council (IPU governing body) and President of the Egyptian People's Assembly, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour; the Speaker of the National Assembly, H.E. KIM Soo Han; and the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General, Mr Adrianus Mooy, Under Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission in Asia and the Pacific, who will deliver Mr Kofi Annan's message to the Conference.

The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Mr YOO Jong-Ha, will address the Conference's general debate on the political, economic and social situation in the world, on Sunday 13 April.

A supplementary item - a third main topic of discussion - will be chosen on the opening day of the Conference, from proposals forwarded by different parliaments. The proposals deal with NATO's expansion to the East (put forward by the Russian Federation), safeguarding the status of Jerusalem (proposals by Morocco and Egypt), refugees and displaced persons (Iran), economic sanctions as a political weapon (Iraq), and implementation of UN Security Council resolution 425 (of March 1978, dealing with Southern Lebanon; proposed by Lebanon).

Various IPU committees will also meet during the week of the conference, dealing with subjects such as the defense of the human rights of parliamentarians (tackling the cases of 154 MPs under threat in 31 countries); Security and Co-operation in the Mediterranean (CSCM); the situation in Cyprus, and Middle East questions.

The Inter-Parliamentary Union has a current membership of 135 national parliaments world-wide. This number will increase during the Conference session if the requests for IPU membership from the Parliaments of Cambodia, Georgia and Tajikistan are accepted.

Fostering contacts and the exchange of ideas among parliamentarians and considering questions of international interest are a key part of the IPU's work. The Seoul Conference will be an opportunity for MPs to engage in this kind of unique parliamentary diplomacy which in the past has led to key successes on difficult bilateral issues.

Women MPs will meet on the eve of the Conference, on Wednesday 9 April, also in the National Assembly building (starting at 9.30 a.m.), and will discuss in particular the theme Education as a means to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.

Mrs KWON Young Ja, Member of the National Assembly, will chair the meeting at which over 100 women MPs are expected to attend.

The Meeting of Women Parliamentarians will also look at the results of the IPU Specialized Conference on Towards Partnership Between Men and Women in Politics, held in New Delhi in February, and of the IPU's world survey entitled Men and Women in Politics: Democracy Still in the Making, and decide on the follow-up to be given to them. The Meeting will also study the steps taken at national level to implement the IPU's 1994 Plan of Action to correct imbalances in the participation of men and women in politics, the Declaration and Platform of Action of the IVth World Conference on Women (Beijing, September 1995) and the Beijing Parliamentary Declaration.

The IPU advocates "partnership" between men and women in the belief that democracy will only assume true significance when political policies and national legislation are decided upon jointly by women and men in the interests of both halves of the population.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, contact in Seoul:

• IPU Press Officer: Robin Newmann, tel: (822) 788-3573; fax 788-3285
• Korean Press Officer: KIM Yong-Koo, Public Relations Officer, National Assembly, tel: 788-3689; fax 788-3284