Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Seoul, 9 April 1997
N°4

KIM SOO HAN ELECTED PRESIDENT OF SEOUL IPU CONFERENCE

The 97th Inter-Parliamentary Conference elected by acclamation Mr KIM Soo Han, the Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, as its President, at the opening of its work in the National Assembly building on 10 April.

Conferences of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) are the largest gatherings of MPs world-wide, and on its opening day, 619 MPs from 115 countries were registered to attend the Seoul Conference.

The 97th Conference is being held at the invitation of the Korean National Assembly, and will end on 14 April.

At its first session of work, the Conference also decided on a supplementary item for its debate : Safeguarding the status of the Holy City of Jerusalem and utilizing all possible means likely to thwart manoeuvres which are prejudicial to its identity and gravely endanger security and the peace process in this area. It was proposed by Morocco and Egypt.

The debate on this item will take place on Saturday 12 April, starting at 9 a.m., and a resolution reflecting the debate will go before the Conference's final plenary session on Monday 14 April, starting at 3 p.m.

This topic was chosen (by 785 votes to 184, and 387 abstentions) after competing proposals for the supplementary item has been withdrawn by their sponsors. The other proposals dealt with NATO's expansion to the East, refugees and displaced persons, economic sanctions as a political weapon, and implementation of UN Security Council resolution 425 on Southern Lebanon.

The Conference also decided, but without a vote, an emergency supplementary item, on: International action to meet the emergency situations in Albania and Zaire. This was initially proposed by Italy, and then amended by a proposal from the African groups to include the situation in Zaire as well. A working group representing all geographical regions will be set up and draft a resolution on this topic, which will also be presented for adoption at the closing plenary session of the Conference.

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