Press release of the Inter-Parliamentary Union
Seoul, 10 April 1997
N°5

97TH CONFERENCE OPENED BY PRESIDENT OF KOREA

The President of the Republic of Korea, H.E. Kim Young Sam, officially opened the 97th Conference of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) at the Seoul Sejong Cultural Center on 10 April 1997, saying it was "deeply significant" that the Conference was taking place in the Korean peninsula.

"It is, indeed, timely and proper for you to gather here to discuss the peace and stability of the world, as Korea remains the only Cold War region despite the fact that the world is brimming with reconciliation and co-operation," he told the over-600 assembled parliamentarians from 115 countries.

"The IPU has made brilliant contributions to world peace and the prosperity of all peoples through dialogue and co-operation among nations over the past century since it was founded in 1889," he said.

President Kim launched an appeal to North Korea to respond "in a sincere manner" and as soon as possible to the proposal for Four-Party talks made by his country and the United States one year ago "to ensure peace and promote co-existence and co-prosperity of the people in the South and the North". So far, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, which is an IPU member, has not yet responded to an invitation to attend the 97th Conference.

"I am grateful to all the delegates who are gathered here today for your deep interest in the issue of the Korean Peninsula over the years, and I would like to ask once more for your continued active co-operation," President Kim said.

The President of the Inter-Parliamentary Council, Dr Ahmed Fathy Sorour, told the inaugural ceremony that an important role of the IPU was to "enhance inter-parliamentary co-operation and diplomacy to eliminate the causes of international conflicts".

Referring to the first main theme of the 97th Conference, dealing with co-operation for world and regional security and stability, Dr Sorour said that one way to achieve conflict-resolution was to gather support for the idea of an international convention on the peaceful settlement of disputes.

"Despite its vital importance for the stability of international relations, the question of the peaceful settlement of disputes is only treated in the UN Charter as a brief declaratory legal disposition and not as a comprehensive obligatory mechanism for resolving inter-state disputes," Dr Sorour said.

"Transforming the settlement of international conflicts from a brief legal norm to a full-fledged legal system would constitute, in my opinion, a very important legal and political step, which would greatly contribute to the restoration and the maintenance of international peace and security."

He said there was also a close relationship between world and regional security and the second main item on the Conference's agenda: Measures required to change consumption and production patterns with a view to sustainable development.

"No economic development can be achieved without political stability and security," Dr Sorour said. He noted that the core of the problem was to address over-consumption in developed countries and environmentally harmful production patterns in the Third World, first of all by promoting consumer-awareness of the close relationship between products and their environmental impact, and by outlawing the sales of outdated technologies to developing countries.

"It is time, therefore, that we worked towards a more action-oriented approach to the implementation of policies that effectively alleviate poverty, reduce population growth and increase productive activities," Sorour said, calling for the Conference to send a "forceful policy message from the world parliamentary community" to this end.

The Speaker of the Korean National Assembly, Mr Kim Soo Han, who is chairing the 97th Conference, said the IPU was "an important partner in efforts to strengthen representative systems world-wide". He hoped that the Conference would help "contribute to the development of parliamentary democracy around the world".

Mr Kim said it was "timely and meaningful" that the Conference was taking place in Korea to discuss peace and stability, against the backdrop of the "harsh reality" of the divided county.

"I hope the Seoul Conference will produce sincere efforts to strengthen the Union's profile as an active force for peace and for the strengthening of representative systems", he said.

A message from the UN Secretary-General, Mr Kofi Annan, was read to the Conference by his special representative, Mr Adrianus Mooy, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission in Asia and the Pacific.

Mr Annan said the ties between the IPU and the United Nations "are growing ever stronger, as we build on the co-operation agreement our two organisations signed last year".

He expressed the hope that the 97th Conference would have a positive impact on the world community's quest for sustainable development, stressing that Agenda 21 - the action plan of the 1992 UN Conference in Rio on Environment and Development - "makes clear that sustainable development cannot be delivered by governments alone". He said that strengthening partnerships among "stakeholders" in sustainable development efforts was one of the main goals of the special session of the UN General Assembly (June 1997) devoted to the evaluation of the progress since Rio.

"I believe that as parliamentarians your forum is especially well placed to influence governmental decisions and public awareness in such a crucial area," the UN Secretary-General said.

The Chairman of the Organizing Committee of the Conference, Mr Park Kwan Yong, welcomed the gathering in Seoul as an opportunity for parliamentarians to "deepen our friendship and increase mutual understanding".

"I believe it is the basis for our bigger goal of achieving co-prosperity for all humanity," he said, pledging the National Assembly's continued active participation in the IPU.