03/12/2010 Political Affairs and Democracy
Strasbourg, 03.12.2010 – A ten-member PACE delegation visiting the United Nations on the occasion of the General Assembly session has held a round of meetings with leading UN officials and ambassadors to discuss topics including peacekeeping and peace-building operations, counter-terrorism and human rights, as well as regional issues such as the situation in Kosovo.*
PACE’s Sub-committee on External Relations, headed by Leonid Slutsky (Russia, SOC), met, among others, the UN Assistant Secretaries-General for Human Rights, for Peacebuilding Support, for Peacekeeping Operations and for Rule of Law and Security Institutions, as well as the head of the Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate and the head of the Europe Division of the Political Affairs Department.
Following the meetings, Mr Slutsky said: “We believe that the time has come, in the near future, to intensify contacts between PACE and the UN to achieve a better common understanding of the state of play and future plans on the most important political issues in Europe and the world.”
The delegation also had discussions with Turkey’s Permanent Representative to the UN, who is currently President of the Counter-Terrorism Committee, and Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN, where reform of the United Nations – including its parliamentary dimension – was on the agenda.
The delegation is also taking part in the traditional parliamentary hearing held on the occasion of the General Assembly, organised jointly by the UN and the IPU, and devoted to the topic of achieving global economic recovery.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
* All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, in this text shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.