Standing Committee meeting in Kyiv, July 2007

OSCE PA President Goran Lennmarker welcomed the Heads of Delegations to the Standing Committee. He provided an overview of some of the work of the Assembly during the past year, including his own visits to Central Asia, the Caucasus and Moldova. Senator Jerry Grafstein, in his final report as Assembly Treasurer, reported that the Assembly’s finances continue to be in excellent order. Several delegates took the floor to praise the excellent work he has done in overseeing the finances of the Assembly, and the Standing Committee unanimously approved the budget for the coming year. Secretary General Spencer Oliver presented his report on the activities of the Assembly and the Secretariat, in what had been an extremely busy and successful year.

 The Standing Committee decided upon the inclusion of ten supplementary items on the Annual Session agenda, allocating them to the relevant committees for consideration. The possibility of removing elements of a draft report and resolution from the Session’s agenda was raised; however, this was found to be inconsistent with the Rules of Procedure.

Josep Dallares, Head of the Andorran Delegation, provided an overview of the recent and very successful Conference that had taken place in Andorra. Oleh Bilorus, Head of the Ukrainian Delegation, welcomed participants to Kyiv and provided an overview of the arrangements for the current Session.

Vice-President Tone Tingsgaard, who had been appointed as OSCE Special Co-ordinator for the Armenian Elections, noted the improvement of these elections and highlighted the successful co-operation within the Election Observation Mission.

The Standing Committee was also briefed on the work of the Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committees and Special Representatives. Roberto Battelli (Slovenia), Special Representative on South Eastern Europe, presented a report on his recent activities, as well as outlining the activities of the Assembly’s Chairmanship of the Parliamentary Troika of the Stability Pact, of which one of the events will take place during the Fall Meetings in Slovenia. Petur Blondal (Iceland) presented his first report as Special Representative on the OSCE Budget, providing an overview of the current discussions on the budget as well as of his own activities. President Emeritus Alcee Hastings (USA), Special Representative on the Mediterranean, stressed the importance of the region and the necessity of encouraging co-operation with the Mediterranean Partners. Special Representative on Central Asia, Kimmo Kiljunen (Finland), likewise stressed the importance of this region. He recalled the President’s visit to the region in April and outlined his own planned activities. He welcomed the participation in the Annual Session of Turkmenistan, as well as, for the first time, that of Partner State Afghanistan.

The Standing Committee was given information on upcoming meetings of the Assembly, including on the 2007 Fall Meetings in Slovenia and the 2008 Annual Session in Kazakhstan. The Committee then accepted invitations presented by Senator Consiglio Di Nino, Head of the Canadian Delegation, to hold the 2008 Fall Meetings in Toronto, and Arminas Lydeka, Acting Head of the Lithuanian Delegation, to hold the 2009 Annual Session in Lithuania.