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<rss version="2.0" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom"><channel><title>NATO PA</title><link>http://www.nato.int/review/</link><language>EN</language><copyright>NATO Review 2008</copyright><webMaster>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO Review)</webMaster><pubDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:57:23 GMT</pubDate><lastBuildDate>Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:57:23 GMT</lastBuildDate><description>NATO PA RSS Feed</description><atom:link href="http://www.nato-pa.int/files/RSS_EN.xml" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml"/><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3546</guid><title>73rd Rose-Roth Seminar in Yerevan, Armenia, 11- 13 March 2010</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3546</link><description><![CDATA[REGIONAL DEVELOPMENTS IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES AND PROSPECTS [Report]]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3545</guid><title>74th Rose-Roth Seminar in Helsinki, Finland, 17-19 June 2010 </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3545</link><description><![CDATA[NORTHERN EUROPEAN PERSPECTIVES ON SECURITY, ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CHALLENGES [Report]

 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3539</guid><title>27-28 JUNE 2010 - SEMINAR IN ROME, ITALY</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3539</link><description><![CDATA[REPORT OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE EAST SPECIAL GROUP (GSM) MEETING IN ROME [Report]]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3496</guid><title>Riga, 31 May 2010 - IMPROVING NATO COHESION – A ROLE FOR THE NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT?</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3496</link><description><![CDATA[Preserving a cohesion of purpose across the different NATO allies is an ongoing challenge, given the changing nature both of the Alliance itself, as it takes on new members, and of the threats and challenges it faces.  
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3494</guid><title>Riga, 31 May 2010 - ACCORDING TO AN EXPERT, CENTRAL ASIA IS A “POWDER-KEG”</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3494</link><description><![CDATA[Alain Délétroz, the Vice-President (Europe) of the International Crisis Group, has warned allied parliamentarians about the potentially explosive situation that prevails in Central Asia and has called for consistent cooperation in security among the three great power blocks (NATO and the EU, China and the Russian Federation ). 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3490</guid><title>Riga, 31 May 2010 - AFGHANISTAN SHOULD BE LEFT TO SET OWN “RED LINES,” NATO ADVISOR SAYS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3490</link><description><![CDATA[The international community should not impose its own standards on the fledgling Afghan democracy, in particular when it comes to reintegrating elements of the Taliban, a NATO expert told a gathering of Allied parliamentarians Sunday in Riga. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3483</guid><title>Riga, 30 May 2010 - LATVIAN FOREIGN MINISTER WELCOMES NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, LOOKS TO NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3483</link><description><![CDATA[Latvia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs outlined his country’s vision of NATO’s new Strategic Concept in his presentation to delegates of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly to Riga on Saturday. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3482</guid><title>Riga, 29 May 2010 - A SOCIO-POLITICAL TAKE ON THE GREEK FINANCIAL CRISIS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3482</link><description><![CDATA[A political and social analysis of the Greek financial crisis can shed new light on its causes and consequences, delegates at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly heard on Saturday. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3479</guid><title>Riga, 29 May 2010 - GREEK MILITARY SPENDING UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT AFTER ECONOMIC CRISIS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3479</link><description><![CDATA[The Greek defence budget was the subject of discussion at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Riga on Saturday (today), as parliamentarians from across the Alliance debated the impacts of the country’s recent financial crisis. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3478</guid><title>Riga, 27 May 2010 - VIDEO RECORDING OF THE NATO PA PRESS BRIEFING</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3478</link><description><![CDATA[




&#160;




Follow the link to the website hosted by the Latvian Parliament to view the&#160;video recording of the press briefing on Friday 28 May at 11:00, with:

Mr Sven Mikser, Vice-President of the NATO PA

Mrs Vaira PAEGLE, Head of the Latvian delegation to the NATO PA

Mr David HOBBS, Secretary General of the NATO PA






&#160;






&#160;
...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3475</guid><title>Riga, 28 May 2010 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY: NUCLEAR DETERRENTS “WILL REMAIN”</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3475</link><description><![CDATA[Nuclear deterrence “will obviously be an important component of the new Strategic Concept,” according to Assembly Vice-President Sven Mikser (Estonia) just before the opening of the Assembly’s spring session in Riga. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3476</guid><title>Riga, 28 May 2010 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY KICKS OFF IN RIGA AMID DIVERSE SECURITY CONCERNS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3476</link><description><![CDATA[The NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s spring session was launched Friday in Riga, for five days of debate on the changing issues facing the Alliance. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3473</guid><title>Riga, 27 May 2010 - INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATORS TO DEBATE ALLIANCE SECURITY ISSUES AT NATO PA SPRING SESSION IN RIGA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3473</link><description><![CDATA[The NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session will begin tomorrow (Friday 28 May) in Riga.

Over 320 legislators from 27 member States of the Alliance and 13 non-member countries - ranging from the Russian Federation, Ukraine and Georgia, to Afghanistan, will meet to discuss key security issues in Riga for 5 days. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3439</guid><title>24-28 APRIL 2010 - VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3439</link><description><![CDATA[BY MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY’S BUREAU, THE STANDING COMMITTEE AND COMMITTEE OFFICERS]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3400</guid><title>4 May 2010 - NATO PA MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE EAST GROUP MEETS WITH PALESTINIAN AND ISRAELI OFFICIALS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3400</link><description><![CDATA[The Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (GSM) travelled to the Palestinian Territories and Israel for four days of meetings from April 26-29.  Led by Vice-Chair Doru Claudian Frunzulica of Romania, the delegation met numerous Palestinian officials including members of the Palestinian Legislative Council and the Deputy Governor of Hebron, Samir Abuzaid.  The meetings in Israel included exchanges with Members of the Knesset and Vice Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon.  The GSM visit was a fact-finding mission that aimed to inform the delegation and facilitate contact between NATO parliamentarians and their counterparts in the Knesset and Palestinian Legislative Council.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3361</guid><title>13 April 2010 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY’S PROPOSALS FOR NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT OFFICIALLY PRESENTED TO NATO SECRETARY GENERAL ANDERS FOGH RASMUSSEN AT NATO HEADQUARTERS IN BRUSSELS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3361</link><description><![CDATA[In a meeting with NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Assembly Vice-President Sven Mikser (Estonia) and Secretary General David Hobbs today formally delivered the Assembly’s proposals for NATO’s new Strategic Concept.

The final report, adopted at the end of March by the Assembly’s Standing Committee, followed two years of consultation and deliberation involving all five of the Assembly’s Committees.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3352</guid><title>16 March 2010 - PARLIAMENTARIANS AND EXPERTS FROM ARMENIA, TURKEY, AZERBAIJAN AND OTHER NATO MEMBER AND PARTNER COUNTRIES DISCUSS REGIONAL RELATIONS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3352</link><description><![CDATA[Members of parliament from more than a dozen NATO and partner countries gathered in Yerevan, Armenia on March 11-13 for the 73rd NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rose-Roth Seminar.  Focusing on security issues in the South Caucasus region, the seminar featured panels on the tense relationships between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as well as between Georgia and Russia in the aftermath of the 2008 war.  The most spirited discussions centred on the Turkey-Armenian rapprochement with a frank exchange between members of parliament from Turkey and Armenia on the issues that continue to block the normalization of relations between the two countries.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3348</guid><title>1–3 MARCH 2010 - VISIT TO TIRANA, ALBANIA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3348</link><description><![CDATA[BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS (PCTR)

1.  Fourteen legislators from NATO member countries and from countries associated to the NATO PA visited Tirana from 1-3 March 2010 to discuss foreign and security issues of Albania and its region.  The visit of the Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Relations (PCTR) was the first after the country joined the Alliance in 2009 and the delegation, led by Senator Sergio de Gregorio (Italy), congratulated the country on joining the Alliance and noted the progress Albania has made in a number of areas.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3341</guid><title>4 March 2010 - NATO Parliamentarian's online discussion on NATO's New Strategic Concept</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3341</link><description><![CDATA[The Honourable Jane Cordy, Vice-President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and Senator representing the province of Nova Scotia (Canada); Mr Assen Agov, Vice-President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and member of Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria; and Mr Hendrik Jan Ormel, Vice-President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and member of Christian Democratic Appeal (Netherlands) took part in a the 5th live video session on the Strategic Concept at NATO HQ on 15 February from 12:00 to 12:40 (CET).]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3332</guid><title>8 February 2010 - Run-off confirms that Ukraine’s presidential election meets most international commitments</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3332</link><description><![CDATA[Ukraine’s run-off presidential election confirmed the international election observation mission’s assessment that the electoral process met most OSCE and Council of Europe commitments. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3329</guid><title>3 February 2010 - Members of the Defence and Security Committee met Stephane Abrial, James Jones and General David Petraeus in annual visit to the United States</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3329</link><description><![CDATA[At a time of complex challenges in the international security system, the Obama administration places a high value on its alliances and partnerships, none more so than the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), according to senior administration officials.  The Administration plans to work closely with its NATO partners on issues from ongoing efforts in Afghanistan, to relations with Russia, to countering the missile threat from the Middle East.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2010 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3314</guid><title>23-25 NOVEMBER 2009 - VISIT TO ALGIERS - MEDITERRANEAN AND MIDDLE EAST SPECIAL GROUP (GSM) AND SUB-COMMITTEE ON EAST-WEST ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND CONVERGENCE (ESCEW)</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3314</link><description><![CDATA[I. INTRODUCTION

1. The Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group (GSM) and Sub-Committee on EastWest Economic Cooperation and Convergence (ESCEW) of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) visited Algeria on 23-25 November 2009. Twenty members of parliament from NATO member countries participated in the event chaired by Vahit Erdem (Turkey), Chairman of the GSM, and Hugh Bayley (United King...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3283</guid><title>17 December 2009 - Assembly Members Respond to Characterization of US Congressional Participation in Edinburgh Session</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3283</link><description><![CDATA[An article in the on-line edition of the Wall Street Journal of 16 December 2009 (“Congress Travels More, Public Pays”) has generated strong reactions from Assembly members.  It examines in detail the travel costs of the US Congressional Delegation for attending the Annual Session of the NATO PA in Edinburgh this past November and implies that the taxpayer’s money was misspent.  However, the article pays no attention to the substance or newsworthy aspects of the Session itself that would enable readers to decide for themselves if their representative’s presence at the Session was worth the expense.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3275</guid><title>4 December 2009 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT JOHN TANNER WELCOMES COMITTMENT OF ADDITIONAL FORCES TO THE NATO MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3275</link><description><![CDATA[In a statement issued today, Congressman John Tanner (US) gave his strong support to the US administration’s decision to commit an additional 30,000 troops to the mission in Afghanistan.  “It is clear,” said Mr. Tanner, “that we need more boots on the ground.  But this is not just an American effort: it is a NATO mission and a burden that we share with our allies.”   He noted that the counter-insurgency strategy being implemented combines military, political and development tasks.  “It is a massive challenge to get the balance right, but we now have a coherent strategy and the means to make significant progress.”]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3263</guid><title>18 November 2009 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY SESSION CLOSES IN EDINBURGH</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3263</link><description><![CDATA[The 55th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly closed in Edinburgh on Tuesday 17th November.  Addressing the final plenary session, the Assembly’s President John Tanner called on the delegates to improve understanding of NATO missions among the populations of the various allies.  “Many of our citizens seem unaware or misinformed about what NATO is and what it does” said the congressman from Tennessee, US.  The Parliamentary Assembly has “an important role to play” in an improved NATO pubic communication strategy, said Tanner.  “We need to be more proactive” in communicating NATO’s principles and activities “to the people of our countries” he added.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3262</guid><title>17 November 2009 - PAKISTAN SHOULD BE HIGHER ON THE AGENDA OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY, SAYS NATO PA REPORT</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3262</link><description><![CDATA[The importance of Pakistan for regional and international security should not be underestimated, according to a report prepared by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.  Both NATO and the EU should engage more closely with Pakistan and neighbouring countries to help prevent the spread of instability in the country and further afield, said US Congressman Mike Ross in Edinburgh on Saturday.  In his capacity as Rapporteur, Ross presented the report to the Assembly’s Political Committee, as the Assembly convened for its 55th session in the Scottish capital.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3239</guid><title>16 November 2009 - WATER AVAILABILITY WILL BE DRIVING FORCE OF FUTURE CONFLICTS, WARNS FORMER NATO OFFICER</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3239</link><description><![CDATA[The scarcity of natural resources will be a significant source of conflict in the future, according to retired German general Klaus Naumann.  The former chairman of NATO’s military committee explained that water, oil and gas shortages, combined with radical demographic shifts and the consequences of global warming, are drastically changing the global security landscape.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3240</guid><title>16 November 2009 - EUROPEAN NATO COUNTRIES SHOULD BE MORE UNITED, SAYS GERMAN GENERAL</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3240</link><description><![CDATA[NATO allies need to speak with a more united voice if they wish to maintain the balance of transatlantic relations, said retired German general Klaus Naumann.  Speaking to NATO’s Parliamentary Committee, convened over the weekend in Edinburgh, the former chairman of NATO’s military committee warned that internal divisions within the Alliance “risk eroding the very basis of NATO which is and will remain collective defence”. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3248</guid><title>17 November 2009 - PIRACY ON THE RISE OFF SOMALIA – A “LONG-TERM REGIONAL SOLUTION” IS NEEDED SAYS EXPERT</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3248</link><description><![CDATA[Any lasting and effective initiative against the pirates in the Gulf of Aden must involve improved governance in Somalia, according to several presentations to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on Sunday.  The Commanders of the NATO and EU Operations respectively, briefed a joint meeting of two of the Assembly’s five committees, while Rapporteur Lord Jopling (UK) presented his report on the issue. Lord Jopling argued for a “comprehensive approach, combining diplomacy, naval deployments and development assistance” in the region.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3246</guid><title>17 November 2009 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY IDENTIFIES CONCRETE MEASURES TO CLOSE LOOPHOLES OF GLOBAL NUCLEAR NON PROLIFERATION REGIME</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3246</link><description><![CDATA[A report compiled by the Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee, examined several loopholes “that allow ambiguous nuclear programmes”, in particular that of Iran, which has “almost achieved the theoretical breakout capability”.  These should be addressed by tightening the regime, said the report’s Rapporteur Michael Mates MP (UK).  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3245</guid><title>17 November 2009 - « AL QAEDA CONTINUES TO POSE SERIOUS THREAT» TERRORISM EXPERT WARNS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3245</link><description><![CDATA[Al Qaeda continues to pose a serious threat to security Professor Wilkinson, Chairman of the Advisory Board of the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence (CSTPV) at the University of St Andrews, warned parliamentarians of NATO member countries.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3244</guid><title>17 November 2009 - GEORGIA DEVELOPS STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN FOR ABKHAZIA AND SOUTH OSSETIA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3244</link><description><![CDATA[The government of Georgia is in the process of developing a “State Strategy” for the regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, under Russian control since the conflict of August 2008.  Speaking to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Georgian Vice Prime Minister Giorgi Baramidze explained that this strategy would be followed up by an “Action Plan for engagement on the Occupied Territories”. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3243</guid><title>17 November 2009 - POST-CRISIS DEFENCE SPENDING IN THE EU IS LOWER AND LESS EFFECTIVE THAN IN THE US</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3243</link><description><![CDATA[Defence budgets worldwide have taken a knock as a consequence of the global financial crisis.  But as the world’s economies start to show signs of recovery, a “big disparity” is emerging between the EU and North America.  This may place a strain on the North Atlantic Alliance, according to Senior Defence Economist at NATO HQ, Dr Adrian Kendry. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3242</guid><title>17 November 2009 - “NEVER INTERRUPT YOUR OPPONENT WHEN HE’S MAKING A MISTAKE” – IRAN’S NUCLEAR PROGRAMME COULD MEET EFFECTIVE OPPOSITION AT HOME, SAYS EXPERT</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3242</link><description><![CDATA[The international community should refrain from putting too much pressure on Iran over its contentious nuclear programme, according to Iran expert Professor Ali Ansari.  Speaking to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly convened in Edinburgh over the weekend, Professor Ansari explained that Iran’s investment in its nuclear programme is being resisted by an increasing number of Iranians, who would rather see the money put into much-needed infrastructure.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3241</guid><title>16 November 2009 - NATO MUST TAKE MORE INITIATIVE IN SHAPING AFGHAN STRATEGY SAYS GERMAN GENERAL</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3241</link><description><![CDATA[NATO itself should be more proactive in developing and advocating an Afghan strategy, said retired German general Klaus Naumann.  Speaking at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s session in Edinburgh on Sunday, General Naumann criticised the Alliance’s reactive attitude towards US policy on Afghanistan. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3236</guid><title>16 November 2009 - NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT NEEDS TO ADDRESS EMERGING SECURITY THREATS, SAYS NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3236</link><description><![CDATA[NATO’s new Strategic Concept, currently under development by the Alliance, needs to take into account the evolution of the security landscape of the 21st century.   However, the cornerstone of the Alliance should remain collective defence, says Sven Mikser, Vice President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3235</guid><title>16 November 2009 - COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF UK LAND FORCES CALLS FOR LONG-TERM RESOLVE IN AFGHANISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3235</link><description><![CDATA[Progress in Afghanistan has been slow, concedes General Sir Peter Wall, British Commander in Chief of land forces, but the NATO strategy is the right one. “It’s essential that NATO consolidates its success in Afghanistan thus far, and displays its determination to advance the campaign” he said at the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 55th annual session in Edinburgh.  In a presentation given to the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee, the general supported a clear-hold-build strategy, where NATO forces adopt a comprehensive approach including both security and development elements. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3234</guid><title>15 November 2009 - CLIMATE DEAL HAS TO BE REACHED IF WE WANT TO AVOID DANGEROUS ARCTIC MELTDOWN SAYS BRITISH AMBASSADOR TO NORWAY </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3234</link><description><![CDATA[UK Ambassador to Norway and UK Regional Arctic Adviser David Powell said yesterday (Saturday), in his address to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee meeting in Edinburgh, that the Arctic is at a critical threshold as climate change leads to an uncertain future of global significance.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3230</guid><title>12 November 2009 - INTERNATIONAL LEGISLATORS TO DISCUSS KEY SECURITY ISSUES AT NATO PA SESSION IN EDINBURGH</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3230</link><description><![CDATA[The 55th NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Annual Session will start tomorrow, Friday 13 November in Edinburgh.

Over 350 legislators from all 28 members of the Alliance and more than twenty non-member countries - ranging from the Russian Federation, Ukraine, and Georgia, to Afghanistan, Pakistan, Australia, and South Korea - will meet to discuss and express their opinions and concerns on a wide range of security issues. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3226</guid><title>6 November 2009 - NATO PA delegation visit to Moldova highlights the country’s new ambitions but also serious challenges ahead</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3226</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), led by Marc Angel (Luxembourg), Special Rapporteur on Moldova for the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security, travelled to the Republic of Moldova on 2-4 November 2009.  The NATO parliamentarians met representatives of the new quadripartite coalition formed following the 29 July parliamentary elections – the Alliance for European Integration – who presented their ambitious reform agenda, and underlined their desire to give the country and its citizens a “second chance.”  The new government’s priorities include promoting European integration and the approximation of Moldova’s legal framework to European standards; consolidating the rule of law; and countering the effects of the financial and economic crisis on the country’s economy.
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3194</guid><title>30 October 2009 - NATO Parliamentarians Discuss Food Security, Global Economic Recession and Transatlantic Technological Cooperation in Italy</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3194</link><description><![CDATA[Managing the next phase of the global financial crisis, coping with a serious food crisis, and devising new strategic and technical approaches to future security challenges were among the topics a delegation of 26 members of parliament from NATO member states addressed during a visit to Rome, Milan and La Spezia organized by the Italian Senate. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3182</guid><title>29 SEPTEMBER - 2 OCTOBER 2009 - VISIT  TO AFGHANISTAN by MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY'S BUREAU AND COMMITTEE OFFICERS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3182</link><description><![CDATA[INTRODUCTION

1.&#160;&#160; Five senior members and the Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly travelled to Afghanistan September 29 - October 2, 2009 for meetings with high-level Afghan and international officials.&#160; The delegation, led by Dutch MP Hendrik Jan Ormel, discussed military strategy with General Stanley McChrystal, the Commander of ISAF, as well as reviewing the c...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3167</guid><title>26 October 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s 55th Annual Session, 13-17 November 2009 [Media Advisory]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3167</link><description><![CDATA[





General

The UK Parliament will host the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's 55th Annual Session from Friday 13 to Tuesday 17 November 2009, bringing together in Edinburgh , United Kingdom , some 340 parliamentarians from the 28 NATO member countries from North America and Europe as well as delegates from partner countries and observers to discuss security issues of common concern to all c...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 edinburgh session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3126</guid><title>17 October 2009 - NATO PA ROSE-ROTH IN LVIV STRESSES NEED TO FIND BALANCE IN NATO-RUSSIA RELATIONSHIP</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3126</link><description><![CDATA[The 72nd Rose-Roth Seminar held in Lviv, Ukraine from 13-15 October demonstrated that NATO member countries and their partners in Ukraine and Georgia are working to balance between two competing principles:  building a cooperative relationship with Russia and protecting the right of sovereign states to chart their own foreign policy course. The meetings focused on Ukraine but also included sessions on Georgia, Moldova, Belarus and energy security.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3117</guid><title>5 October 2009 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY MEMBERS VISIT AFGHANISTAN, DISCUSS STRATEGY WITH ISAF COMMANDER</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3117</link><description><![CDATA[Five senior members and the Secretary General of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly travelled to Afghanistan September 29-October 2, 2009 for meetings with senior Afghan and international officials.  The delegation, led by Dutch Member of Parliament, Hendrik Jan Ormel, discussed military strategy with General Stanley McChrystal, the Commander of ISAF. They also reviewed the current political situation in the wake of the inconclusive August 20 presidential elections with the Speaker of the Lower House of Parliament, the Ministers of Defence and Interior, and senior UN and diplomatic representatives.  Finally, the delegation visited the Afghan National Military Academy, observing training manoeuvres and interacting with cadets. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3115</guid><title>26 September 2009 - NATO PA PRESIDENT EXPRESSES DEEP CONCERN OVER NEWLY REVEALED IRANIAN NUCLEAR FACILITY</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3115</link><description><![CDATA[John Tanner (US) President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, stated today that the revelation of a previously undeclared nuclear facility in Iran, “demonstrates that Iranian statements on the extent of their nuclear activities have been incomplete, and show that the government of Iran has yet to fully understand the depth of international concern about the nature of its nuclear programme.  I am sure that my parliamentary colleagues across the Alliance share my concern and determination, and this will be a key point of discussion at our forthcoming Annual Session in Edinburgh.”]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3114</guid><title>25 September 2009 - Members of the NATO PA Defence and Security Committee visited Canada</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3114</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of 25 members of Parliament from 11 NATO member states and Sweden travelled to Canada on 8-11 September for a fact-finding mission hosted and chaired by Canadian Senator Joseph A. Day.  The visit took place in the context of Canadian public and media attention being focussed on the repatriation of the remains of two Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3099</guid><title>13 July 2009 -  Members of the NATO PA Science and Technology Committee visited the United States last week</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3099</link><description><![CDATA[Nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation, energy security, as well as the security implications of new technologies were major themes of the visit of the NATO parliamentary delegation to Boston, Livermore and Monterey on 6-10 July. Seventeen members of the Science and Technology Committee (STC), led by STC Vice-Chairman Senator Pierre Claude Nolin (Canada), were briefed by and had discussions with eminent American experts and scholars, and visited leading R&D institutions in the field of defence technology, including Raytheon, Sandia National Laboratories and the MIT Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3096</guid><title>10 July 2009 - Programme for New Parliamentarians to Start on Monday 13 July in Brussels</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3096</link><description><![CDATA[Some 27 members of parliament from NATO member and partner countries including a delegation from the Assembly of Kosovo and from Jordan are meeting in Brussels from 13 to 16 July for an intensive programme of introduction to NATO’s policies and operations.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3086</guid><title>8 July 2009 - NATO Parliamentarians Discuss Strategic Concept with NATO Secretary General  </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3086</link><description><![CDATA[Officers of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly met with NATO officials, think tank experts and national military officials to discuss the new NATO Strategic Concept on Tuesday 7 July.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3077</guid><title>30 June 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly held its first Rose-Roth Seminar in Central Asia</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3077</link><description><![CDATA[The countries of Central Asia are shaping their own strategic destiny and are doing so, in part, by building special partnerships with key external players including the Euro-Atlantic Community, Russia and China.  This was the central theme of the 71st Rose-Roth Seminar held in Astana, Kazakhstan on 26 June 2009, the first such seminar ever convened in Central Asia. It was also the first Rose Roth Seminar ever organised in conjunction with a NATO Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Security Forum, which was held in Astana immediately prior the Seminar. Over 50 parliamentarians from NATO and partner countries as well as senior government officials and representatives of international organizations, academia and civil society attended the sessions of the Forum and the Seminar to discuss the myriad challenges the region confronts and its potential contribution to security, broadly defined. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3076</guid><title>29 June 2009 - Improvements in Albania’s election process, but violations persist, observers say</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3076</link><description><![CDATA[In a statement issued today, the International Election Observation Mission concluded that Albania’s election process demonstrated improvements, but also noted that violations persist.  The observers said the elections marked tangible progress with regard to the introduction of new voter registration and identification procedures, and the adoption of an improved legal framework. But the observers also noted that these improvements were overshadowed by the politicization of technical aspects of the process and violations observed during the campaign which undermined public confidence in the electoral process.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3053</guid><title>16 June 2009 - Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group Charts a Way Forward on Controlling Irregular Migration in the Mediterranean Region</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3053</link><description><![CDATA[The Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group (GSM) of the NATO PA met in Naples on 14-15 June to discuss migration in the Mediterranean region, energy security and the effects of the global economic downturn on the region. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3045</guid><title>26 May 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly sees role for itself in building public support for mission in Afghanistan</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3045</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), US Congressman John Tanner, told parliamentarians meeting in Oslo that they can help build public support in their countries for NATOs International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Afghanistan topped the agenda of the NATO PAs Spring Session in Oslo on 22-26 May.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3037</guid><title>25 May 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly sees possible turning point in Afghanistan</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3037</link><description><![CDATA[Meeting in Oslo on 22-26 May, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session discussed the situations in Afghanistan and Pakistan. On 23 May, Amb. Fernando Gentilini, NATO’s Senior Civilian Representative in Afghanistan, addressed the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee, which also considered a report on the situation in the country. On 24 May, the Assembly’s Political Committee discussed a report on the situation in Pakistan.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3036</guid><title>25 May 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly condemns North Korean nuclear test</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3036</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), US Congressman John Tanner, condemned North Korea’s nuclear test in the strongest possible terms. “North Korea’s test of a nuclear device on Monday only serves to ratchet up the level of tension in the Asia-Pacific region. It does nothing to promote North Korea’s security and only reinforces the need to ensure that North Korea’s nuclear programme is halted.”]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3034</guid><title>24 May 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly discusses resetting relations with Russia</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3034</link><description><![CDATA[Parliamentarians discussed relations with Russia during the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session in Oslo on 22-26 May. Senator Raynell Andreychuk of Canada presented a report entitled “Resetting Relations with Russia” to the Assembly’s Political Committee on 24 May.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3031</guid><title>24 May 2009 - A hungry world is a dangerous world, UN World Food Programme Executive Director tells NATO PA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3031</link><description><![CDATA[Speaking yesterday to parliamentarians from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), Josette Sheeran, the Executive Director of the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), held up a small red cup from Rwanda to show how much food is needed each day to sustain a human life. “To feed the hungry – a number that now is more than a billion, or one out of every six people on earth - is the greatest peace and security issue of our time. Without food, people do one of three things: they revolt, migrate or die,” she said. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3030</guid><title>23 May 2009 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly discusses Alliance role in High North</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3030</link><description><![CDATA[Norwegian Deputy Minister of Defence Espen Barth Eide told the NATO Parliamentary Assembly on 23 May that the Alliance should increase its role in the High North. Speaking to the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee, he said this should be done in cooperation with Russia.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3028</guid><title>20 May 2009 - Afghanistan tops agenda of NATO Parliamentary Assembly Spring Session in Oslo </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3028</link><description><![CDATA[Afghanistan will top the agenda of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Spring Session in Oslo on 22-26 May. Under the Presidency of US Congressman John Tanner, some 300 Members of Parliament of 28 NATO member countries and partner countries will discuss international security issues. In addition to NATO member countries, participants will include delegations from the Russian Federation, the South Caucasus, the Western Balkans, Central Asia, the Mediterranean region, Pakistan and Afghanistan.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3015</guid><title>11 May 2009 - NATO Parliamentarians return from tense Tbilisi</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=3015</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of 13 parliamentarians from 9 NATO nations, led by German MP Rainer Stinner (Germany), Chairman of the Sub-Committee NATO Partnerships (PCNP) concluded last week a four-day visit to Tbilisi.  This long-planned visit was intended to further the preparation of a Sub-committee report - “Georgia and NATO” which will be discussed on 24 May at the Political Committee meeting during the NATO PA Spring Session in Oslo.  The delegation held meetings with senior representatives of the Georgian government, including President Mikhail Saakashvili, and parliament, as well as with representatives of the European Union’s Monitoring Mission (EUMM), independent experts and some members of the opposition.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2964</guid><title>[Mission Report] 70th Rose-Roth Seminar Report, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 19-21 March 2009</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2964</link><description><![CDATA[SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE:&#160; FROM DAYTON &#160;TO BRUSSELS
...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2993</guid><title>5 May 2009 - Assembly President, Congressman John Tanner, voices concern over events in Georgia and urges opposition to respect the Constitution</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2993</link><description><![CDATA[Assembly President John Tanner today said that he was closely following events in Georgia.  "Naturally, reports of a military mutiny - perhaps even a planned coup - attempt are a source of grave concern.  I am encouraged by recent news that this was an isolated incident that has now been brought to a close.  A delegation from the Assembly's Political Committee is currently visiting Georgia and I look forward to hearing assessments of the situation from our own members."]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2979</guid><title>NATO PA’s Spring Session to be held in Oslo, Norway, 22-26 May 2009</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2979</link><description><![CDATA[The Norwegian Parliament will host the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Spring Session from 22 to 26 May, bringing together in Oslo  some 300 parliamentarians from the 28 NATO member countries from North America and Europe as well as delegates from partner countries and observers.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2977</guid><title>30 April 2009 - Commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance, Rome, 11 May 2009</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2977</link><description><![CDATA[The NATO Parliamentary Assembly will celebrate the 60th anniversary of the North Atlantic Alliance with a one-day meeting to be held in Rome, in the plenary hall of the Italian Senate on Monday 11 May 2009. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2976</guid><title>1 May 2009 - NATO PA President John Tanner denounces Russia's “border” protection agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia:</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2976</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Congressman John Tanner, has denounced Russia's signing of "border" protection agreements with South Ossetia and Abkhazia.  "In August, Russia signed a peace agreement which included the commitment that Russian forces would return to the positions held before the outbreak of hostilities in South Ossetia.  Yesterday, Russia signed another agreement committing its forces to remain on the de facto boundaries of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.  The commitments under the August agreement and those signed yesterday are contradictory."]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2970</guid><title>24 April 2009 - NATO PA DELEGATION IN FIRST OFFICIAL VISIT TO TAJIKISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2970</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), led by Vitalino Canas (Portugal), Vice-Chairman of the Committee, and David Hobbs, Secretary General of the NATO PA, visited Dushanbe, Tajikistan on 20-22 April 2009. This was the first proper official visit of a NATO PA delegation to Tajikistan. NATO parliamentarians met with the highest parliamentary and governmental authorities in the country, including Tajik President Rahmon, Minister of Foreign Affairs Hamrokhon Zafiri, and the Speakers of both houses of Parliament. The delegation also met with representatives of embassies and international organizations, and toured the French military presence at Dushanbe airport. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2959</guid><title>9 April 2009 - NATO PA President John Tanner visits Ukraine and Georgia</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2959</link><description><![CDATA[NATO PA President, Hon John Tanner (United States) visited Ukraine and Georgia on 6 and 7 April, immediately following his participation in the Strasbourg/Kehl NATO summit, and the Assembly's Standing Committee meeting in Vilnius.  Mr Tanner was joined by the Hon Jo Ann Emerson, Chairman of the Assembly's Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security, and NATO PA Secretary General David Hobbs.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2954</guid><title>Speech to the NATO Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council,  NATO HQ, 8 April 2009 by Hon. John Tanner, (United States), President of the NATO PA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2954</link><description><![CDATA["The Role of Parliaments in Building NATO Partnerships"]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2956</guid><title>7 April 2009 – John Tanner (US), NATO PA president, meets with President Saakashvili</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2956</link><description><![CDATA["I was pleased to meet with President Saakashvili upon his return today from Poti. As NATO Parliamentary Assembly President, I believe it is important to visit face-to-face with democratically elected leaders.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2947</guid><title>5 April 2009 - NATO PA Standing Committee in Vilnius marked the access of Albania and Croatia as full members of the Assembly</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2947</link><description><![CDATA[On 5 April 2009, NATO PA president, John Tanner (US) welcomed Albania and Croatia as members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly at the Assembly's Standing Committee meeting in Vilnius, Lithuania.  Following the accession to NATO by Albania and Croatia on 1 April, the two countries became members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly with full voting rights.  Mr Tanner recognized the progress the two countries have made in reaching NATO standards and thanked them for their contributions to NATO operations. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2940</guid><title>4 April 2009 - John Tanner, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Addresses NATO Summit</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2940</link><description><![CDATA[

NATO PA President John Tanner (US) spoke today at the NATO summit in Strasbourg.&#160; &#160;In his speech to the heads of state and government during the closed session of the summit, Mr Tanner stressed that the Alliance &#160;must reaffirm its commitment to the mission in Afghanistan, build a new relationship with Russia, and develop a new Strategic Concept.&#160; In all of those areas, parl...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2908</guid><title>24 March 2009 - BELGRADE AND PRISTINA OFFICIALS DEBATE FUTURE OF KOSOVO AT NATO PA SEMINAR</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2908</link><description><![CDATA[“Local and isolated inter-ethnic incidents do occur in Kosovo, but remain under control”, Brigadier General Dave Berger, KFOR Chief of Staff, told NATO parliamentarians gathered in Sarajevo last week for the NATO PA 70th Rose-Roth seminar. The northern part of Kosovo continues to be a major concern for KFOR, although some positive developments have unfolded over the past few months. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2906</guid><title>23 March 2009 - INTERNATIONAL OFFICIALS AND EXPERTS SPEAKING AT NATO PA SEMINAR WARN OF UNRAVELLING OF REFORM PROCESS IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA AND CALL FOR SUSTAINED INTERNATIONAL ATTENTION</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2906</link><description><![CDATA[At the NATO PA 70th Rose-Roth seminar, which was held in Sarajevo on 19-21 March, NATO legislators heard concern that a difficult political situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is unravelling the reform process in that country. Speakers suggested that international vigilance, as well as a renewed commitment by Bosnian authorities to domestic reform, are essential to reversing this drift. The seminar, which gathered some 100 participants including 40 parliamentarians of NATO and partner countries, local and international officials, independent experts and embassy representatives, took place a few days before an important meeting of the Peace Implementation Council (PIC), which is expected to appoint a new High Representative while deciding whether to extend the mandate of the Office of the High Representative (OHR). ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2904</guid><title>18 March 2009 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS’ SEMINAR IN SARAJEVO TO DISCUSS SITUATION IN BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA, REGION’S PATH TOWARDS EUROPE </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2904</link><description><![CDATA[Legislators from NATO and partner countries will gather in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, on 19-21 March 2009 to discuss Balkan security and the region’s path towards Euro-Atlantic integration on the occasion of the 70th Rose-Roth seminar. The meeting, gathering some 40 members of parliament together with representatives of governments, international organisations and academia, is organised in cooperation with the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina and with the support of the Swiss Ministry of Defence. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2897</guid><title>13 March 2009 - UKRAINE-NATO INTERPARLIAMENTARY COUNCIL MEETS IN KYIV</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2897</link><description><![CDATA[The Ukraine-NATO Interparliamentary Council (UNIC) met in Kyiv , Ukraine on 12 March to discuss Ukraine's progress toward Euro-Atlantic integration as well as NATO and Ukrainian relations with Russia .]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2894</guid><title>10 March 2009 - NATIONAL AND EUROPEAN PARLIAMENTARIANS DEBATE THE OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES AHEAD FOR TRANSATLANTIC SECURITY RELATIONS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2894</link><description><![CDATA[On Thursday 5 March 2009, the European Parliament’s Subcommittee on Security and Defence (SEDE) and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) held a joint public hearing on “Transatlantic Security Relations” at the European Parliament in Brussels. Members of national parliaments and of the European Parliament heard briefings from American and European experts on the opportunities and challenges ahead for transatlantic security relations.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2859</guid><title>23 February 2009 – NATO PA SECRETARY GENERAL DAVID HOBBS WELCOMES ADRIATIC CHARTER PARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2859</link><description><![CDATA[Speaking in Tirana, NATO PA Secretary General David Hobbs today welcomed the Albanian Parliament’s initiative to launch a programme of cooperation with fellow Adriatic Charter countries Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2857</guid><title>19 February 2009 - NATO PA PRESIDENT JOHN TANNER STRESSES INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN DEALING WITH ECONOMIC AND SECURITY CHALLENGES AT 56 NATION OSCE PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2857</link><description><![CDATA[NATO PA President John Tanner today addressed over 270 parliamentarians at the annual winter meeting in Vienna of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA) which brings together representatives from North America, Europe, the South Caucasus, and Central Asia.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2856</guid><title>19 February 2009 - NATO PA-DCAF SEMINAR CALLS FOR MORE REALISM IN NATO-RUSSIA RELATIONS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2856</link><description><![CDATA[On Friday 13 February 2009, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) held a joint seminar on “Russia, the West and the Future of Euro-Atlantic Security. Bringing together Russian, American and European officials and experts, the seminar discussed past and present relations between Russia and the West, and examined scenarios for the future and their implications for Euro-Atlantic security. Some 100 high-level participants attended the seminar, including twelve national parliamentarians. 

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2853</guid><title>15 February 2009 - PRESIDENT JOHN TANNER OPENS MEETINGS OF PARLIAMENTARIANS WITH NATO LEADERSHIP [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2853</link><description><![CDATA[More than 120 parliamentarians from across the Alliance convened in Brussels on 15-17 February for off the record discussions with NATO’s leadership and European Union officials on the mission in Afghanistan, the new Strategic Concept, relations with Russia, the impact of the financial crisis and other issues.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2850</guid><title>11 February 2009 - NATO MPs DEBATE MISSILE DEFENCE WITH CONGRESS AND VISIT DEPLOYED INTERCEPTORS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2850</link><description><![CDATA[As of late January, with the transition to the Obama Administration only in its earliest stages, definitive statements on major lines of the new government’s policy were impossible, outside of several broad themes including increased attention to Afghanistan and Pakistan, a greater multilateral and cooperative diplomatic engagement, and an intent to improve relations with Russia.   ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2844</guid><title>23 January 2009 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT THE USA TO DISCUSS MISSILE DEFENCE, RUSSIA, AND AFGHANISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2844</link><description><![CDATA[The Defense and Security Committee will visit the United States on 26-30 January 2009 to meet with US leaders and discuss the critical issues facing the Alliance.

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2009 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2809</guid><title>18 November 2008 - BARACK OBAMA PLANS TO COOPERATE WITH NATO PA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2809</link><description><![CDATA[US President-elect Barack Obama congratulated the outgoing President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) and pledged to “work closely” with his successor. The US President-elect sent a message to outgoing NATO PA President José Lello on his “successful presidency.” Obama’s message stated, “I intend to work closely with the incoming NATO PA President, US Congressman John Tanner, on strengthening relationships with our allies and addressing global challenges together.”]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2810</guid><title>18 November 2008 - NATO PA CALLS FOR RE-ESTABLISHMENT OF NATO-RUSSIA CO-OPERATION WHILE REDUCING ACTIVITIES WITH RUSSIANS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2810</link><description><![CDATA[The 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) meeting in Valencia on 14-18 November called for the re-establishment of NATO-Russia co-operation, while at the same time reducing certain activities with Russian parliamentarians. A resolution passed by the Plenary Session held on 18 November urged governments and parliaments of NATO member countries to re-establish wide-ranging co-operation, particularly in the military sphere, and to improve and expand public diplomacy efforts with Russia.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2808</guid><title>18 November  2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY URGES CONTINUED COMMITMENT TO KOSOVO [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2808</link><description><![CDATA[The 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Valencia on 14-18 November urged governments and parliaments of NATO member and partner countries to remain committed to securing peace and stability in Kosovo through the required international military and civilian presence. A resolution passed by the Plenary Session held on 18 November calls for a clear division of responsibility and effective co-ordination and co-operation mechanisms among all international institutions in Kosovo.

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2807</guid><title>17 November 2008 - ARMED FORCES:  MALE CHAUVINISM IS LOSING GROUND</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2807</link><description><![CDATA[In a meeting sponsored by the Dutch Delegation held today, Sunday 16 November, in connection with the 54th annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Defence have laid stress on the rapid progress made in Spain in integrating women into the Spanish armed forces. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2804</guid><title>16 November 2008 - Situation in Pakistan “more dire” than Afghanistan, expert warns</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2804</link><description><![CDATA[A comprehensive regional strategy by the international community is urgently needed to end chaos in Afghanistan and Pakistan, stressed Pakistani analyst and writer Ahmed Rashid, addressing legislators during the 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Valencia on 14-18 November.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2801</guid><title>16 November 2008 - Intersecting interests offer opportunities for NATO cooperation with AFRICOM [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2801</link><description><![CDATA[A senior US military official presented the United States’ new Africa Command (AFRICOM) to parliamentarians attending the 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Valencia on 14-18 November. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2795</guid><title>15 November 2008 E - Meeting NATO challenges in Afghanistan requires parliamentary support [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2795</link><description><![CDATA[Senior NATO military officials presented parliamentarians with the continuing challenges facing the Alliance and its International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan during the 54th Annual Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in Valencia on 14-18 November.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2793</guid><title>23-26 October -BUREAU AND COMMITTEE OFFICERS’ VISIT TO AFGHANISTAN [Secretariat Report]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2793</link><description><![CDATA[INTRODUCTION

1.&#160;A delegation of senior members of parliament from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited Afghanistan in October 2008 in order to assess the state of the international community&#8217;s engagement in that country.&#160; Over the four-day visit to Kabul and Mazar-e-Sharif, the delegation met with President Hamid Karzai, senior government officials, and members of the Afghan ...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2792</guid><title>10 November 2008 - NATO PA delegation visited Lithuania [Press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2792</link><description><![CDATA[Energy security, the economic crisis and relations with Russia were the major themes of the visit of a NATO Parliamentary Assembly delegation to Lithuania on 5-6 November. Led by Mr. Michael Mates (UK), Chairman of the Science and Technology Committee (STC), 18 members of the STC and the Sub-Committee on East-West Economic Co-operation and Convergence met with high-ranking Lithuanian government officials, independent experts and scholars, as well as many Ambassadors of NATO countries. The delegation also visited the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (NPP). ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2748</guid><title>16 October 2008 - MEDIA ADVISORY - NATO PA's 54th Annual Session</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2748</link><description><![CDATA[The Spanish Parliament will host the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's 54th Annual Session from 14 to 18 November, bringing together in Valencia some 340 parliamentarians from North America and Europe.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2721</guid><title>9 October 2008 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly Seminar in Abu Dhabi calls for stronger inter-cultural dialogue and cooperation [JOINT STATEMENT]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2721</link><description><![CDATA[The two-day NATO Parliamentary Seminar on The Middle East and Global Challenges concluded its discussion forums in Abu Dhabi urging for greater inter-regional co-operation and dialogue to address concerns facing the region. Seminar participants agreed that additional work was still needed to reach greater awareness of the Istanbul Co-operation Initiative, which was launched at the 2004 NATO summit to build genuine partnerships between NATO nations and selected countries in the Middle East . 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2708</guid><title>8 October 2008 - AT A NATO PA SEMINAR AIMED AT PROMOTING DIALOGUE, MINISTER GARGASH EMPHASIZES UNITED ARAB EMIRATES FOREIGN POLICY COMMITMENT TO DIPLOMACY, NEGOTIATION AND COMPASSION [JOINT STATEMENT]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2708</link><description><![CDATA[UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs opens a NATO Parliamentary Assembly seminar in Abu Dhabi by reiterating the country’s commitment to Afghanistan, Iraq and global security.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2706</guid><title>2 October 2008 - NATO PA President José Lello “profoundly concerned” by Russian actions in Georgia</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2706</link><description><![CDATA[Assembly President José Lello (Portugal) has voiced his deep concern after witnessing Russian forces taking control of more Georgian territory.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2686</guid><title>18 September 2008 - NATO PA PRESIDENT JOSÉ LELLO IN VISIT TO ARMENIA [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2686</link><description><![CDATA[José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, has concluded an official visit to Armenia which took place on 17 September 2008.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2685</guid><title>22 SEPTEMBER 2008 - STATEMENT BY PRESIDENT JOSE LELLO ON THE ATTACK ON THE MARRIOTT HOTEL IN ISLAMABAD [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2685</link><description><![CDATA["I utterly condemn the perpetrators of the terrorist attack on the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. This attack is an affront to democratic values and principles.  Those responsible have shown their complete disregard for human life and their fear of the democratic process. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2668</guid><title>28 August 2008 - STATEMENT BY JOSÉ LELLO, PRESIDENT OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, ON RUSSIA’S RECOGNITION OF THE INDEPENDENCE OF SOUTH OSSETIA AND ABKHAZIA [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2668</link><description><![CDATA["I am deeply concerned by Russia’s recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia.  This is inconsistent with resolutions of the United Nations Security Council which have reaffirmed the territorial integrity of Georgia within its internationally recognized borders.  Furthermore, Russia’s violation of Georgia’s territorial integrity contradicts not only its United Nations commitments, but also its responsibilities to the OSCE and to the Council of Europe.
 
I call upon the Russian leadership to implement fully the ceasefire agreement it signed and - as stipulated in that agreement - to withdraw all its military forces to their pre-conflict positions and to engage in international talks on the security and stability arrangements in Abkhazia and South Ossetia."
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2655</guid><title>11 August 2008 - STATEMENT OF JOSE LELLO, PRESIDENT OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, ON THE CONFLICT BETWEEN GEORGIA AND RUSSIA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2655</link><description><![CDATA[I strongly condemn the ongoing conflict between Russia and Georgia regarding the Ossetian region of Georgia.  Whatever the immediate origins of the conflict, the Russian military incursion into Georgia is disproportionate and violates the sovereignty of Georgia. All parties should observe an immediate cease fire, respect international borders, and return to the status quo ante.  When that has been...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2652</guid><title>4 July 2008 - NATO PA delegation discusses key challenges in Afghanistan in Washington</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2652</link><description><![CDATA[Welcoming France back into NATO's integrated command structure, inviting Macedonia to join the Alliance, advance the dialogue with Russia and following through on the ISAF strategy document to improve Afghanistan's security prospects are among the key US goals for NATO this year, according to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Europe Daniel Fata. Mr. Fata was speaking to members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Economics and Security Committee during a June 23-27 visit to Washington and New York. US Congressman John Tanner led the delegation of European and North American parliamentarians that met with senior DoD and State Department officials as well World Bank, IMF and United Nations staff during the trip.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2651</guid><title>15 July 2008 - NEW LEGISLATORS IN MEETINGS AT NATO [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2651</link><description><![CDATA[More than 30 members of parliament, most of them newly elected from NATO partner countries are meeting in Brussels for an intensive programme of introduction to NATO’s policies and operations.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2639</guid><title>3 July 2008 - MEDITERRANEAN SECURITY AND COOPERATION TO BE DISCUSSED BY NATO LEGISLATORS IN ROME [ Press release ]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2639</link><description><![CDATA[NATO parliamentarians will gather in Rome on 4-5 July for a seminar organised in cooperation with the Italian Parliament on the theme “The Mediterranean at the Crossroads: Challenges, Policy Initiatives and the Limits of Transformation”.  Some 70 delegates, including members of parliament from NATO countries and Mediterranean partners, government and international organisations officials, academics and experts from the private sector, will be meeting in the Italian Chamber of Deputies to debate issues such as the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; energy security and interdependence in the Mediterranean; security in the Sahel region; and the “Union for the Mediterranean” project.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2636</guid><title>16 June 2008 - “Security through Dialogue: Role of the Parliamentary Institutions in the Enhanced Mediterranean Dialogue” </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2636</link><description><![CDATA[Speech delivered by Senator Antonio Cabras, Deputy Chairman of the Mediterranean and Middle East Special Group (GSM) of the NATO PA, at the seminar on “Security through Dialogue: Role of the Parliamentary Institutions in the Enhanced Mediterranean Dialogue” , co-organised by the NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the Parliament of Algeria.
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2634</guid><title>27 June 2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS CONCLUDED SEMINAR IN MONTENEGRO ON EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION OF THE BALKANS [Press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2634</link><description><![CDATA[Regional reconciliation and cooperation, together with a continued engagement of the international community, are essential to full Euro-Atlantic integration of the Balkan region. This is the overarching message emerged from the debates of the 69th Rose-Roth seminar, held in Sveti Stefan, Montenegro, from 24-26 June. The meeting gathered some 40 legislators, from both NATO and partner countries, together with representatives of governments, international organizations and academia, and was organized in cooperation with the Parliament of Montenegro and with the support of the Center for European Studies and the Jean Monnet Centre of Excellence at the University of Florida, as well as NATO Public Diplomacy Division.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2620</guid><title>12 June 2008 - NATO PA PRESIDENT JOSÉ LELLO IN GROUNDBREAKING VISIT TO KAZAKHSTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2620</link><description><![CDATA[José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, has concluded the first official visit to Kazakhstan by a serving Assembly President. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2612</guid><title>26 May 2008 - THE EURO-ATLANTIC INSTITUTIONS LACKING COHESION WITH REGARD TO THE COUNTRIES OF CENTRAL ASIA </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2612</link><description><![CDATA[According to Marc Angel of the Luxembourgish Socialist Workers’ Party, who this past Sunday presented his draft report on “Democracy and Security in Central Asia: What Policy for NATO and the EU?” to the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security, the Euro-atlantic institutions lack cohesion and effectiveness in their strategy for cooperating with the countries of Central Asia. In the relationship with those countries, the main difficulty of NATO, and likewise of the EU, is described as that of reconciling “their security interests in Central Asia and the promotion of democracy and respect for human rights.”]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2611</guid><title>27 May 2008 - THE NATO PA CLOSES ITS SPRING SESSION WITH A CALL FOR SOLIDARITY AMONG ALLIES CONCERNING THE MISSION IN AFGHANISTAN </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2611</link><description><![CDATA[The Spring Session, which was held in Berlin, ended on 27 May 2008 with a renewed call for solidarity among allies to strengthen the role of NATO in Afghanistan in order to restore peace and security in a country still in the grip of Taliban insurrection. In the course of this session, it also became clearly evident that Russia now occupies an increasingly important place in a number of areas that today are of concern to NATO. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2608</guid><title>26 May 2008 - THE AFGHAN ARMY CALLS FOR MORE RESOURCES TO BUILD UP CAPACITY – NATO REQUESTS MORE TROOPS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2608</link><description><![CDATA[The Afghan National army (ANA) needs a greater level of help from the international community if it is to be able to ensure the security of the country, said General Sher Mohammad Karimi, Head of Operations at the Afghan Ministry of Defence last Sunday, speaking at the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA). “Even with the coalition troops, Afghan army numbers remain far short of its strategic role (…) We cannot achieve security without additional forces,” said  General Karimi, addressing the participants in the NATO PA’s Defence and Security Committee. “Meeting our national objective for a larger and wholly independent army will require additional funds from Afghan economic growth or from international community donors,” he added,  drawing attention to the intention of his Government to increase the manpower of the ANA from 70,000 to 80,000 by the end of 2009. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2607</guid><title>25 May 2008 - MORE WOMEN ON THE FRONT LINES </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2607</link><description><![CDATA[For the third time in a row, the session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly was a forum for discussion of the question of women within the armed forces. This lunchtime discussion was hosted by the Canadian Delegation to the NATO PA, this past Sunday, 25 May, and was attended by some sixty participants. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2606</guid><title>26 May 2006 - THE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL TRIBUNAL FOR THE FORMER YUGOSLAVIA MUST COMPLETE ITS MISSION BEFORE SHUTTING DOWN </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2606</link><description><![CDATA[BERLIN, 25 May 2008 – After 15 years, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) still has to complete the task assigned to it upon its establishment in 1993, before finally and completely shutting down, said Stéphane Bourgon, a defence lawyer at the ICTY, last Sunday during the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), in Berlin. “The main fugitives from the ICTY, Karadzic, Mladic, Zupljanin and Hadzic must still be arrested and appear before the Court before it closes its doors some time around the year 2010”, insisted Mr Bourgon, addressing the parliamentarians in the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2603</guid><title>23 May 2008 - NATO AND RUSSIA MUST COOPERATE MORE CLOSELY TO COMBAT WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2603</link><description><![CDATA[BERLIN, 23 May 2008 – Now is the time for NATO and Russia to move to the next level of their mutual cooperation in the field of combating the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) and their vectors, said a senior official of the transatlantic Alliance on Friday in Berlin, during the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. “Since the signing in 2002 of the NATO-Russia Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security, we have made progress in the fight against the proliferation of WMD; however, I would wish us to reach more concrete results,” stated Roberto Zadra, Deputy Head of the WMD Centre at NATO. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2600</guid><title>25 May 2008 - PENTAGON OFFICIAL ASKS NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS TO KEEP UP THE MOMENTUM OF THE BUCHAREST SUMMIT</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2600</link><description><![CDATA[Sunday 25 May, in an address to the Defence and Security Committee meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Berlin’s Reichstag, Daniel Fata, US Deputy Secretary Assistant of Defence for European and NATO Policy, said that the time has come to cement the gains from the Bucharest summit and noted the important role that members NATO Parliamentary Assembly can play in building parliamentary and public support to NATO.

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2599</guid><title>24 May 2008 - EUROPE WILL NOT BE SHORT OF GAS IN COMING YEARS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2599</link><description><![CDATA[Between now and 2030, Europe will probably not undergo any shortfall in the supply of natural gas, in particular from Russia, stated Roland Götz, a researcher at the German Institute for International Affairs and Security, on Saturday in Berlin. “Unlike oil, there will probably be no gas supply problems in Europe for the next 20 years,” said Mr Götz during the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA). 

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2598</guid><title>24 May 2008 - THE COOPERATION BETWEEN NATO AND RUSSIA HAS TO BE MORE CONSTRUCTIVE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2598</link><description><![CDATA[BERLIN, 23 May 2008 – If NATO and Russia want to make further progress towards a closer cooperation, the two sides will have to engage in a much more constructive dialogue. That was the principal conclusion emerging from the session today of the NATO-Russia Parliamentary Committee, on the occasion of the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), in Berlin. Russia wishes to be thought of as a reliable partner for NATO even if certain questions, such as energy security, still remain problematical. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2594</guid><title>24 May 2008 - POPPY ERADICATION STRENGTHENING THE TALIBAN, EXPERTS AGREE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2594</link><description><![CDATA[Eradication efforts that “fail to hold out alternative livelihoods for Afghan farmers are only strengthening support for the Taliban” in the most unstable provinces of Afghanistan, argues a NATO Parliamentary Assembly report presented by British MP Hugh Bayley today (Saturday) at the Assembly’s Spring Session in Berlin. “The opium trade is fuelling insurgency, and insurgency, in turn, is driving up opium production”, explained Mr Bayley to the members of the Assembly’s Economics and Security Committee. “There is a growing agreement among experts that simple eradication and interdiction will not break this vicious cycle”. In addition, militarization of the counter-narcotic effort could result in additional civilian casualties and alienate local Afghan leaders who provide Alliance forces with intelligence on the Taliban. 

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2592</guid><title>23 May 2008 - PRESIDENT JOSE LELLO SIGNALS THE START OF THE SPRING SESSION OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY (NATO PA) IN BERLIN </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2592</link><description><![CDATA[On Friday 23 May President José Lello opened the spring session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) in the Bundestag in Berlin, calling for a thorough-going discussion of the security challenges currently facing NATO, primary among which are the re-establishment of security in Afghanistan, the mission in Kosovo and the definition of the new Strategic Concept developed by the Alliance. “Today, our enemies are insecurity and instability originating from a variety of sources such as territorial or ethnic conflicts, rogue States and international terrorism. In this new environment, NATO has a collective security role to play at all levels - deployment of combat and peacekeeping forces, humanitarian assistance, help with State reforms,“ Mr Lello said at a press conference. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2590</guid><title>22 May 2008 - DESPITE EFFORTS TO CONDUCT GEORGIA'S ELECTIONS IN LINE WITH STANDARDS, OBSERVERS IDENTIFY PROBLEMS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2590</link><description><![CDATA[TBILISI, 22 May 2008 - Political stakeholders in Georgia made efforts to conduct yesterday's parliamentary elections in line with international standards, but a number of problems were identified which made their implementation uneven and incomplete, the International Election Observation Mission said in a preliminary statement released today.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2582</guid><title>19 May 2008 - PARLIAMENTARIANS’ VISIT TO EGYPT HIGHLIGHTS SECURITY AND ECONOMIC PROBLEMS OF THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2582</link><description><![CDATA[Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly&#8217;s Mediterranean Special Group visited Egypt from 14 -16 May, holding meetings with members of the People&#8217;s Assembly, government and military officials, independent analysts and EU officials. The group, led by Vahit Erdem of Turkey, and Ramon Aleu of Spain, included nine members of parliament from seven NATO member countries.



Egyptian pa...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2581</guid><title>19 May 2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SESSION IN BERLIN, 23-27 May 2008</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2581</link><description><![CDATA[In 1993, less than four years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the capital of reunited Germany hosted the spring session of North Atlantic Assembly's then 16 member nations.  In November 2000, Berlin again hosted the 46th Annual Session of the newly re-named NATO Parliamentary Assembly which by then included 19 member parliaments. From 23 to 27 May, the now 26 delegations from NATO member countries meet again in Berlin along with legislators from more than 20 non-member parliaments, including Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.  Altogether, about 340 parliamentarians are expected to participate.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2560</guid><title>8 May 2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT JFC NAPLES</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2560</link><description><![CDATA[With 90 % of the world’s trade using the sea, and increased attention to the dangers posed by terrorism in the post-9/11 world, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Sub-Committee on Transatlantic Defence and Security Cooperation visited the Alliance’s Joint Force Command in Naples, Italy on May 6 and 7, 2008.  The Sub-Committee sought to better understand and evaluate the Alliance’s efforts to deal with the threat of maritime terrorism, as well as the other activities of the Command.   ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2548</guid><title>6 May 2008 - UKRAINE, NATO LEGISLATORS BACK “INTENSIFIED ENGAGEMENT” FOR UKRAINE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2548</link><description><![CDATA[In a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Inter-Parliamentary Council (UNIC) on 5 May at NATO headquarters, parliamentarians from Ukraine and NATO member countries expressed strong support for the Alliance’s decision at the recent Bucharest Summit to begin a process of “intensified engagement” with Ukraine leading to an eventual offer of a Membership Action Plan (MAP).   NATO officials emphasize that NATO-Ukraine relations were progressing to a new level and that the term intensified engagement signals a qualitatively different relationship than the Intensified Dialogue framework. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2533</guid><title>25 April 2008 - NATO PA DELEGATION DISCUSSED MISSILE DEFENCE IN POLAND</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2533</link><description><![CDATA[On April 24, a delegation of officers of Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee, led by Committee Chairman Michael Mates (UK), travelled to Warsaw to discuss the proposed European deployment of the US missile defence system. The delegation met with Minister of Defence Bogdan Klich, Poland’s chief missile defence negotiator Witold Waszczykowski, senior representatives of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces and members of both chambers of the parliament from the ruling coalition as well as opposition parties. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2532</guid><title>15 April 2008 - NATO PA SPRING SESSION TO BE HELD IN BERLIN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2532</link><description><![CDATA[The German Parliament will host the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Spring Session, bringing together some 340 parliamentarians from North America and Europe, from 23 to 27 May 2008 in Berlin.

The Plenary session on Tuesday 27 May will be addressed by NATO PA's President, Jos&#233; LELLO, NATO Secretary General, Jaap DE HOOP SCHEFFER,&#160; Supreme Allied Commander Europe, John CRADDOCK, and othe...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2490</guid><title>4 April 2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS CONCLUDED FIRST VISIT TO SAUDI ARABIA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2490</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of 13 legislators from nine NATO countries visited Saudi Arabia from 31 March to 4 April and conducted high-level meetings with the Kingdom’s leaders. Led by Karl A. Lamers (Germany), Chairman of the Sub-Committee on NATO Partnerships (PCNP), the group of NATO Parliamentarians discussed a broad range of issues, including Saudi Arabia’s foreign and security perspectives and recent developments in the region. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2477</guid><title>31 March 2008 -NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS’ MEETINGS IN TURKEY HIGHLIGHT FRUSTRATION AT EU NEGOTIATIONS, REGIONAL AMBITIONS AND DOMESTIC CHALLENGES</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2477</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of 15 members of parliament from 10 different countries led by Tchetin Kazak (Bulgaria), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Democratic Governance of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security visited Ankara and Istanbul, Turkey on 24-27 March 2008. In meetings with government and parliament representatives, EU officials and independent experts, they discussed some of the main issues on Turkey’s domestic and foreign policy agenda, including the EU accession process, Turkey’s regional ambitions, secularism in Turkey, the Kurdish issue, and the fight against terrorism.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2484</guid><title>3 April 2008 - NATO PA PRESIDENT JOSÉ LELLO URGES ALLIANCE LEADERS AT BUCHAREST SUMMIT TO LIVE UP TO THEIR COMMITMENTS </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2484</link><description><![CDATA[Addressing heads of state and government at the opening of the NATO Summit in Bucharest, José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, today called upon Alliance leaders to live up to their common commitments to provide forces for the ISAF mission in Afghanistan.   If they do not, he warned, the Alliance would become in effect a “coalition of the willing”.  He added that failure in Afghanistan “would be failure not just for NATO, but for the entire international community, including the United Nations and the European Union”.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2450</guid><title>5 March 2008 - NATO PA PRESIDENT MEETS PRESIDENT OF AZERBAIJAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2450</link><description><![CDATA[José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, met today (Wednesday) in Baku with Ilham Aliyev, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2440</guid><title>3 March 2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS TO HOLD FIRST SEMINAR WITH CENTRAL ASIAN COUNTERPARTS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2440</link><description><![CDATA[Security in the Caspian region and Central Asia will be discussed by legislators from NATO and partner countries during the 68th Rose-Roth seminar, taking place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from 6-8 March. Organised in cooperation with the parliament of Azerbaijan, the seminar will involve some 50 members of parliament, including for the first time delegations from the Central Asian Republics and participants from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan (tbc) and Uzbekistan, together with experts from national governments, international organizations, academic institutions, NGOs and think-tanks.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2368</guid><title>15 February 2008 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS TO MEET NAC, EU AND NATO TOP OFFICIALS IN BRUSSELS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2368</link><description><![CDATA[More than 100 members of parliament from all 26 NATO member countries will be in Brussels from 17-19 February to discuss the Alliance’s current agenda and other political and security issues in high level meetings with NATO and European Union civilian and military officials. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2362</guid><title>29 January 2008 - NATO PA COMMITTEE MEETS U.S. DEFENCE SECRETARY ROBERT GATES</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2362</link><description><![CDATA[Afghanistan, Kosovo, missile defense and relations with Russia were the order of the day when the NATO Parliamentary Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee met with U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and his top staff on January 28, 2008 at the Pentagon.  The Committee Delegation included parliamentarians from 17 different NATO member states, including seven members of the U.S. Congress.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2008 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2338</guid><title>12 December 2007 - US HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI GREETS RECORD NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS AT PARLIAMENTARY TRANSATLANTIC FORUM IN WASHINGTON DC</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2338</link><description><![CDATA[The seventh and largest annual Parliamentary Transatlantic Forum concluded in Washington DC on Tuesday 11 December.  This Forum – jointly organized by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the National Defense University (NDU) and the Atlantic Council of the United States (ACUS) – enables Alliance parliamentarians to hold off-the-record meetings with leading members of the Washington-based policy community. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2323</guid><title>28 November 2007 -NATO PA President urges Macedonian lawmakers to 'finish job' [Presidential Visit Report]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2323</link><description><![CDATA["You have come so far, you must not miss this opportunity", José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, told representatives of the government and parliament of the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia during an official visit to Skopje on 26-27 November. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2314</guid><title>26 November 2007 - Speech by Mr. José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly before the Assembly of the Republic of Macedonia*, Skopje</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2314</link><description><![CDATA[Mr. Speaker, members of the Macedonian parliament,

Thank you for inviting me to address you today in my capacity as President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly.&#160; It is an honour and a privilege. Our Assembly has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with this Parliament since you became an associate member in 1993.&#160; Your delegation has participated regularly and actively in the wo...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2292</guid><title>29 October 2007 - UNILATERAL ACTION ON KOSOVO STATUS WOULD AFFECT SERBIA’S EUROPEAN PATH, BELGRADE OFFICIALS CLAIM AT NATO PA SEMINAR [Press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2292</link><description><![CDATA[A unilateral declaration of independence by Kosovo would seriously undermine Serbia’s fragile democracy, stall its march towards Euro-Atlantic integration, and erode regional stability. This was the overarching message that Serbian government officials and parliamentarians conveyed to NATO legislators and representatives of international organizations gathered in Belgrade for the NATO PA 67th Rose-Roth seminar, on 25-27 October.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2281</guid><title>10 October 2007 - NATO PA ENDS ANNUAL SESSION DOMINATED BY RUSSIA/AFGHANISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2281</link><description><![CDATA[NATO parliamentarians have ended their annual session in Reykjavik, Iceland with calls for renewed efforts to strengthen NATO´s role in Afghanistan and build a closer and more fruitful working relationship with Russia.

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2273</guid><title>07 October 2007 - MORE WOMEN IN STRATEGIC POSTS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2273</link><description><![CDATA[Today, Sunday October 7 in Reykjavik, the DCAF (Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces), taking advantage of the gathering of parliamentarians from some fifty countries during the annual session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, has launched an emotive appeal for a more successful campaign for the prevention and punishment of violence directed towards women in times of conflict and for promoting the presence of women in the armed forces and in civilian institutions.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2257</guid><title>01 October 2007, Kyiv - UKRAINE'S ELECTIONS OPEN AND COMPETITIVE BUT AMENDMENTS TO LAW OF SOME CONCERN [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2257</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly served as part of the international election observation mission in Ukraine on 30 September. The mission concluded that the elections were conducted mostly in line with international commitments and standards for democratic elections and confirm an open and competitive environment for the conduct of election processes. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2213</guid><title>19 September 2007 - NATO PA PRESIDENT VISITS CHINA [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2213</link><description><![CDATA[José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), together with Simon Lunn, Secretary General, is conducting a Presidential visit to China, from 17 to 20 September.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2203</guid><title>13 September, 2007 - THE VIEW FROM AFGHANISTAN:  MAKING PROGRESS, BUT RE-DEDICATION AND ADDITIONAL RESOURCES REQUIRED [PRESS RELEASE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2203</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation composed of six members of the Defence and Security Committee (DSC) led by DSC Chairman Julio Miranda Calha (Portugal) visited Afghanistan from September 2-7, 2007, and Dushanbe, Tajikistan, on September 7-8, 2007.  The group, composed of Members from Canada, Estonia, Lithuania, the UK and the US, met with Afghan officials at the national and local levels as well as members of the Afghan Parliament, visited Provincial Reconstruction Teams in different areas of the country, and met with the ISAF Commander and a number of his subordinates. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2151</guid><title>6 July 2007 - NEW PARLIAMENTARIANS IN HIGH-LEVEL BRIEFINGS AT NATO AND SHAPE [press release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2151</link><description><![CDATA[From 8 to 12 July some 50 parliamentarians from NATO and partner countries including Afghanistan and Pakistan will meet the Alliance’s top civilian and military leaders to get the latest inside views and information on NATO’s operations, roles and challenges.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2140</guid><title>03 July 2007 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS DISCUSS SECURITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2140</link><description><![CDATA[Some 40 members of parliament from NATO and Mediterranean partner countries met in Naples from 1-2 July to discuss security issues in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. Legislators from Algeria, Israel and Jordan participated in the meeting, organized in co-operation with the Italian parliament.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2138</guid><title>2 July 2007 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS DISCUSSED MISSILE DEFENCE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2138</link><description><![CDATA[Four senior members of the Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee (STC) and Defence and Security Committee (DSC) travelled to the Czech Republic on 27 June 2007 on a fact-finding mission to discuss the views of the Czech government and parliamentary representatives on the plan to install elements of the US strategic missile defence system (“The Third Site”) on Czech soil. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2125</guid><title>26 June 2007 - DECISION ON KOSOVO CRITICAL</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2125</link><description><![CDATA[The time for Kosovo's independence is now, and the situation on the ground is critical, a number of speakers told the 66th Rose Roth Seminar held in Dubrovnik, Croatia from June 24-26.  However, the seminar also confirmed that the international community has not yet reached the consensus needed for a new UN Security Council Resolution defining the future status of Kosovo.  This has created an impasse with worrying implications for the security of the entire region.
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2122</guid><title>26 June 2007 - NATO PA DELEGATION TO VISIT THE CZECH REPUBLIC ON A FACT-FINDING MISSION</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2122</link><description><![CDATA[Four senior members of the Assembly’s Science and Technology Committee (STC) and the Defence and Security Committee (DSC) will visit the Czech Republic on 27 June 2007 in order to assess the views of the Czech government and parliamentary representatives on the proposal of the United States to field components of a missile defence system in Poland and the Czech Republic.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2116</guid><title>19 June 2007 - NATO, EU OFFICIALS TO DISCUSS FUTURE OF SERBIA AND KOSOVO </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2116</link><description><![CDATA[NATO and EU officials, experts and parliamentarians will discuss the future of Serbia and Kosovo in a seminar organised by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) in Brussels on 21 June at the CEPS Conference room. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2114</guid><title>18 June 2007 - NATO PA Delegation Visit to Japan, 11-15 June 2007</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2114</link><description><![CDATA[Japan will continue to deregulate its economy, reinforce trade links throughout Asia and work to deepen ties with NATO and NATO members to advance global peace and security. This was the message 22 Parliamentarians from the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Economics and Security Committee will bring back to their capitals after visiting Tokyo and Osaka, Japan, from June 11-15.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2101</guid><title>31 May 2007 - “Milestone” Spring Session in Madeira says José Lello, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2101</link><description><![CDATA[NATO PA President, José Lello (Portugal) said in Lisbon today that the spring session which concluded in Madeira on Monday was a “milestone in the Assembly’s history”.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2099</guid><title>27 May 2007 - CONNECTION BETWEEN DRUGS AND CONFLICT MUST BE ADDRESSED IN AFGHANISTAN, SAYS UN OFFICIAL TO NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2099</link><description><![CDATA[The nexus between opium and insecurity in Afghanistan and its implications for reconstruction and development were addressed in a meeting today (Sunday) in Madeira of the NATO PA Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security by Andrea Mancini of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Emmanuel Reinert of the think tank Senlis Council.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2096</guid><title>26 May 2007 - US MISSILE DEFENSE IN EUROPE TO COMPLEMENT NATO SYSTEMS, SAYS US DEFENCE OFFICIAL</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2096</link><description><![CDATA[Details of the United States plans to deploy missile defence assets on the territory of Poland and the Czech Republic were given today (Saturday) to NATO parliamentarians in Madeira, Portugal, by US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Daniel P. Fata. The system, he declared at a joint meeting of the Assembly’s Defence and Security and Science and Technology Committees, is meant to “detect, deter, and defend” against a missile threat coming from Iran and “poses no threat to Russia”. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2095</guid><title>25 May 2007 - PUBLIC SUPPORT IS KEY FOR NATO IN AFGHANISTAN, SAYS DE HOOP SCHEFFER TO NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2095</link><description><![CDATA[NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer addressed the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly today (Friday) in Madeira, Portugal, and encouraged legislators to help the Alliance win “hearts and minds in Afghanistan but also at home”.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2092</guid><title>25 May 2007 - NATO NEEDS NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT, SAYS NATO PA PRESIDENT JOSE’ LELLO</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2092</link><description><![CDATA[President José Lello opened the Spring Session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly today (Friday) in Madeira, Portugal, with a pledge for the Alliance to elaborate “a new Strategic Concept for adoption at NATO's 60th anniversary”.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2089</guid><title>25 May 2007 - NATO PA PRESIDENT JOSE LELLO CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACK IN TURKEY</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2089</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly strongly condemned the terrorist attack that took place in Ankara on Tuesday 22 May killing and injuring many innocent people.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2040</guid><title>24 April 2007 - GEORGIA MOVES CLOSER TO NATO MEMBERSHIP, BUT REFORMS MUST CONTINUE [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=2040</link><description><![CDATA[NATO Parliamentarians, Georgian and Alliance countries officials, and independent experts attended the 65th Rose Roth Seminar in Tbilisi, Georgia from April 19-21. The seminar focused on a range of issues shaping Georgia’s aspirations and prospects for Euro-Atlantic integration. It featured a number of prominent Georgian speakers, including President Mikheil Saakashvili, the Speaker of the Parliament Nino Burjanadze; the Vice-Prime Minister and State Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration, Giorgi Baramidze; the Minister of Foreign Affairs Gela Bezhuashvili; and the Minister of Economy Giorgi Arveladze.  Senior officials from NATO, the European Union, OSCE, the IMF­including EU Special Representative Peter Semneby, Latvian Foreign Minister Artis Pabriks, and OSCE Ambassador Roy Reeve ­ as well as from the NGO and academic communities also addressed the gathering.
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1972</guid><title>3 April 2007 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS' VISIT HIGHLIGHTS DEMOCRATIC PROGRESS IN BAHRAIN AND KUWAIT [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1972</link><description><![CDATA[NATO Parliamentarians have just completed a five-day fact-finding mission to Bahrain and Kuwait, where they met fellow legislators as well as senior government officials of the two Gulf countries. Discussions focussed on common security concerns in the Gulf and the Middle East, economic and political developments in the region, and relations with NATO in the context of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI). Meetings with civil society and media representatives were also held in both countries.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1965</guid><title>24 March 2007 - NATO PA APPOINTS NEXT SECRETARY GENERAL</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1965</link><description><![CDATA[At its meeting in Budapest on 24 March, the Assembly's Standing Committee elected David Hobbs to succeed the current Secretary General, Simon Lunn, when Mr Lunn's mandate expires on 31 December 2007.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1960</guid><title>27 March 2007 - NATO PA PRESIDENT JOSE LELLO (PORTUGAL) DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT NATO MEETING IN UKRAINE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1960</link><description><![CDATA[NATO PA President José Lello (Portugal) delivered the keynote address at a NATO Roundtable on “Parliament’s Role in National Security and Defence” which took place in Kyiv, Ukraine on Monday 26 March.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1957</guid><title>20 March 2007 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT PAKISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1957</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of the NATO PA’s Political Committee visited Pakistan on 14-18 March on a fact-finding mission to learn about Pakistan’s security issues, including the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan.  This was the first visit ever of a NATO PA delegation to the country.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1945</guid><title>19 February 2007 - JOSÉ LELLO NEW PRESIDENT OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1945</link><description><![CDATA[José Lello of Portugal has been appointed to replace Bert Koenders as President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, following Mr Koenders' selection last week as the Netherlands Minister for Development Cooperation.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1938</guid><title>2 February 2007 - NATO PA PRESIDENT WELCOMES AHTISAARI'S PLAN PRESENTATION [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1938</link><description><![CDATA[Bert Koenders, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, welcomes the presentation today in Belgrade and Pristina by UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari of his proposal for the resolution of the status of Kosovo.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1935</guid><title>31 January 2007 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS HOLD MEETINGS IN WASHINGTON D.C. AND US CENTCOM, FLORIDA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1935</link><description><![CDATA[Thirty-three members of the NATO PA Defence and Security Committee visited the United States from 22-25 January. Led by Chairman Julio Miranda Calha (Portugal), the NATO legislators met with their colleagues from the US Senate and the House of Representatives as well as with government officials and independent political analysts. The Assembly delegation also visited US Central Command and Special Operations Command headquarters in Tampa, Florida.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1932</guid><title>22 January 2007 - International Election Observation Mission press release: Serbia's elections in line with international standards, says international observation mission</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1932</link><description><![CDATA[...]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2007 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1929</guid><title>11-12 DECEMBER 2006 - PARLIAMENTARY TRANSATLANTIC FORUM</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1929</link><description><![CDATA[NATO Parliamentarians gather in Washington to discuss the implications of the Riga Summit, the November Congressional elections and the Baker-Hamilton Report.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1893</guid><title>29 November 2006 - NATO RISKS LOSING BATTLE FOR “HEARTS AND MINDS” IN AFGHANISTAN, WARNS NATO PA PRESIDENT [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1893</link><description><![CDATA["A much better balance between military action and reconstruction" is needed if NATO is to win "the all-important battle for 'hearts and minds' at home and in Afghanistan" warned Bert Koenders, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, in his address to Alliance Heads of State and Government gathered in Riga for the NATO Summit, on 29 November. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1924</guid><title>19 December 2006 - NATO PA PRESIDENT CONDEMNS TEHRAN CONFERENCE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1924</link><description><![CDATA[Bert Koenders, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly condemns in the strongest of terms the holding of the conference on Holocaust denial in Tehran on 11 December. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1911</guid><title>13 December 2006 - Former US envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross briefs NATO parliamentarians [press communique]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1911</link><description><![CDATA[Ambassador Dennis Ross, former US special envoy to the Middle East, strongly advocated a re-engagement of the US administration in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in front of some 70 members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Washington DC. "But we should do it for good reasons", Ross stressed, "not simply because we believe it would help to solve the situation in Iraq".]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1907</guid><title>12 December 2006 - Nancy Pelosi Addresses NATO Parliamentary Assembly Members</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1907</link><description><![CDATA[Nancy Pelosi, Speaker-elect of the US House of Representatives, addressed today (Monday 11 December) some 70 members of the NATO PA in a meeting at the National Defense University in Washington DC.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1892</guid><title>29 November 2006 - Speech to the NATO Summit of Heads of State and Government Riga, Latvia</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1892</link><description><![CDATA[by Bert Koenders (Netherlands), President of the NATO PA]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1890</guid><title>28 November 2006 – “NO SENSE OF URGENCY IN RIGA ON AFGHANISTAN”, SAYS BERT KOENDERS, NATO PA PRESIDENT [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1890</link><description><![CDATA["I am deeply concerned at the likely outcome of the Riga Summit," declared Bert Koenders, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, after his arrival in Riga, where tomorrow (29 November) he will address Alliance Heads of State and Government gathered in Riga for the NATO Summit.  "Here in Riga, I don't feel the sense of urgency I had expected about addressing the serious problems the Alliance is facing in Afghanistan"]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1883</guid><title>27 November 2006 - NATO PA President addresses Riga Summit [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1883</link><description><![CDATA[The newly elected President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Bert Koenders (Netherlands), will address Heads of State and Government at the NATO Summit in Riga on Wednesday 29 November. Mr Koenders will make his address at the end of the morning session.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1861</guid><title>14 November 2006 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS CALL FOR A POLITICAL INITIATIVE ON AFGHANISTAN AT UPCOMING RIGA SUMMIT [PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1861</link><description><![CDATA[The NATO-Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) has called for a political initiative on Afghanistan during the upcoming summit of NATO heads of state and government in Riga, Latvia later this month.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 québec session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1858</guid><title>15 November 2006 - WORLD EXPERT TELLS NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS GLOBAL WARMING CAN BE STOPPED [PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1858</link><description><![CDATA[A world expert in climate change told NATO parliamentarians today that there were increasing signs that governments were taking global warming seriously and believed it could be halted altogether if more measures were adopted.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 québec session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1855</guid><title>14 November 2006, Québec, Canada - NATO’S AFGHANISTAN MISSION IS IN TROUBLE [PRESS COMMUNIQUÉ]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1855</link><description><![CDATA[A senior European parliamentarian warned today (Tuesday) that NATO’s mission in Afghanistan could end in failure unless member states honoured commitments they had already made to ensure its success.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 québec session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1810</guid><title>24 October 2006 - THE INTERNAL SITUATION, AS MUCH AS TRANSDNISTRIA, SLOWS MOLDOVA'S EURO-ATLANTIC INTEGRATION [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1810</link><description><![CDATA[Political divisions and socio-economic problems as much as the dispute with the breakaway region of Transdnistria are factors hampering Moldova's path towards further integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions. This was the general conclusion of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Rose-Roth seminar held in Chisinau from 19-21 October, in cooperation with the parliament of Moldova. Some 50 participants - including legislators from NATO and partner countries, Moldovan cabinet members, and representatives from NATO, EU, OSCE and local NGOs - gathered to discuss the country's uncertain future on the eve of Romania's EU accession, which will bring Moldova to the Union's border on January 1st, 2007.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1793</guid><title>16-17 OCTOBER 2006 - VISIT TO BAKU, AZERBAIJAN BY THE SUB-COMMITTEE ON FUTURE SECURITY AND DEFENCE CAPABILITIES</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1793</link><description><![CDATA[1.  Eleven members of the Subcommittee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities visited Azerbaijan on 16-17 October.  Led by Chairman Vahit Erdem, the delegation met with government officials, members of parliament, and military officers, as well as ambassadors from NATO countries and representatives from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).  The purpose of the visit was to learn more about Azerbaijan's political and security sector reform process.  As such, discussions focused on Azerbaijan's plans for integration into Euro-Atlantic institutions, various aspects of the reform process, and ongoing security concerns and relations with its neighbours.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1767</guid><title>17 October 2006 - More Proactive Strategy towards Belarus Needed [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1767</link><description><![CDATA[Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly gathered in Vilnius, on 11-13 October for the 2nd Vilnius Seminar on Belarus, organized jointly by the Assembly and the parliament of Lithuania. The purpose of this seminar was to receive updated perspectives on the political, economic and human rights situation in Belarus, and to discuss how international community can best encourage democratic change in Belarus. The 70 participants in the seminar included legislators, members of the Belarusian democratic opposition, EU and NATO officials, diplomats, NGO representatives, and international relations specialists who focus on Belarus.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1751</guid><title>9 October 2006 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT KOSOVO [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1751</link><description><![CDATA[NATO parliamentarians visited Kosovo on 4-6 October on a fact-finding mission.  Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Political Committee met with senior representatives from the international community, including KFOR, UNMIK, and the EU's Senior High Representative.  On its way to Kosovo, the delegation met UN Special Envoy Martti Ahtisaari in Vienna, whilst in Pristina it held meetings, among others, with Kosovo's Prime Minister Agim Ceku and President Fatmir Sejdiu, as well as with leaders of the Kosovo-Serb community.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1747</guid><title>17 November 2006, Québec, Canada  - DECLARATION ON NATO’S RIGA SUMMIT</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1747</link><description><![CDATA[Adopted by the Standing Committee at its meeting in Brussels on Friday 29 September 2006 and endorsed at the Plenary Meeting held in Québec on Friday 17 November 2006.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1746</guid><title>2 October 2006 - MORE “BOOTS ON THE GROUND” IN SOUTHERN AFGHANISTAN, URGE NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1746</link><description><![CDATA[NATO member countries “must redouble their efforts to provide the assets required to extend security” throughout Afghanistan, urged the members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly in a declaration sent today to NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer. NATO legislators stressed that “more 'boots on the ground' are needed in the southern part of Afghanistan to provide sufficient stability for sustained reconstruction”. The five-page declaration, representing the collective view of the members of NATO’s 26 parliaments involved in the Assembly, sets out the priorities for the Alliance ahead of the Riga Summit of NATO Heads of State and Government on 28-29 November. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1711</guid><title>22 September - SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE VISIT TO MOSCOW</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1711</link><description><![CDATA[Twelve NATO legislators as well as several members of the Russian State Duma met in Moscow on 19-21 September to discuss the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), Iran's nuclear policy, anti-terrorism, the redirection of former weapons scientists, space programmes and space safety, future energy solutions and other important issues. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1682</guid><title>30 June 2006 - TENSIONS IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO BE DISCUSSED BY NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1682</link><description><![CDATA[Current tensions in the Middle East and their impact on dialogue and cooperation across the Mediterranean will be the main focus of the Mediterranean Dialogue Seminar co-organised by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Italian Parliament, to be held in Naples, 2-3 July, and gathering some 45 parliamentarians from NATO countries and partners from the Middle East and North Africa.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1681</guid><title>26 June 2006 - NATO-RUSSIA COOPERATION STILL HINDERED BY MISPERCEPTIONS AND LACK OF TRUST [Press Release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1681</link><description><![CDATA[Despite good cooperation at the practical level, NATO-Russia relations still appear hindered by a lack of understanding and trust, particularly on the Russian side. Western and Russian members of parliament meeting at a Rose-Roth seminar in Sochi, Russia, from June 22-24, agreed that more transparency and dialogue was necessary to overcome this basic dichotomy and permit the strategic relationship &#8209; an essential element in resolving the conflicts in the South Caucasus &#8209; to fulfil its potential. The seminar, jointly organised by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation, gathered some 40 legislators from NATO and partner countries, as well as members of governments, NATO officials, academics and civil society representatives under the theme: "Russia-NATO: Security Issues in the South Caucasus".]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1679</guid><title>19 June 2006 - NATO AND RUSSIAN PARLIAMENTARIANS TO MEET IN SOCHI </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1679</link><description><![CDATA[NATO-Russia relations and the unresolved conflicts in the South Caucasus will be at the centre of a Rose-Roth seminar in Sochi, on the Russian Black Sea coast, from June 22-24, jointly organised by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation. Some 40 legislators from NATO and partner countries, as well as members of governments, NATO officials, academics and civil society representatives will gather under the theme: "Russia-NATO: Security Issues in the South Caucasus".]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1678</guid><title>19 June 2006 - THE NATO PA SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE'S SUB-COMMITTEE ON THE PROLIFERATION OF MILITARY TECHNOLOGY VISITS THE UNITED STATES [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1678</link><description><![CDATA[The implications of Iran's nuclear policy, the future of the global WMD non-proliferation regime, prospects for nuclear disarmament and the challenges of net-centricity were the major topics of discussion during the visit of the Science and Technology Committee Sub-Committee on the Proliferation of Military Technology delegation to New York and Monterey from 12-15 June 2006. The sixteen members of the NATO PA delegation, led by sub-committee Chairman, Jérôme Rivière (France), and Committee Chairman, Michael Mates (UK), met with several key ambassadors to the UN, senior UN officials, academics and representatives of defence technology companies. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1652</guid><title>30 May 2006 - GEORGIA PLEDGES CRACKDOWN ON PEOPLE TRAFFICKERS [PRESS COMMUNIQUE] </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1652</link><description><![CDATA[Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili pledged today (Monday) to crack down on human traffickers, arms dealers and smugglers operating from his country's territory and surrounding region.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 paris session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1639</guid><title>28 May 2006 - IRAQ HAS HAD NEGATIVE EFFECT ON WAR AGAINST TERROR SAYS FRENCH JUDGE [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1639</link><description><![CDATA[France’s top anti-terrorist Judge said today (Sunday) that the war in Iraq had had a “very negative” effect on the fight against terror in Europe and directly contributed to a surge in suicide bombings, such as last July’s attack in London.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 paris session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1651</guid><title>30 May 2006 - AFGHANISTAN DOMINATES FINAL DAY OF NATO-PA SPRING SESSION [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1651</link><description><![CDATA[NATO's involvement in Afghanistan dominated the final session of the five-day NATO-Parliamentary Assembly (NATO-PA) meeting in Paris with several key-note speakers stressing the success of the Alliance's first out of theatre mission was vital to its long-term future.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 paris session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1642</guid><title>28 May 2006 - BLACK SEA REGION CRITICAL FOR EURO-ATLANTIC SECURITY SAY NATO POLITICIANS [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1642</link><description><![CDATA[The importance of the Black Sea for Euro-Atlantic security was highlighted at the spring meeting of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's (NATO PA) Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security in Paris today (Sunday). ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 paris session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1640</guid><title>28 May 2006 - AFGHANISTAN POSES HUGE CHALLENGE TO NATO FORCES, PARLIAMENTARIANS HEAR [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1640</link><description><![CDATA[NATO’S operations in Afghanistan, the first test of Alliance operations outside Europe, are critical to the organization’s long-term security and success, NATO Parliamentarians were warned this weekend.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 paris session</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1628</guid><title>4 to 7 May 2006 - VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT &amp; BUREAU OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY TO GEORGIA [PRESIDENTIAL VISIT REPORT]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1628</link><description><![CDATA[1. 	Democracy and prosperity represents the best long-term hope for the future of Georgia and the stability of the South Caucasus region.  The development of effective democratic institutions in all their forms is essential for economic and social progress within Georgia but also for its aspirations for NATO membership and for the eventual resolution of the so-called "frozen conflicts" in Abkhazia and South Ossetia. The NATO PA will continue to lend all possible support to Georgia in reaching its aspirations, including its wish to achieve in the near future Intensified Dialogue with NATO as the next stage on the route to membership of the Alliance. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1605</guid><title>4 May 2006 - DEALING WITH ISLAMISTS: ENGAGEMENT OR ISOLATION? [Press Release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1605</link><description><![CDATA[Current tensions in the Middle East and their impact on dialogue and cooperation across the Mediterranean were the main focus of the 12th Mediterranean Dialogue Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, held in Istanbul, 2-3 May, and gathering more than 50 parliamentarians from NATO countries and partners from the Middle East and North Africa.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1604</guid><title>28 April 2006 - PRESIDENT AND VICE-PRESIDENTS OF THE NATO PA TO VISIT GEORGIA 4-7 MAY 2006  [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1604</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, M. Pierre LELLOUCHE (France)  accompanied by Vice-Presidents, Pierre Claude Nolin (Canada), Bert KOENDERS (Netherlands), José LELLO (Portugal), Vahit ERDEM (Turkey) and Secretary General, Simon LUNN will visit Georgia from 4 to 7 May 2006. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1588</guid><title>24 April 2006 - CORRUPTION AND ORGANISED CRIME "CLEAR AND PRESENT DANGER" FOR SECURITY IN THE BALKANS [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1588</link><description><![CDATA[The problems of endemic corruption and organised crime, together with the unresolved status of Kosovo and Serbia and Montenegro, risk undermining the otherwise encouraging steps forward---most notably in defence reform---of the Western Balkans towards Euro-Atlantic integration. This was the overarching message that emerged from the debates of the 62nd Rose-Roth seminar held in Tirana, Albania, from April 22-24, jointly organised by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, the NATO Public Diplomacy Division and the Atlantic Association of Albania. Some 45 legislators from NATO and partner countries, including all Western Balkans countries, as well as members of governments, academics and civil society representatives gathered for three days under the theme: "The new security challenges of the Euro-Atlantic community from the point of view of the Western Balkans".]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1563</guid><title>27 March 2006, Kiev, Ukrainian Election Free and Fair, Consolidating Democratic Breakthrough</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1563</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly served as part of the international election observation mission in Ukraine on 26 March.  The parliamentary elections in Ukraine further consolidated the breakthrough in the conduct of a democratic election process that began less than a year and a half ago. Overall, fundamental civil and political rights were respected. This enabled voters to make informed choices between distinct alternatives and to freely and fairly express their will.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1558</guid><title>25 March 2006, Gdynia, Poland – Declaration on elections in Belarus approved by Standing Committee [Press Release]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1558</link><description><![CDATA[President Pierre Lellouche and the Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly Standing Committee during a meeting in Gdynia, Poland, approved a declaration which strongly condemns the unacceptable way in which the presidential elections in Belarus have been conducted.  Below is the full text of the declaration.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1550</guid><title>13th February 2006, Paris - Press release from Mr Pierre Lellouche, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1550</link><description><![CDATA[For some weeks now, serious incidents have been taking place in some Muslim countries following the publication of caricatures of the prophet Mohammed in European newspapers.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1549</guid><title>16 February 2006 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS MEET THE NORTH ATLANTIC COUNCIL</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1549</link><description><![CDATA[Three Committees of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly will hold meetings with NATO and EU officials in Brussels from 19 to 21 February 2006. The gathering of some 120 legislators members of the Defence and Security, Political, and Economics and Security Committees will include a lunch and a meeting with the Permanent Representatives of the North Atlantic Council on Monday 20 at NATO Headquarters.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2006 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1532</guid><title>9 December 2005 - NATO PA PRESIDENT PIERRE LELLOUCHE CONDEMNS IRANIAN PRESIDENT'S COMMENTS [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1532</link><description><![CDATA[Pierre Lellouche, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, strongly and unreservedly condemned the declarations made yesterday by Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.  The Iranian President expressed doubts about the extent of the Holocaust and declared that Israelis wanting a Jewish state should establish one in Europe with the help of German and Austria. "Such comments should be seen in the most severe light", Lellouche said, "they simply have no place in a civilised world". ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1508</guid><title>30 November 2005 - NATO LEGISLATORS HOLD FIRST SEMINAR IN THE GULF</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1508</link><description><![CDATA[1. 	Parliamentarians and members of consultative councils from NATO countries, the Mediterranean partner countries and the GCC states met in Doha from November 26-28 to explore the security situation and exchange views about the state of political and social reform in the region. The 11th Mediterranean Dialogue seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly aimed at confidence building and increasing cooperation in the context of NATO’s Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, to which four GCC states so far belong. Complementary to this intergovernmental cooperation, Alliance parliamentarians sought to increase their understanding of the regional challenges, of a possible role for NATO in a new security architecture, and where the Assembly could be of help in encouraging engagement through parliamentary dialogue and cooperation. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1502</guid><title>4-7 NOVEMBER 2005 - MONITORING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN AZERBAIJAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1502</link><description><![CDATA[1.	Nine members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly took part in the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) for the parliamentary elections in Azerbaijan on 6 November 2005. Michael Clapham, Chairman of the NATO PA Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security and Loïc Bouvard, former President of the NATO PA, led the delegation. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1492</guid><title>16 November 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY (NATO-PA)CONCLUDES ANNUAL SESSION [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1492</link><description><![CDATA[Over 300 parliamentarians from 26 NATO member states, along with several representatives from states with associate or observer status, concluded their annual meeting in the Danish capital Copenhagen yesterday (Tuesday).

Discussions on a range of topics and crisis situations from Belarus, where the Assembly is supporting the democratic opposition, to the emergence of China as a great power, emphasised the wide range of activities the Alliance and its parliamentary arm, the NATO-PA, are now involved with in the post-Cold War world.  
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1451</guid><title>3 November 2005 - FUTURE ROLE OF NATO: KEY ISSUE AT NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY (NATO PA) SESSION IN COPENHAGEN [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1451</link><description><![CDATA[[51ST ANNUAL SESSION, COPENHAGEN, DENMARK, 11-15 NOVEMBER 2005]

The Future role and relevance of NATO and a review of the Alliance's current missions will be key issues for discussion at the 51st Annual Session of the NATO PA which will be held in Copenhagen from 11 to 15 November (incl.) 2005.  
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1455</guid><title>28 October 2005 - KOSOVO: DECENTRALISATION AS THE KEY TO FUTURE STATUS NEGOTIATIONS [SPECIAL SEMINAR, Rome, ITALY]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1455</link><description><![CDATA[Senior representatives of the governments in Belgrade and Pristina have accepted that a substantial level of political and administrative decentralisation is crucial to settle the issue of Kosovo's future status. The two sides, however, are not working together to implement this process and still disagree on its times and modalities, as well as on the role of the international community in it. These were the general conclusions of a special seminar co-organised in Rome by the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and the Italian parliament, where legislators and government officials from the Balkan region as well as representatives of the civil society of Serbia and Montenegro and Kosovo gathered together.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1439</guid><title>24 October 2005 - Assembly President Lellouche calls for clear timetable for Ukrainian accession to NATO</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1439</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the Assembly, M. Pierre Lellouche (France) paid an official visit to Ukraine from 17 to 20 October accompanied by two Assembly Vice-Presidents, Jozef Banás (Slovakia) and Vahit Erdem (Turkey).]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1435</guid><title>17 to 21 September 2005 - ELECTION OBSERVATION MISSION, AFGHANISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1435</link><description><![CDATA[1.  Five members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly - Kresimir Cosic (Croatia), Rasa Jukneviciene (Lithuania), Jeppe Kofod (Denmark), Lucio Malan (Italy), and Karel Schwarzenberg (Czech Republic) plus Zachary Selden, Director of the Assembly's Defence and Security Committee - traveled to Afghanistan to observe the parliamentary elections. Transport to Kabul was by German military aircraft via Termez in Uzbekhistan. Their reception and accommodation was organized by the ISAF Visitor's Bureau.  Their transport on election day was organized by individual embassies. The delegation also met with military commanders in Kabul and members of the international community to discuss issues such as the security situation, counter-narcotics policy and cooperation on developing judicial institutions in Afghanistan.  The group also visited Herat in the western part of the country. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1425</guid><title>14 October 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT TO VISIT UKRAINE [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1425</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Pierre Lellouche (France), will pay an official visit to Ukraine from 16-20 October.  He will be accompanied on this visit by two Assembly Vice Presidents, Jozef Banás (Slovakia) and Vahit Erdem (Turkey) and the Assembly’s Secretary General, Simon Lunn.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1418</guid><title>6 October 2005 - INTRODUCTORY REMARKS by SIMON LUNN (SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE NATO PA)</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1418</link><description><![CDATA[61st ROSE-ROTH SEMINAR, YEREVAN, Armenia.   On behalf of the NATO PA, I should like to welcome and thank Arthur Baghdasaryan, speaker of the Armenian Parliament, Vardan Oskanian, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and Mher Shahgeldyan, leader of the Armenian delegation to the NATO PA for the invitation to host this seminar, for the excellent organization by the parliament and its staff, and for the outstanding hospitality I know we are going to enjoy during our stay here. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1405</guid><title>23 - 24 September 2005 - Seminar on Belarus held in Vilnius, Lithuania organized by the NATO PA in co-operation with the Seimas, Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1405</link><description><![CDATA[At the invitation of its Lithuanian delegation, the NATO PA co-organized a seminar in Vilnius on Friday and Saturday 23 and 24 September on the current situation in Belarus.  The seminar brought together representatives of the democratic opposition and civil society in Belarus with NATO PA members and representatives of other international organizations.  The aim was to assess, with the help of the Belarussian representatives, what further action the international community, and particularly the NATO PA, could take that will assist the country to return to democracy. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1397</guid><title>19 September 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY OBSERVES AGHANISTAN’S PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1397</link><description><![CDATA[Five members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited more than 30 polling stations in the greater Kabul region as international observers of the 18 September elections in Afghanistan for the lower house of Parliament  (Wolesi Jirga) and the Provincial Councils. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1396</guid><title>16 September 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS TO OBSERVE ELECTIONS IN AFGHANISTAN</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1396</link><description><![CDATA[A delegation of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is travelling to Afghanistan to observe the elections on Sunday 18 September. Five members of parliament, Mr. Jeppe Kofod from Denmark, Mr. Karel Schwarzenburg from the Czech Republic, Mr. Lucio Malan from Italy, Mrs. Rasa Jukneviciene from Lithuania, and Mr. Kresimir Cosic from Croatia, accompanied by a member of the International Secretariat, Mr. Zachary Selden, Director of the Defence and Security Committee, will be performing their mission under the auspices of the UN's Joint Election Management Body Secretariat (JEMBS). NATO parliamentarians will be observing the elections in Kabul's polling stations according to the needs of the UN's JEMBS.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1361</guid><title>15 July 2005 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly Delegation Visits China</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1361</link><description><![CDATA[26 members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Economics and Security Committee, led by the Dutch MP Jos van Gennip and the British MP, Hugh Bayley, traveled to Beijing and Shanghai, China from July 4-8. During this first ever NATO PA delegation visit to mainland China, committee members met senior Chinese government officials, central bankers, leading members of the National People’s Assembly and the Shanghai Municipal People’s Congress as well as representatives of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, and faculty and students of the East China Normal University.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1358</guid><title>11 JULY 2005 - STATEMENT BY PIERRE LELLOUCHE, PRESIDENT OF THE NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY, ON THE TENTH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MASSACRE AT SREBRENICA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1358</link><description><![CDATA[July 2005 marks the tenth anniversary of the massacre at Srebrenica where 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys were systematically murdered by Bosnian Serb forces.  It represents the darkest chapter in European history since World War II.  As we commemorate this horrific event, now recognized by all sides as genocide, we should remember that we failed to act in time to prevent this from happening.  The impact of this barbaric act still resonates today across the region and should haunt the conscience of its perpetrators.  At the same time, we should also remember that much has changed since then.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1356</guid><title>8 July 2005 -Statement by Pierre Lellouche, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, on the Terrorists Attacks in London</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1356</link><description><![CDATA[I was shocked and appalled by the dreadful terrorist attacks in London on Thursday 7 July.  

The fact that these attacks took place as the G-8 summit is striving to alleviate poverty in the most deprived regions of the world shows that the perpetrators care nothing for humanity and civilized values.  They are an affront to all societies and all religions.
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1350</guid><title>27 JUNE – 1 JULY 2005. PROGRAMME ON DEFENCE INSTITUTION BUILDING FOR GEORGIA</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1350</link><description><![CDATA[The NATO Parliamentary Assembly held a special Programme on Defence Institution Building for senior government officials and legislators from Georgia from 27 June until 1 July. The programme was organised in close cooperation with NATO and the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1348</guid><title>27 JUNE 2005 NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS DISCUSS MIDDLE EAST PEACE PROCESS AND ROLE OF NATO IN THE BROADER MIDDLE EAST</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1348</link><description><![CDATA[Members of parliament from NATO and Mediterranean partner countries met in Naples on 24-25 June to discuss security in the region in the 2nd yearly seminar co-organised by the NATO PA and the Italian parliament.  Some 30 legislators from Europe and Canada met their colleagues from Algeria, Cyprus, Israel, Jordan, Mauritania and the Palestinian Legislative Council, as well as NATO officials and a number of experts and academics.

]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1343</guid><title>1 July 2005 PRESS STATEMENT - On the Russia-Estonia Border Treaty</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1343</link><description><![CDATA[Pierre Lellouche, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and member of the French National Assembly, strongly condemns the decision of 21 June by the government of the Russian Federation not to forward the Russia-Estonia treaty that defines the border between the two countries to the Duma for ratification.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1328</guid><title>20 June 2005 - Decentralisation critical to Kosovo’s future [Press Communiqué] </title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1328</link><description><![CDATA[Rapid and comprehensive decentralisation is a crucial precondition to securing Belgrade’s participation in future talks on the status of Kosovo. This was one of the key conclusions to emerge from the Rose-Roth seminar on “Serbia and Montenegro: Reconciling Integration and Fragmentation”, held in Sveti Stefan, Serbia and Montenegro, 16-18 June, which brought together legislators, officials and experts from within and outside the region. The seminar focused on two predominant themes: the future of the Union of Serbia and Montenegro and the future status of Kosovo at a moment when the international community has decided that 2005 will be the year of progress towards a solution and has appointed Kai Eide, Norwegian ambassador to NATO, as Kofi Annan’s envoy to the region to assess the state of the democratic standards in Kosovo.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1315</guid><title>31 May 2005 - PALESTINIANS GRANTED OBSERVER STATUS TO NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1315</link><description><![CDATA[In a ground-breaking decision, the Palestinian Legislative Council was today (Tuesday) granted observer status to meetings of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA), the Alliance’s parliamentary arm.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1313</guid><title>31 May 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS CONDEMN UZBEK VIOLENCE [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1313</link><description><![CDATA[The NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) at a plenary meeting in Ljubljana today joined the chorus of international demands for an international investigation into the violent events in Uzbekistan on 13 May 2005 and urged the Uzbek authorities to assist international officials in carrying it out.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1311</guid><title>31 May 2005 - NATO PA CALLS FOR CLOSE EU NATO COOPERATION ON DARFUR [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1311</link><description><![CDATA[NATO Parliamentarians today (Tuesday) called for close co-operation between NATO and the European Union in answering a request from the African Union (AU) for help with the crisis in the Darfur region of Western Sudan.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1303</guid><title>29 May 2005 - PARLIAMENTARIAN CALLS FOR CLOSER TIES BETWEEN NATO – EUROPEAN UNION (EU) AND UNITED NATIONS (UN)[PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1303</link><description><![CDATA[A leading NATO parliamentarian called today (Sunday) for closer ties between NATO, the European Union and the United Nations in order for the enlarged North Atlantic Alliance to meet the challenges of increasing “out of area” operations.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1301</guid><title>May 28 2005 - CALL FOR INCREASED CENTRAL ASIAN INVOLVEMENT IN NATO PA [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1301</link><description><![CDATA[For the first time a delegation from Kazakhstan is attending a session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly (NATO PA) following the granting of Parliamentary Observer status to the country in November 2004 in response to a request from the Kazakh parliament. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1295</guid><title>19 May 2005 - AFTER MIDDLE EAST VISIT, NATO PA PRESIDENT PIERRE LELLOUCHE PESSIMISTIC ABOUT PEACE PROCESS [PRESS RELEASE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1295</link><description><![CDATA[“The grim situation in the West Bank indicates that violence might explode again after the Israeli disengagement from Gaza” declared Pierre Lellouche, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly and member of the French parliament, after traveling in the West Bank and Israel from 14-17 May together with Assembly Vice Presidents Lorenzo Forcieri of Italy, Pierre Claude Nolin of Canada, and Vahit Erdem of Turkey. The purpose of the visit was to assess the current state of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and see where the parliamentary side of NATO could be helpful in increasing confidence between the two sides.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1293</guid><title>19 May 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SPRING SESSION IN LJUBLJANA TO FEATURE NUCLEAR TERRORISM EXERCISE [PRESS COMMUNIQUE]</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1293</link><description><![CDATA[Black Dawn, a nuclear terrorism simulation exercise in which terrorists acquire highly enriched uranium from civilian research reactors in or near Europe and make a crude nuclear bomb, will be presented at the NATO PA Spring Session in Ljubljana, Slovenia at the plenary meeting on May 31.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1287</guid><title>13 May 2005 - NATO Parliamentary Assembly President to visit Israel and the West Bank</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1287</link><description><![CDATA[The President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, Pierre Lellouche, together with three Vice-Presidents, will travel to the West Bank and Israel from 14-17 May 2005.  
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1286</guid><title>25 April 2005, Tbilisi</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1286</link><description><![CDATA[PRESENTATION BY SECRETARY GENERAL, SIMON LUNN,  ON "THE DEMOCRATIC CONTROL OF ARMED FORCES" AT A NATO / DCAF CONFERENCE  FOR THE CAUCASUS AND REPUBLIC OF MOLDOVA ON DEFENCE INSTITUTIONS BUILDING (PAP-DIB), HELD IN TBILISI, GEORGIA ON MONDAY, 25 APRIL 2005]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1277</guid><title>12-14 MARCH 2005, Dubrovnik, Croatia - 59th ROSE-ROTH SEMINAR - TOWARDS EUROATLANTIC INTEGRATION: PROGRESS AND CHALLENGES IN SOUTH-EAST EUROPE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1277</link><description><![CDATA[1.The NATO Parliamentary Assembly held its 59th Rose-Roth seminar on 12-14 March in Dubrovnik, Croatia. More than 60 members of parliament from most NATO countries and partners, including Assembly President Pierre Lellouche, gathered with another 70 participants from regional governments, the civil society and academia, to discuss the situation in South-East Europe.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1275</guid><title>6 may 2005 - Amman, Jordan: PRESS COMMUNIQUE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1275</link><description><![CDATA[The Mediterranean Special Group of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly visited Jordan on 3 and 4 May. A delegation of 20 members of parliament, representing 11 NATO countries held meetings in Amman with government officials, including Prime Minister Adnan Badran and Foreign Minister Farouq Alqasrawi, and members of parliament, including the President of the Senate Mr Ziad Al Rifai and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abdulhadi Al Majali.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1243</guid><title>22 April 2005 – Members of Defence and Security Committee visit FYR Macedonia and Kosovo</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1243</link><description><![CDATA[The Subcommittee on Future Security and Defence Capabilities visited FYR Macedonia and Kosovo from March 17-22, meeting with leading political and military figures, representatives of non-governmental organizations and local elected officials.  The delegation was impressed by the progress of FYR Macedonia in building a secure environment for its citizens and establishing a small but effective military capable of contributing to NATO operations.  Despite this progress, significant problems remain, particularly a lack of economic growth that is desperately needed to reduce the high unemployment rate and the social and political tensions that it generates.  Overall the delegation left with a positive impression of the Government of Macedonia’s efforts to build a multi-ethnic peaceful society and its prospects for eventual membership in both NATO and the European Union. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1226</guid><title>18 March 2005, Rome - LELLOUCHE CALLS FOR STRATEGIC VISION IN NATO RELATIONS WITH THE GULF STATES</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1226</link><description><![CDATA[Addressing a brainstorming seminar on the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative, organized jointly by NATO's Division of Public Diplomacy and the NATO Defence College held in Rome on 18 March 2005, President of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, French Deputé, Pierre Lellouche, urged NATO to "think big" in developing a strategy towards the Gulf.  Recognizing the utility of small steps of practical cooperation in providing security assistance, he argued nevertheless that only a grand strategic vision could respond to the political, economic and social needs of the region. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1222</guid><title>24 March 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS VISIT AFGHANISTAN WITH SACEUR</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1222</link><description><![CDATA[I. INTRODUCTION

1.	12 members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly from across Europe and North America visited Afghanistan on 20-22 March.  Travelling with SACEUR General James Jones, the members met with Afghanistan's President Hamid Karzai, numerous government ministers, and senior representatives from NATO, the EU and the UN.  They also visited the Provincial Reconstruction Team in Herat. ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1208</guid><title>18 February 2005 - PRESIDENT OF THE NATO PA, PIERRE LELLOUCHE, PRAISES POLAND'S CONTRIBUTION TO THE TRIUMPH OF DEMOCRACY IN UKRAINE</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1208</link><description><![CDATA[President of the NATO PA, French Deputy, Pierre Lellouche, made an official visit to Poland on Monday 31 January and Tuesday 1 February 2005, where he had meetings with Senior officials in government and parliament.  He also attended the meeting of the Warsaw Reflection Group on Monday 31 January entitled "Towards Effective Multilateralism; Complementarity of European Security Institutions: NATO, EU, OSCE, CoE" at the invitation of the Polish Foreign Minister, Adam Daniel Rotfeld. He was accompanied by the Secretary General of the Assembly,  Simon Lunn. 
]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1204</guid><title>20 February 2005 - NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS : ALLIANCE CENTRAL IN TRANSATLANTIC RELATIONS</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1204</link><description><![CDATA[Members of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting in Brussels Sunday 20 February stressed the unique importance of the Alliance as the forum in which to manage transatlantic relations and guarantee global security.  ]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1198</guid><title>4 February 2005 – Assembly Members Briefed on Progress in Afghanistan, Warned about Possible New Sources of Transatlantic Tensions</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1198</link><description><![CDATA[Forty members of the Assembly’s Defence and Security Committee convened in the United States for meetings with administration officials and members of Congress from 24 to 28 January.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2005 press releases</category></item><item><guid isPermaLink="true">http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1134</guid><title>25-27 December 2004 – NATO PA Delegation in Ukraine to Monitor Repeat Second Round Presidential Election</title><link>http://www.nato-pa.int/shortcut.asp?ID=1134</link><description><![CDATA[25-27 December 2004 – Twenty-one members and associate members of the Assembly took part in the International Election Observation Mission (IEOM) to monitor the repeat second round of the presidential election in Ukraine.  As with the previous rounds of the Ukrainian Presidential Election - on 1 November and 21 November – the IEOM consisted of delegations from the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, and the European Parliament.]]></description><author>dgriswold@nato-pa.int (NATO PA)</author><category>2004</category></item></channel></rss>
