UNION INTERPARLEMENTAIRE INTER-PARLIAMENTARY UNION Association of Secretaries General of Parliaments MINUTES OF THE AUTUMN SESSION GENEVA 16 – 18 OCTOBER 2006 1 2 ASSOCIATION OF SECRETARIES GENERAL OF PARLIAMENTS Minutes of the Autumn Session 2006 Geneva 16 – 18 October 2006 LIST OF ATTENDANCE MEMBERS PRESENT Mr Hafnaoui Amrani Algeria Mr Juan Hector Estrada Argentina Dr Georg Posch Austria Dr Abdul Naser Mohamad Janahi Bahrain Mr ATM Ataur Rahman Bangladesh Mr Gleb Bedritsky Belarus Mr Robert Mytennaere Belgium Mr Luc Blondeel Belgium Mr Alpheus Matihaku Botswana Mr Sérgio Sampaio Contreiras de Almeida Brazil Mr Prosper Vokouma Burkina Faso Mr Marc Rwabahungu Burundi Mr Edouard Nduwimana Burundi Mr Samson Ename Ename Cameroon Mr Marc Bosc Canada Mr Carlos Hoffmann Contreras Chile Mr Carlos Loyola Opazo Chile Mr Brissi Lucas Guehi Cote d'Ivoire Mr Wojciech Sawicki Council of Europe Mr Mateo Sorinas Balfego Council of Europe Mr Petr Kynstetr Czech Republic Mr František Jakub Czech Republic Mrs Halima Ahmed Ecowas Parliament Dr Daniel Reinerio Granda Arciniega Ecuador Mr Heiki Sibul Estonia Mrs Hélène Ponceau France Mr Xavier Roques France Mr Alain Delcamp France Mr Felix Owansango Deacken Gabon Mr Dirk Brouër Germany Mr K.E.K. Tachie Ghana Mr Jacques-Michel Saint-Louis Haiti Mr Jean-Elie GILLES Haiti Mr Helgi Bernódusson Iceland Shri P.D.T. Achary India 3 Dr Yogendra Narain India Mrs I. Gusti Ayu Darsini Indonesia Mr Amjad Abdul Hamid Iraq Mr Arie Hahn Israel Mr Samuel Waweru Ndindiri Kenya Mr Tae-Rang Kim Korea (Rep of) Mr M. G. Maluke Lesotho Mr Nanborlor F. Singbeh Liberia Mr Ahmed Mohamed Maldives Mr Mamadou Santara Mali Mrs Valérie Viora-Puyo Monaco Mr Abdeljalil Zerhouni Morocco Mr Carlos Manuel Mozambique Mr Jakes Johannes Namibia Mrs Jacqueline Biesheuvel-Vermeijden Netherlands Mr Moussa Moutari Niger Mr Nasiru I. Arab Nigeria Mr Umaru Sani Nigeria Mr Raja Muhammad Amin Pakistan Mr Oscar Yabes Philippines Mrs Adelina Sá Carvalho Portugal Mrs Georgeta Elisabeta Ionescu Romania Mr Dan Constantin Vasiliu Romania Mrs Marie-José Boucher Camara Senegal Mr Viktor Stromćek Slovakia Mr Mohamed Hassan Awale Somalia Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Ibrahim Sudan Mrs Marcia I.S. Burleson Suriname Mr Anders Forsberg Sweden Mrs Mariangela Wallimann-Bornatico Switzerland Mr John Clerc Switzerland Mr James Warburg Tanzania Mr Damian S. Foka Tanzania Mr Pitoon Pumhiran Thailand Mr Sompol Vanigbandhu Thailand Mrs Suvimol Phumisingharaj Thailand Ms Roksa Georgievska The FYR of Macedonia Mr Valentyn Zaichouk Ukraine Mr José Pedro Montero Uruguay Mr Colin Cameron W.E.U. Mr Floris De Gou W.E.U. Ms Helen B. Dingani Zimbabwe 4 SUBSTITUTES Mr José António (for Mr Diogo De Jesus) Angola Ms Claressa Surtees (for Mr I. Harris) Australia Ms Heather Lank (for Mr G. O’Brien) Canada Mr Mubarek Sani (for Mrs Adanech Abiebie) Ethiopia Mr Friedhelm Maier (for Dr Stelzl) Germany Mrs Stavroula Vassilouni (for Mr G. Karabatzos) Greece Mrs Winantuningtyastuti Swasanani Indonesia Ms Cait Hayes (for Mr K. Coughlan) Ireland Ms Elizabeth M. Woolcott (for Mr D.G. McGee) New Zealand Mrs Ewa Nawrocka (for Mrs E. Polkowska) Poland Mr Tomasz Glanz (for Mrs W. Fidelus-Ninkiewicz) Poland Mrs Nilda Borges Da Mata (for Mr Romão Pereira São Tomé and Principe Do Couto) Mr Joe Phaweni (for Mr Z. A. Dingani) South Africa Mrs Helen Irwin (for Dr M. Jack) United Kingdom Mr Brendan Keith (for Mr P. Hayter) United Kingdom Mrs Margarita Reyes Galván (for Mr M. Uruguay Dalgalarrondo) Mrs Claudia Palacio (for Mr H. Rodríguez Filippino) Uruguay Mr Vu Hai Ha (for Mr Bui Ngoc Thanh) Vietnam ALSO PRESENT Mr Pedro Alberto Yaba Angola Mr Ebrahim Bashmi Bahrain Mr William França Brazil Mr Adesina Sotuminu Ecowas Parliament Ms Carmita Fuel Ecuador Mr Ayad N. Majid Iraq Mrs Luisa Accarino Italy Mr Stefano Taulero Italy Mr Lawal A. Garba Nigeria Mr Kramat Hussain Niazi Pakistan Mrs Anna Pomianowska-Bąk Poland Ms Alice Ratyis Romania Mr Alexandru Tanase Romania Ms Elizabeth Barinda Rwanda Mr Ali Osman Sudan Dr Martin Brothén Sweden Mr Oleg Rzhondkovskyi Ukraine 5 APOLOGIES Mr Diogo De Jesus Angola Mr Ian Harris Australia Mrs Emma De Prins Belgium Mr Gary O’Brien Canada Mr Adelino Alfonso De Jesus East Timor Mrs Adanech Abiebie Ethiopia Dr Stelzl Germany Mr George Karabatzos Greece Mr Faisal Djamal Indonesia Mr Kieran Coughlan Ireland Mr Francesco Posteraro Italy Mr Yoshinori Kawamura Japan Mr Yoshihiro Komazaki Japan Mr Takeaki Ishido Japan Mr Makoto Onitsuka Japan Ms Panduleni Shimutwikeni Namibia Mr David. G. McGee New Zealand Mr Hans Brattestå Norway Mrs Ewa Polkowska Poland Mrs Wanda Fidelus-Ninkiewicz Poland Mr Romão Pereira Do Couto São Tomé and Principe Mr Z. A. Dingani South Africa Mr Manuel Alba Navarro Spain Mrs Priyanee Wijesekera Sri Lanka Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Ibrahim Sudan Dr Malcolm Jack United Kingdom Mr Hugo Rodríguez Filippino Uruguay Mr Marti Dalgalarrondo Uruguay Mr Colin Cameron W.E.U. Mr Bui Ngoc Thanh Vietnam 6 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page No FIRST SITTING – Monday 16 October [am] 1. Opening of the Session ..................................................................................... 9 2. Orders of the Day .............................................................................................. 9 3. New Members.................................................................................................. 13 4. Report by Mr Anders Forsberg, President of the ASGP, on recent developments affecting the Association .................................................................................. 14 5. General debate: Organising Parliamentary Reform (Moderator: Mr Marc Bosc, Deputy Clerk of the House of Commons of Canada) .... 14 SECOND SITTING – Monday 16 October [pm] 1. Interventions by Mr Anders Johnsson and Mr Martin Chungong on recent activities of the IPU and future plans involving the ASGP .................................... 36 2. General debate: Managing Relations between the two Chambers of Parliament (Moderator: Mr Brendan Keith, Principal Clerk of the Judicial Office of the House of Lords (United Kingdom)) ............................................................................... 41 THIRD SITTING – Tuesday 17 October [am] 1. New Members.................................................................................................. 63 2. General debate: Parliamentary Relations with the Media (Moderator : Mr Xavier Roques, Secretary General of the Questure of the National Assembly (France)) ............................................................................. 63 FOURTH SITTING – Tuesday 17 October [pm] 1. Communications by Mr Sérgio Sampaio Contreiras de Almeida, Director General of the Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), on the mechanisms implemented by the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies to promote interaction between this Legislative House and Society, and Mrs Georgeta Ionescu, Secretary General of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania), on the relationship between the Romanian Chamber of Deputies and the civil society organizations ......................................................................................108 2. Communication by Mr Shri P.D.T. Achary, Secretary General of the Lok Sabha (India), on the Right to Information Act ............................................................117 7 FIFTH SITTING – Wednesday 18 October [am] 1. New Members ................................................................................................129 2. Election of Members to the Executive Committee ..............................................129 3. Communication by Dr Yogendra Narain, Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha of India on the expulsion of Members of the House ...............................................129 4. Speech by Mr Pier Ferdinando Casini, President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, on relations between the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the ASGP ...........134 5. Administrative questions: election of two ordinary members to the Executive Committee .....................................................................................................134 6. Communication by Mrs Hélène Ponceau, Secretary General of the Questure of the Senate (France), on the search for pluralism in the internal management of the French parliamentary assemblies: the specific role of the Quaestors .............134 7. Communication by Mrs Halima Ahmed, Secretary General of the ECOWAS Parliament, on restructuring the ECOWAS Parliament ........................................144 SIXTH SITTING – Wednesday 18 October [pm] 1. Presentation of a questionnaire by Mr Hafnaoui Amrani, Secretary General of the Council of the Nation (Algeria), on the role of Parliaments and parliamentarians in promoting reconciliation in society after civil strife ............................................152 2. Intervention by Mr Amjad Abdul Hamid, Secretary General of the Council of Representatives (Iraq), on the situation in Iraq .................................................154 3. Draft budget of the Association for 2007 ..........................................................155 4. Examination of the draft agenda for the next meeting (Indonesia, Spring 2007) ....156 5. Closure of the Session ....................................................................................157 8 FIRST SITTING Monday 16 October 2006 (Morning) Mr Anders FORSBERG, President, in the Chair The sitting was opened at 10.00 am 1. Opening of the Session Mr Anders FORSBERG, President, welcomed participants to the session of the ASGP in Geneva in parallel with the 115th assembly of the IPU. He thanked