MINUTES OF THE SPRING SESSION MARRAKECH 18-21 MARCH 2002 ASSOCIATION OF SECRETARIES GENERAL OF PARLIAMENTS Minutes of the Spring Session 2002 Marrakech 18-21 March 2002 LIST OF ATTENDANCE MEMBERS PRESENT Mr Artan Banushi Albania Dr Allauoa Layeb Algeria Mr Diogo De Jesus Angola Mr Valenti Marti Castanyer Andorra Mr Ian Harris Australia Mr Georg Posch Austria Mr Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad Bangladesh Mr Dmitry Shilo Belarus Mr Robert Myttenaere Belgium Mr Georges Brion Belgium Mr Vedran Hadzovik Bosnia & Herzegovina Mr Ognyan Avramov Bulgaria Mr Prosper Vokouma Burkina Faso Mr Carlos Hoffmann Contreras Chile Mr Mateo Sorinas Balfego Council of Europe Mr Brissi Lucas Guehi Cote d’Ivoire Mr Constantinos Christoforou Cyprus Mr Peter Kynstetr Czech Republic Mr Paval Pelant Czech Republic Mr Bourhan Daoud Ahmed Djibouti Mr Farag El-Dory Egypt Mr Samy Mahran Egypt Mr Heike Sibul Estonia Mr Seppo Tiitinen Finland Mr Jean-Claude Becane France Mr Pierre Hontebeyrie France Mrs Hélène Ponceau France Mr Xavier Roques France Mrs Marie-Françoise Pucetti Gabon Mr Felix Owansango Daecken Gabon Mrs Siti Nurhajati Daud Indonesia Mr Arie Hahn Israel Mr Guiseppe Troccoli Italy 2 Mr Amuel Waweru Ndindiri Kenya Mr Sheridah Al-Mosharji Kuwait Mr H Morokole Lesotho Mr Pierre Dillenburg Luxembourg Mr Mamadou Santara Mali Mr Daadankhuu Batbaatar Mongolia Mr Mohamed Idrissi Kaitouni Morocco Mr Carlos Manuel Moxambique Mr Moses Ndjarakana Namibia Mrs Panuleni Shimutwikeni Namibia Mr Bas Nieuwenhuizen Netherlands Mrs Jacqueline Bisheuvel-Vermeijden Netherlands Mr Ibrahim Salim Nigeria Mr Hans Brattesta Norway Mr Rafael De Guzman Philippines Mr Oscar Yabes Philippines Mrs Emma Lirio-Reyes Philippines Mrs Adelina Sá Carvalho Portugal Mr Byeong O Kim Republic of Korea Mr Constantin Sava Romania Mr Cristian Ionescu Romania Mr Petr Tkachenko Russian Federation Mr Anicet Habarurema Rwanda Mr Francisco Silva Sao Tomé e Principe Mrs Jozica Veliscek Slovenia Mrs Piedad Garcia-Escudero Spain Mr Manuel Alba Navarro Spain Mr Dhammika Kitulgoda Sri Lanka Mr Ibrahim Mohamed Ibrahim Sudan Mr Anders Forsberg Sweden Mr John Clerc Switzerland Mrs Mariangela Walliman-Bornaticeo Switzerland Mr Christoph Lanz Switzerland Mrs Sirilak Panbamrungkit Thailand Mr Chinda Chareonpun Thailand Mrs Karolina Ognjanovic Cukalieva The FYR of Macedonia Mr Vahit Erdem Turkey Mr Vyacheslav Koval Ukraine Mr Vladimir Aksyonov Union of Belarus & the Russian Federation Sir Michael Davies United Kingdom Mr George Cubie United Kingdom 3 Mrs Margarita Reyes Uruguay Mr Colin Cameron Western European Union Mr Milan Lucic Yugoslavia Mr Mwelwa Ng’ono Chibesakunda Zambia SUBSTITUTES Mrs Marie-Andree Lajoie (for Mr W Corbett) Canada Mr Everhard Voss (for Mr P Eickenboom) Germany Mr Horst Risse (for Mr G B Oschatz Germany Mrs Stavroula Vassilouni (for Mr T Tzortzopoulos) Greece Mr Jean Ariel Joseph (for Mr M Fils-Aime) Haiti Shri P R Guha Roy (for Mr R C Tripathi) India Ms Cait Hayes (for Mr K Coughlan) Ireland Mr Carlo Guelfi (for Mr D Nocilla) Italy Mr Vicenzo Lippolis (for Mr U Zampetti) Italy Ms Ipi Cross (for Mr D G McGee) New Zealand Mr Ramon Ricardo A Roque (for Mr R P Nazarena) Philippines Mr Jakub Borawski (for Mr K Czeszjeko-Sochacki) Poland Mr Kasper Hahndiek (for Mr S Mfenyana) South Africa OBSERVERS Mrs Timabologo Chephethe Botswana Mr Stern Remstedt European Parliament Mr K E K Tachie Ghana Mr Karabarbounis Greece Mr Ku Rao India Mrs Sri Sumarjati Haryanto Indonesia Ms Warsiti Alfiah Indonesia Ms Nining Indra Shaleh Indonesia Ms Luisa Accarino Italy Mr Limame Ould Teguedi Mauritania Mrs Hadizatou Ibrahim Niger Mrs R A Ahmadu Nigeria Ms Jennifer Manalili Philippines Mr Nunõ Paixao Portugal Mrs Cristina Dumitrescu Romania Mrs Madalina Mihalache Romania 4 Ms Cristina Sever Romania Mr Peter Valdner Slovakia Mr Narongporn Pinyo Thailand Ms Nutthomol Pongroj Thailand Mr Tran Ngoc Hung Vietnam APOLOGIES Mrs Constance Mompei Botswana Mr William Corbett Canada Mr Julian Priestley European Parliament Mr Jean-Lyon France Mr Peter Eickenboom Germany Mr Georg-Berndt Oschatz Germany Mr Tzortzopoulos Greece Mr Madelain Fils-Aime Haiti Mr Kieran Coughlan Ireland Mr Damiano Nocilla Italy Mr Ugo Zampetti Italy Mr R C Tripathi India M Fukumaru Tani Japan Mr Yoshihiro Komazaki Japan Mr Chris L Balje Netherlands Mr D G McGee New Zealand Mr Roberto P Nazareno Philippines Mr Krzysztof Czeszejko-Sochacki Poland Mr Dzurik Slovakia Mr Sindiso Mfenyana South Africa Mr Chamnong Suampracam Thailand Mr Phicheth Kitisin Thailand Mr Mario Farachio Uruguay Ms Helen Dingani Zimbabwe 5 TABLE OF CONTENTS – Page No FIRST SITTING - Monday 18 March [pm] 1. Introductory Remarks...............................................................................................................8 2. Visits and Lunch of the ASGP ..................................................................................................8 3. Elections to the Executive Committee........................................................................................8 4. Orders of the Day ....................................................................................................................9 5. New Members.........................................................................................................................11 6. General Revision of the Rules...................................................................................................13 7. Presentation by the host Secretary General on the Parliamentary System of Morocco..................................................................................................................................13 8. Concluding Remarks................................................................................................................28 SECOND SITTING – Tuesday 19 March [am] 1. Introductory Remarks...............................................................................................................29 2. Communication from Mr Martin CHUNGONG on the Recent Activities of the IPU..........................29 3. First Draft Report of Mr Ian HARRIS (Australia) on Promoting the Work of Parliament...................33 4. Communication from Mr Prosper VOKOUMA (Burkina Faso) on Parliamentary Civil Employees (the case of Burkina Faso)......................................................................................41 THIRD SITTING – Tuesday 19 March [pm] 1. Introductory Remarks...............................................................................................................53 2. Communication from Mrs Adelina SA CARVALHO (Portugal) on Implementation of an e-library in the Parliament.........................................................................................................53 3. Communication from Mr Jean-Claude BECANE (France) on Use by the French Senate of New Technology in Legislative procedure ..............................................................................63 4. Communication from Mr Ian HARRIS (Australia) on the Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Australian Federation at the Australian Parliament ..........................................69 5. Concluding Remarks ...............................................................................................................70 6 FOURTH SITTING – Thursday 21 March [am] 1. Introductory Remarks ..............................................................................................................71 2. Communication from Mr Pierre HONTEBEYRIE (France) on Time reserved for non- Government business .............................................................................................................71 3. Communication from Mr Fridrik OLAFSSON (Iceland) on Policy and Strategy for the Information services of the Icelandic Parliament ........................................................................80 4. Communication from Mr Mwelwa CHIBESAKUNDA (Zambia) on the Election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the Zambian Parliament: Lessons from other Jurisdictions ...........................................................................................................................82 FIFTH SITTING – Thursday 21 March [pm] 1. Introductory Remarks...............................................................................................................92 2. General revision of the Rules....................................................................................................92 3. Elections to the Executive Committee .......................................................................................96 4. New Members ........................................................................................................................97 5. Administrative and Financial Questions .....................................................................................97 6. Examination of the draft Agenda for the Geneva Session (September 2002).................................98 7. Closure of the Session.............................................................................................................98 7 FIRST SITTING, Monday 18 March 2002 (Afternoon) Mrs Adelina SÁ CARVALHO, President, in the Chair The sitting was opened at 3.00 pm 1. Introductory Remarks Mrs Adelina SÁ CARVALHO, President, welcomed members to the session of the ASGP in Marrakech and thanked Mr Mohamed Rachid IDRISSI KAITOUNI, Secretary General of the House of Representatives of Morocco, for hosting the meeting. She included in her remarks the staff working under him who she