News from Copenhagen

Number 359 Current Information from the OSCE PA International Secretariat 29 September 2010 Parliamentarians to debate transnational crime and corruption in Over 200 OSCE Parliamentarians from 50 OSCE countries economic, cultural, and environmental co-operation in the are expected to participate in the Ninth OSCE Parliamentary Mediterranean area. Assembly Fall Meetings taking place Palermo, , from In the session focusing on co-operation in economic and 8-11 October 2010. The previous Fall Meetings were held in infrastructure sectors in the Mediterranean basin, Altero Athens, Greece. Matteoli, Italian Minister for Infrastructure and Transportation, Hosted by the Sicilian Regional Assembly, the Fall and Agostino Miozzo, Director of the Volunteer, Institutional Meetings include meetings of the and International Relations Office, Assembly’s Mediterranean Forum and Italian Civil Protection Depart-ment, Standing Committee and a Conference are expected to speak. on “The Fight against Transnational The conference on organized crime Organized Crime and Corruption.” and corruption will include discussions Featured speakers will include on human trafficking, a look at the OSCE PA President Petros Efthymiou ten years since the adoption of the (Greece), OSCE PA Vice-President United Nations Convention against and head of the Italian delegation to Transnational Organized Crime, the Parliamentary Assembly, Riccardo and the fight against corruption. Migliori, as well as Kanat Saudabayev, Participants include representatives Kazakhstan’s Minister of Foreign of the National Anti-Mafia Bureau, Affairs and OSCE Chairperson-in- the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, Office, and OSCE Secretary General, Transparency International, and Marc Perrin de Brichambaut. Interpol. The main speakers from The focus of the conference are Francesco Cascio, President of the Sicilian Regional continues the Assembly’s theme for 2010, “Rule of Law: Assembly, and the Presidents of the Italian Chamber of Combating Transnational Crime and Corruption.” At this Deputies and Senate, and Renato Schifani year’s Annual Session in Oslo, the Assembly adopted as well as several Cabinet ministers. resolutions and recommendations for the OSCE and its All sessions will take place at the Sicilian Regional participating States related to the various dimensions of this Assembly at Palazzo dei Normanni in Palermo. topic. Delegates from the parliaments of Israel, Algeria and The work in Palermo will continue this focus, providing Morocco are also expected to participate, primarily in the an opportunity for follow-up and the ongoing exchange of sessions of the Mediterranean Forum, which will deal with best practices. Battelli to lead OSCE short-term observers in Bosnia and Herzegovina To lead the short-term OSCE observer mission to the 3 and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska. Mr. Battelli October general elections in Bosnia and Herzegovina and to visited Sarajevo again on 21-22 June. deliver the post-election statement on behalf of the OSCE, The OSCE PA has observed elections in BiH in 2002, the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Kazakhstan’s Secretary of 2004 and 2006. State and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kanat Saudabayev, The OSCE mission, comprising the OSCE Parliamentary has appointed Roberto Battelli (Slovenia) as OSCE Special Assembly and the OSCE/ODIHR, is carried out in conformity Co-ordinator. He will deliver the post-election statement in with a Co-operation Agreement from 1997, and works Sarajevo on 4 October. closely with parliamentary colleagues from the Council of Mr. Battelli, who serves as Treasurer of the OSCE Europe, NATO and the European Parliament. Parliamentary Assembly and as Special Representative on In addition to the more than 30 parliamentary observers, the South East Europe, will also head the OSCE PA delegation. OSCE intends to deploy 300 short-term observers on Election In preparation for the elections, Mr. Battelli, together with Day. The mission is supported by Ambassador Andreas then President Joao Soares, participated in an official visit to Nothelle and Programme Officer Roberto Montella from the Bosnia and Herzegovina from 23 to 27 March. During this PA’s Vienna Liaison Office and by Research/Publications four-day visit, the PA delegation was briefed on the overall Officer Nat Parry and Research Fellow Laura-Marie Töpfer political and economic situation in the Federation of Bosnia from the International Secretariat in Copenhagen.

For further information: Secretary General R. Spencer Oliver, Director of Communications Klas Bergman, or Research/Publications Officer Nat Parry, E-mail [email protected], Tel: +45 33 37 80 40, Fax: +45 33 37 80 30.