ZAGREB, Sept 12 (Hina) - Parliament can and must have a pivotal role in democratic society, being a supervisory board that guarantees that government respects and implements democratic rules and procedures, said Panajotis Rumelijotis,
the head of the Stability Pact's democratisation and human rights working table, in Zagreb on Tuesday.
ZAGREB, Sept 12 (Hina) - Parliament can and must have a pivotal role
in democratic society, being a supervisory board that guarantees
that government respects and implements democratic rules and
procedures, said Panajotis Rumelijotis, the head of the Stability
Pact's democratisation and human rights working table, in Zagreb on
Tuesday.#L#
The first part of the two-day plenary session of the Stability Pact
member countries' parliamentary heads' conference commenced with
Rumelijotis' speech on Tuesday morning.
During the session, representatives of 36 national parliaments and
international organisations' parliamentary assemblies will speak
of the issue "Parliaments' Role in the Implementation of the
Stability Pact and in the Strengthening of European and Euro-
Atlantic Integration".
Parliamentarians' job is to create favourable political
conditions, as the economic progress cannot be accomplished in
societies with a lack of democracy, Rumelijotis added.
It is necessary for countries covered by the Stability Pact for
South-eastern Europe to develop their parliamentary cooperation.
Three issues prevail: parliamentary procedures, the fight against
corruption and organised crime and the protection of the cultural
heritage, the Greek diplomat said.
Rumelijotis expressed confidence that such cooperation could
contribute to the stabilisation of the region as well as to its
economic and democratic progress.
The head of a French delegation at the Zagreb conference, Alain
Barrau, maintained that the Stability Pact offered a very original
and ambitious framework for co-operation, covering some 50
countries and international organisations and encompassing
different fields of cooperation from finance to human freedoms.
Barrau described the adoption of the Stability Pact as a far-
reaching event for all European nations. Therefore the ambition of
parliamentary heads who are taking part in the Zagreb conference
must be to help implement and develop that process, the French
official added.
Slovene parliament's head, Janez Podobnik, said he had arrived in
Zagreb to convey his own and his country's support to efforts of the
neighbouring Croatia and described Croatia's initiative to gather
Stability Pact member-states parliamentary heads as very
positive.
We believe that Europe cannot attain success as long as all of its
parts, all of its regions, including south-eastern Europe - do not
achieve peace, democracy and full stability, the Slovene
parliamentarian emphasised adding the incomplete participation of
the European Southeast in the accomplishment of joint European
values would affect a broader area.
Podobnik urged stronger participation in and support of important
political factors to the economic recovery of this region.
Joint concrete economic projects should be launched in the
countries in this region as business initiatives aimed at the
development would have a greater value than the current concept of
donors and beneficiaries, the Slovene said.
In the morning, 13 participants held speeches, and the same number
of speakers will address the event this afternoon.
The third part of the plenary session will start tomorrow morning
and is expected to finish with the adoption of a final document - the
Zagreb Declaration.
(hina) jn ms