Presentation of democracy conference

SANA’A, Jan 9 (Saba) – President Ali Abdullah Saleh would launch on 11th January the Regional Inter-Governmental Conference on Democracy, Human Rights and the Role of the International Criminal Court in Sana’a, on 10-12 January, 2004. More than 46 representatives of governments, parliaments, international and regional organizations will attend the major event. Under the auspices of the presidency of the European Union, the conference will be organized by many governments and international organizations including the Government of Yemen, the No Peace without Justice, and the UNDP. Democracy, the role of the law in establishing democracy, the issue of human rights in Mideast region and Good Governance will top the topics of the meeting. Mohammed Al-Tayeb, the Yemeni Coordinator of the conference said this kind of event attracted the highest turnout. “Among the participants are 38 ministers, representatives of 26 parliaments, and representatives of likeminded regional and international organizations,” he said. The senior guests of the event include the Secretary General of the Arab League, Amr Mossa, the Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Conference , Abdul-Wahid Balqaziz, chief of the EU Foreign Policy, Javier Solana and the UN Deputy Secretary General.” The Conference Secretariat issued a “Presentation of the Conference” that presented the conference. It said that the conference is meant “to provide a forum for Arab countries and their neighbors to initiate a serious dialogue to share their achievements, the difficulties faced and their commitments for the future, with special emphasis on the rule of law in the promotion of change and in its safeguards.” “The conference is not designed to be a forum for criticism or diagnostics but will focus on enhancing the process of dialogue, sharing experiences and establishing principles that will aid countries in the region to enhance the process of change within the cultural, political and religious context in each of the countries and in an evolutionary fashion, based on the acceptance and receptiveness of the people to practice it. The First thematic conference will cover the start of operations of the International Criminal Court and its repercussion for the protection of human rights and the promotion of democratic values inherent in the Rule of Law. This session will include contributions from the Judges and the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, as well as participating Ministers of States Parties. The Second Thematic Conference will be dedicated to the discussion of the Interdependence of Democracy and Human Rights. Government delegations from countries of the region will present their thoughts and proposals, in an open dialogue, on the development of democratic principles in their own countries, within the context of Islamic culture, which is compatible with the principles of justice and freedom. The Third Thematic Conference will be dedicated to the roles of civil society actors in the promotion of democratic ideals including the role of the media, the nongovernmental organizations, the political parties and the media in widely establishing the principles of democracy and human rights protection. AA/AA/TN SABA