For immediate release
25 May 2007
PRESS COMMUNIQUE - COMMUNIQUE
PRESSE
NATO PARLIAMENTARIANS OBSERVE NATO DISASTER
RESPONSE
EXERCISE IN CROATIA
Members of the
Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly
participated as observers in NATOs disaster response exercise IDASSA 2007 in
Zadar, Croatia on 22-24 May
2007.
The scenario of the exercise included a hostage-taking and
contamination by biological agents at Zadar airport; a chemical spill in an
industrial harbor; and a severe earthquake causing damage to the local
infrastructure and displacements of populations.
The IDASSA
exercise, organized jointly by NATOs Euro-Atlantic Disaster Response and
Coordination Center (EADRCC) and the Croatian civil protection authorities,
brought together over 1,000 participants from 21 countries, as well as over 100
observers.
This is the seventh international field exercise
conducted by the EADRCC to test NATOs disaster response mechanism and promote
greater interoperability among the national emergency services of Allied and
partner countries.
The NATO PA delegation, led by Michael Clapham,
Chairman of the Committee on the Civil Dimension of Security, was able to
observe rescue operations at all major sites and witness first-hand the
co-operation on the ground between civilian and military disaster response teams
from NATO member and partner countries.
The Committee on the Civil
Dimension of Security regularly discusses the challenges posed by international
terrorism and natural disasters and the role of the
Alliance in addressing these challenges
in co-operation with other relevant organizations, such as, in particular, the
United Nations and the European Union.
On 27 May, at the NATO PAs
Spring Session in Madeira Portugal, the Committee
will examine a report by Lord Jopling
(United
Kingdom) on the Protection of Critical
Infrastructures. To view this report:
http://www.nato-pa.int/Default.asp?SHORTCUT=1165
For more information on NATOs IDASSA 2007
exercise, please visit:
http://www.nato.int/eadrcc/2007/05-idassa/index.htm
For further information, please contact
e-mail: Press@nato-pa.int
NATO Parliamentary
Assembly
Place
du Petit Sablon 3, 1000 Brussels,
Belgium
Tél: (32) 2 513 28 65 | Fax: (32) 2 514 18 47 |
website: http:// www.nato-pa.int |
Background
The
NATO Parliamentary Assembly, founded in 1955 with a Brussels-based
secretariat,
brings together 248 national
parliamentarians from the 26 NATO countries.
In
addition, 15 associate delegations from Central and Eastern
Europe,
Ukraine
and Russia;
4 Mediterranean
Associate delegations: Morocco,
Algeria,
Jordan,
Israel
and 7 Parliamentary Observer delegations participate in
Assembly activities and meetings.