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19 May 2008
PR 190508 E
This is not a NATO Press Release

NATO PARLIAMENTARY ASSEMBLY SESSION IN BERLIN
23-27 May 2008

In 1993, less than four years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the capital of reunited Germany, hosted the spring session of North Atlantic Assembly's then 16 member nations. In November 2000, Berlin again hosted the 46th Annual Session of the newly re-named NATO Parliamentary Assembly which by then included 19 member parliaments. From 23 to 27 May, the now 26 members delegations from NATO member countries meet again in Berlin along with legislators from more than 20 non-member parliaments, including Russia, Ukraine, Georgia, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. Altogether, about 340 parliamentarians are expected to participate.

The 5-day session will take place in the Bundestag where the NATO PA's five committees (Political, Defence and Security, Science and Technology, Civil Dimension of Security, Economics and Security) will consider a wide range of reports on issues that remain at the centre of the debate about Western security, such as operations in Afghanistan, Kosovo and the future of the Balkans, NATO's future political agenda, democracy and security in Central Asia, NATOÂ’s present and future partnerships, energy security, reducing global nuclear threats, state and religion in the Black Sea Region, etc.

Committee speakers include German Federal Minister of Defence, Dr Franz Jung, Lt. Gen Sher Karimi, Chief of Operations Afghan National Army, Hon. Douglas Bereuter, President of the Asia Foundation, Daniel Fata, US Deputy Secretary Assistant of Defense for European and NATO policy, and Air Marshal Christopher Moran, Deputy Commander at Joint Force Command Brunssum.

Assembly President, JosÃ© Lello will open the plenary meeting on Tuesday 27 followed by Klaus Wowereit, Governing Mayor of Berlin and GÃ¶ran Lenmarker, President of the OSCE PA. There will be question and answer sessions after speeches by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer; Supreme Allied Commander Europe General Bantz John Craddock, and Vice-Chancellor and Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

The plenary session will be broadcast live on web tv at: http://www.bundestag.de/htdocs_e/parliament/plenary/tv.html.

NATO Parliamentary Assembly President, Jose LELLO and
the Head of the German Delegation to the NATO PA, Karl LAMERS
will give a detailed
PRESS BRIEFING
at 10:00 am, Friday 23 May
3M001, Third Level, Reichstag Building

During this Spring Session, the Assembly will also ask its members to begin discussions on the issues and ideas that they feel should feature in any new strategic concept to be developed by NATO.

The Session is open to accredited Media. For information, members of the Press should contact the NATO PA Press Service: + 32 2 5 0 48 154. For accreditation they should contact the Deutscher Bundestag Press service at + 49 (0) 30 227 35570. http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=1368

Consult http://www.nato-pa.int/default.asp?SHORTCUT=1368 for regular updates.

The NATO Parliamentary Assembly is an interparliamentary organization,
independent from NATO, which provides a link between NATO and the
parliaments of its member countries. The Assembly also brings together
legislators from NATO member and non-member countries to consider
security-related issues of common interest and concern.

************************************************************************************
Roberta Calorio
Rose-Roth Programmes and Media Relations Officer
NATO Parliamentary Assembly
International Secretariat
Place du Petit Sablon 3
B - 1000 Brussels

' +32 2 504 8154 (Direct Line)
' +32 2 513 2865 (Switchboard)
1 +32 2 514 1847
* rcalorio@nato-pa.int
Website: www.nato-pa.int