Slovak President Ivan Gašparovic, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner are among the leading personalities to address the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) during its spring session in Strasbourg (14-18 April 2008).
According to a CE press-release, forwarded to UNIAN, an urgent debate has been requested on the functioning of democratic institutions in Armenia, and a current affairs debate on the situation in the Middle East.
Topics to be debated include access to safe and legal abortion in Europe, Muslim communities confronted with extremism, child and teenage suicide in Europe, and the teaching of European literature, with an intervention by French-Lebanese writer Amin Maalouf.
Slovak Foreign Minister Ján Kubiš will present the traditional communication from the Committee of Ministers, the Council of Europe`s executive body, and answer parliamentarians` questions. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, will also present his annual activity report.
On the fringe of the session, the Political Affairs Committee will hold a public hearing on "The situation in China on the eve of the Olympic Games" (Thursday 17 April at 8.30 am), to be attended by a representative of the Dalai Lama and human rights organisations working in China. The Chinese authorities have also been invited.
The Assembly will finalise its agenda only at the opening of the session.
