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Peace, Security and Disarmament

Meeting of the Socialist International Committee for Peace, Security and Disarmament, Budapest

08 October 1997

'European Security after NATO Enlargement' was the main theme of the SI Peace, Security and Disarmament Committee, SIPSAD, held in Budapest, Hungary on 8 October. The meeting was chaired by Günter Verheugen, Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD, and some 25 SI parties/ organisations were represented (full list of participants).

The Hungarian Socialist Party, MSzP, hosted the meeting and László Kovács, foreign minister of Hungary, opened the debate. He explained Hungary's reasons for wishing to join NATO as both spiritual - sharing a proliferation of values with established democracies - and material - an extension of stability and thus, it was hoped, prosperity.

Deputy Secretary of the Russian Security Council, Yuri Deryabin, spoke as a guest on the main theme. In its deliberations the Committee recognised that stability and security in Europe could be jeopardised by zones being excluded and welcomed the open and constructive way in which the Russian Security Council was currently working with NATO.

In a resolution to be presented to Council, the Committee reiterated the intention of SI member parties to achieve a pan-European peace order. This should be consolidated through the network of existing institutions, such as EU, NATO, OSCE, WEU, OECD and the Council of Europe. SIPSAD emphasised the need to view security in terms of human security not just as a state and military issue. The enlargement of NATO was welcomed as were this organisation's closer ties with Russia.

In further resolutions to be presented to the SI Council, the Committee backed the UN initiative for a reduction of small arms and light weapons. In response to the Ottawa process the Committee supported the prohibition of anti-personnel landmines. Countries that had abstained were called on to join the process and the international community were asked to give know-how, equipment and money for the detection and destruction of landmines.

The Caucasus and the Black Sea region was proposed as a matter for particular attention for the Committee in its future activities, as were the furtherance of nuclear disarmament and a global strategy for security.

    LIST OF PARTICIPANTS

Chair of SIPSAD
Günter Verheugen
(Germany, SPD)

Secretary General of the Socialist International
Luis Ayala

ARMENIA
ARF Armenian Socialist Party
Armen Balian

AUSTRIA
Social Democratic Party of Austria, SPÖ
Albrecht Konecny

FRANCE
Socialist Party, PS
Guy Raffi

GEORGIA
Citizens' Union of Georgia, CUG
George Baramidze

GERMANY
Social Democratic Party of Germany, SPD
Uwe Stehr
Jutta Tiedtke
Birgitte Schulte

GREECE
Panhellenic Socialist Movement, PASOK
Costas Stephanou

HUNGARY
Hungarian Socialist Party, MSzP
László Kovács
Vilmos Szabó
Eva Adám
Gyula Molnár
János Gömbös
György Szentesi
Tolnai László
Peter Havas
György Hegyi
György Kalmár

ISRAEL
Israel Labour Party
Dov Peer

ITALY
Democratic Party of the Left, PDS
Giovanni Magnolini

ITALY
Italian Socialists, SI
Luca Cefisi

LITHUANIA
Social Democratic Party, LSDP
Rimantas Dagys

NORWAY
Norwegian Labour Party, DNA
Tonje Westby

POLAND
Social Democracy of the Republic of Poland, SdRP
Wlodzimierz Konarski

PORTUGAL
Socialist Party, PS
Maria Carrilho
(Vice-Chair of SIPSAD)

SENEGAL
Socialist Party, PS
Abdoulaye Makhtar Diop

SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Slovak Social Democratic Party, SDSS
Vladimir Drozda

SLOVAK REPUBLIC
Party of the Democratic Left, SDL
Peter Weiss

SPAIN
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, PSOE
Rafael Estrella

SWEDEN
Swedish Social Democratic Party, SAP
Viola Furubjelke

SWITZERLAND
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland
Heinrich Buchbinder

Office of SI President
Axel Queval

Parliamentary Group of the PES
Maj-Britt Theorin
Nadia Van Hamme

Party of European Socialists, PES
Ton Beumer

Socialist International Women, SIW
Teresa Riera

SI Secretariat
Latifa Perry

Guest:
Russian Federation
Yuri Deryabin

 



Other activities

If you are looking for an earlier meeting, please consult the LIBRARY section.