MOLDPRES 7 March 11 Chisinau - Parliament Speaker, acting President Marian Lupu on 7 March met a delegation of the group for Moldova of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), led by the chairwoman of this group, Walburga Habsburg Douglas, the parliament's mass media relations department has said. President Marian Lupu thanked the OSCE PA representatives for constant interest showed in Moldova and the support given to settle the

VIENNA, 25 February 2011—In her first address to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly as the Special Representative on Gender Issues, Dr. Hedy Fry (Canada) called for the election of more women to the Assembly’s leadership. Dr. Fry, appointed in October by President Petros Efthymiou, laid out a plan for parliamentarians to consider the gender-based impact of proposed legislation and to increase co-operation between the OSCE and the Parliamentary

VIENNA, 25 February 2011 - The President of the OSCE PA Petros Efthymiou today issued the following statement on behalf of the Assembly: "The OSCE PA, gathered in Vienna on the occasion of its Winter Meeting, expresses its deepest concern for the conflicts and violence in the countries of North Africa and for the unacceptable repression carried out in Libya by Gaddafi’s regime. "We support the principles of democracy, freedom and human rights

Alcee Hastings (United States) addresses the Winter Meeting in Vienna, 25 February 2011. VIENNA, 25 February 2011 – The OSCE should proactively reach out to help Mediterranean countries in transition to democracy, OSCE PA Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs Alcee Hastings (United States) said today at the Winter Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly. The meeting of more than 230 parliamentarians participating from 53 countries

President Petros Efthymiou addresses the OSCE PA Winter Meeting in Vienna. VIENNA, 24 February 2011 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Petros Efthymiou today at the Winter Meeting called for a renewal of the Organization for Security in Cooperation in Europe through deeper engagement with countries in transition and higher level political leadership at the helm of the 56-country organization. “I hope that we can muster wisdom and political

COPENHAGEN, 22 February 2011 – OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Petros Efthymiou today released the following statement regarding the situation in Libya. “I strongly condemn the use of force against people exercising their fundamental freedoms of expression and assembly. Violence must stop now. After much bloodshed and threats of a civil war in Libya, it is clear that major changes are needed to achieve a government with real legitimacy.