I.P.O. ANNUAL REPORT 1975

Innsbruck,  December 1975

GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The Second General Assembly of the International Progress Organization was held in Innsbruck on 20 October 1975. An Extraordinary General Assembly was held on 15 April 1975.

FOLLOW-UP TO CULTURAL DIALOGUE PROJECT

On 31 October 1975 the President of the I.P.O. held consultations in Vienna on the activities of the organization in the field of international cultural cooperation. He met, among others, with Ambassadors Dr. Franz Pein and Dr. Clemens Weichs at the Austrian Foreign Ministry; the Ambassador of Venezuela, H.E. Freddy Arocha Castresana; and the Cultural Attaché of the Embassy of Indonesia, Mr. Erico Sunardo.

LECTURES

  • 23 May: University of Innsbruck, Austria: Prof. Guy Héraud, Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour, France: "The State of Federalism in Europe."

  • 25 November: Government House, Innsbruck, Austria: Mr. Shibib Al-Maliki, Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Jurists: "Arab Unity and the Role of Law."

INFORMATION VISIT OF THE SECRETARY-GENERAL OF THE UNION OF ARAB JURISTS

In co-operation with the Tyrolean Association of Jurists, the International Progress Organization hosted an information visit of the Secretary-General of the Union of Arab Jurists, Mr. Shibib Al-Maliki, in Innsbruck, Austria (24-26 November 1975). Mr. Maliki met, among others, with Prof. Hans R. Klecatsky, member of the Executive Board of the I.P.O. and former Minister of Justice of Austria; Dr. Fritz Prior, Deputy Governor of Tyrol; Prof. Otto Muck SJ, Rector of the University of Innsbruck; Prof. Norbert Wimmer, President of the Tyrolean Association of Jurists; and Dr. Karl Kohlegger, President of the Innsbruck High Court. The Governor of Tyrol and the Lord Mayor of Innsbruck gave a luncheon and dinner in honour of the guest. On 26 November, Mr. Maliki was received by the Abbot of the Abbey of Stams, Dr. Bernhard Slovsa, S.O.Cist.

MEETINGS AND INFORMATION VISITS OF THE PRESIDENT

  • 23 January: Vienna, Austria / Ambassador Dr. Walter R. Backes, Federal Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

  • 23 February: Innsbruck, Austria / Dr. Josef Klaus, former Federal Chancellor (Prime Minister) of Austria.

  • 28 February-2 March, 8-9 March: Baghdad, Iraq / Meetings with H.E. Obeidallah Barzani, Minister of State; Dr. Khalil Al-Hamash, Rector, College of Literature;  Mr. Mohammed Dab-Dab, Chairman, National Union of Iraqi Students (NUIS); Mr. Nasif Awad, Incharge of Publication and Information, National Leadership, Arab Ba'th Socialist Party; Mr. Nadim Al-Yasin, Director-General, Ministry of Information; Dr. Irfan Abd Al-Hammeed Fattah, Director, Dept. of Philosophy, University of Baghdad; Dr. Taha Ibrahim Al-Abdalla, President of the University of Baghdad.

  • 2-6 March: Information visit to the Kurdish region of Iraq / meetings with H.E. Bakr Mahmoud Rasoul Bashdari, Speaker of the Legislative Assembly, Autonomous Region of Kurdistan, Erbil; Mr. Jalal Khoshnaw, Governor of Erbil. 5 March: visit of Rawanduz, Salahuddin and Erbil.

  • 10-11, 14-15 March: Kuwait / meetings with H.E. Abdulaziz Hussein, Minister of State; H.H. Sheikh Duaij Salman Al Sabah; H.E. Khalifa Al-Ghunaim, former Minister of Commerce; Mr. Rauf Shahori, Editor-in-Chief, Al-Qabas newspaper; Dr.Abdullah Al-Rifai, Secretary-General, Kuwait University; H.E. Gerardo Zampaglione, Ambassador of Italy.

  • 13 March: Abu Dhabi, UAE / meeting with H.E. Saif Ghobash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs.

  • 14 March: Abu Dhabi, UAE / joint meeting with H.E. Ahmed Al-Soweidi, Foreign Minister of the UAE, H.E. Saif Ghobash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of the UAE, and H.E. Muhammad Salih Mutiyya, Foreign Minister of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen.

  • 16-17 March: Damascus, Syria / meetings with H.E. Dr. Fawzi El-Kayali, Minister of Culture; Dr. Afif Bahnassi, General Director of Antiquities and Museums; Dr. Ahmed Kerneh, Director-General, Syrian National Film Organization; Mr. Saber Falhout, Editor-in-Chief, Al Ba'ath Newspaper; Mr. A. el-Joudi, Secretary, Cultural Department, National Leadership, Arab Ba'th Socialist Party.

  • 18-22 March: Fact-finding visit to Lebanon; meetings with Dr. Clovis Maksoud, Editor-in-Chief, An-Nahar newspaper; Mr. Hamed Machnouk, Director, National News Agency of Lebanon; Mr. François Akl, Director, An-Nahar newspaper; Mr. Marwan Hamadeh, L'Orient-Le-Jour newspaper.

  • 24 March: Cairo, Egypt / meetings with H.E. Yussef El Sebai, Minister of Culture; Mr. Kemal El-Malach, Editorial Writer, Al-Ahram Daily; Mr. Mursi Saad El Din, Under Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Mr. Badr el-Dib, Editor-in-Chief, Al-Massah newspaper; Prof. A. G. Mekkawi, Department of Philosophy, Cairo University.

  • 10 July: Bozen / Bolzano, South Tyrol, Italy / Dr. Silvius Magnago, Governor of South Tyrol.

  • 26-28 July: Fact-finding visit to the Kurdish region of Iraq: Erbil, Salahuddin, Galala, Rawanduz, Haj Omran, Khalifan, Darbandikhan Dam / Meetings with the Governor of the Province of Erbil, Mayor of Haj Omran, President of the University of Suleimaniya and Vice-Governor of the Province of Suleimaniya. - 27 July: visit of Iraq-Iran border crossing at Haj Omran; crossing the border into Iran,  accompanied by officers of the Iraqi army, and meeting with the Iranian army commander on the Iranian side of the border.