I.P.O. Annual Report 1985

I.P.O. ANNUAL REPORT 1985

Vienna, 22 November 1985AMENDMENTS TO THE STATUTES

The extraordinary general assembly of the I.P.O., held in Vienna on 9 July 1985, has decided on amendments to §§ 2 and 3 of the Statutes in order to define more clearly the I.P.O.'s commitment to the establishment of a new international order based upon the principles of equality, human rights and social justice. Enclosed herewith please find the revised text of the respective paragraphs.

NEW EXECUTIVE BOARD

The regular general assembly of the I.P.O., held in Vienna on 24 October 1985, has elected a new Executive Board for a term of office of four years commencing on 31 October 1985.

NEW HEAD OFFICE

On 1 September 1985 the I.P.O. moved to a new office. All correspondence should be sent to our new address: Kohlmarkt 4, A-1010 Vienna.

PROJECTS IMPLEMENTED

The I.P.O. has organized an international colloquium in New York City (31 October,1985) onDemocracy in International Relations. The meeting was held on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the foundation of the United Nations. It was attended by Mr. Krysztow Ostrowski, special representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director for the International Year of Peace. Speakers were Nobel Laureates Seàn MacBride and Professor George Wald; General Edgardo Mercado Jarrín, former Prime Minister of Peru, and Ramsey Clark, former Attorney-General of the United States. The I.P.O. was represented by Mr. Hans Koechler, President, and Mr. Robert Thabit, Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

As previously announced, the I.P.O. has also organized an international symposion in Geneva (15-17 November 1985) onThe Crisis of Representative Democracy and Possible Alternatives.The deficiencies of parliamentary systems were discussed, especially in regard to solving complex problems of environment and disarmament. The I.P.O. will publish the proceedings.

PUBLICATIONS

The I.P.O. has recently published vol. 10 (The New International Information and Communication Order) and vol. 11 (The Reagan Administration's Foreign Policy) of the series Studies in International Relations. - The book onThe Crisis of Representative Democracy is being prepared now.

ACTIVITIES RELATED TO THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF PEACE

At its session in Geneva on 16 November 1985 the Executive Board has decided to support the publication of the report of the London Tribunal on Nuclear Warfare in cooperation with the International Peace Bureau and to submit it to the General Assembly of the United Nations with the request of presenting the matter of the international illegality of nuclear arms to the International Court of Justice. The Executive Board has also decided that the I.P.O.'s activities in support for the peaceful reunification of Korea on the basis of a federal system should be continued. The Executive Board has asked the President of the I.P.O. to launch an appeal for peace negotiations between Iran and Iraq to be sent to the heads of State of both countries.

CO-OPERATION WITH INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

The President of the I.P.O. has met with the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Javier Pérez de Cuéllar, in New York City (30 October 1985) and has discussed the forthcoming activities of the I.P.O. and strengthening of cooperation with the United Nations. He was accompanied by I.P.O. Vice-President General Edgardo Mercado Jarrín. The President has also met with the Executive Director for the International Year of Peace, Krysztof Ostrowski, and with other officials of the United Nations.

In the course of his visit to Tunisia, the President of the I.P.O. met, on 27 May 1985 in the Tunisian capital, with the Director-General of Information of the League of Arab States, Mr. Lakhdar Brahimi and with the Deputy Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Mr. Mohamed Ibn Slama. On 28 May he met with the Ambassador of the State of qatar, Mr. Ali Hussein Al-Muftah, and on 1 June with Mr. Abdelwahab El Behi, Secretary-General of the Preparatory Committee, Arab Union of Young Lawyers. The President of the I.P.O. also visited, on 1 June, the Cultural Festival of Sidi Bou Said.

The I.P.O. participated in the Third Vienna Dialogue - International Conference for Disarmament and Détente, held on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the United Nations, Vienna, Austria (25-28 January 1985).

On the sidelines of the International Conference of Philosophy of Law and Social Philosophy, the President of the I.P.O. met on 21 August 1985 in Athens (Greece) with Dr. Werner Maihofer, former Minister of Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany and President of the European University Institute (Florence).

The I.P.O. has joined the International Peace Bureau (Geneva) as full member and has decided to cooperate closely in all questions related to disarmament.

NEW MEMBERS

The Executive Board has admitted new members from Austria, Australia, Belgium, Germany (FRG), Ghana, India, Iraq, Italy, Liberia, Libya, Nicaragua and Nigeria.