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(April 22,
2007/ Rome, Italy) A strong contingent from the Council of Asian Liberals and
Democrats and CALD member and observer parties attended the 2nd
Democrazia E Liberta-La Margherita National Congress and
International Meeting on Towards a New Alliance of International
Democrats from April 20 to 22 in Cinnecita Studios, the Italian
capital’s the cinema center.
The
“La-Margherita-Democracy is Freedom” is the centrist pillar of
the Italian center-left coalition that currently rules the
Italian government. The National Congress elected the party’s
leadership and confirmed the establishment of Italian Democratic
Party from the merger of the La Margherita with other political
parties in The Olive Tree Coalition. The Democrtaic Party will
be the most important and biggest party in Italy, with a key
role in supporting the centre-left progressive government of
Prime Minister Romano Prodi.
The head of
this party is Hon. Francesco Rutelli who is also Italy’s Deputy
Prime Minister and Minister of Culture.
Prime Minister
Prodi and Mr. Rutelli were the major speakers during the
congress on April 20.
On April 21,
the roundtable International Meeting Towards a New Alliance of
Democrats was conducted at the Fellini Hall of Cinecitta
Studios. The roundtable, facilitated by Senator and Deputy
Foreign Minister Gianni Venetti, featured speakers from Europe,
Asia and South America.
 The Asian
speakers and participants include members and officials of CALD.
They are Hon. Abhisit Vejjajiva, leader of Democrat Party of
Thailand and his colleague Sopha Sirichoke; former CALD
Chairman Sam Rainsy, MP, leader of the Cambodian opposition;
former Secretary (Minister) Rene Villa representing Philippine
Senator, CALD Chairman and Liberal Party President Franklin
Drilon; National Council of the Union of Burma Secretary General
Maung Maung; Democratic Party of Hong Kong legislator James To;
Democratic Party of Japan’s Shadow Foreign Minister Tsuyoshi
Yamaguchi; and, CALD Executive Director John Coronel.
The other Asian
speakers are Madame Jayanthi Natarajan, MP, Secretary General of
the Indian National Congress and her colleague, State Legislator
Anjali Rai; and Mr. Shukria Barakzai, President of Democratic
and Progressist Parliamentary Group in Afghanistan.
Other speakers
include Chilean Senator Ricardo Hormazabal; Andorran Foreign
Minister and Liberal International Vice President Juli Minoves
Triquell; Mr. Joseph Broz, Secretary General of Cesta Zmeny
(Czech Republic); Mr. Josu Jon Imaz, President of PNV (Basque
Country); and, Mr. Nicos Koutsou, Vice President of Europlako
Comma (Cyprus) and EDP.
Three years
ago, La Margherita promoted the new European Democratic Party
with 10 political parties from Italy, Farnce, Spain, Belgium,
Lithuania, Cyprus, Ireland, Czech Republic, Poland and Rumania.
EDPS co-Presidents are Prime Minister Prodi and French
Presidential candidate Francois Bayrou.
La Margherita
co-founded the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Asia or
ALDE, the biggest third force in the European Parliament. ALDE
is a partner of CALD which only recently held a
joint mission to Jakarta and Singapore.
CALD also
participated in the
Asia-Europe Strategic Partnership: The
Future is Now, a dialogue between Asian and
European Democrats hosted by EDP and La Margherita. |
