Issue 169

 

LI Positions on Honduras are now EU Policy, says LI President

On an oral question in the European Parliament by LI President Hans van Baalen MEP for the EP ALDE Group, Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos declared that, following its democratic elections and the inauguration of the country's new President, Honduras has returned to its constitutional order. EU relations with Honduras will be normalised as soon as possible and negotiations for an EU-Central American trade agreement will be resumed. With this development, LI positions on Honduras as presented by the LI delegation led by President Van Baalen in Tegucigalpa Mid November last year are now EU policy. Details of LI's electoral mission to Honduras can be found here and here.

 

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LI President calls for international Interim Administration in Haiti

In the aftermath of the Haitian earthquake and ongoing humanitarian crisis, LI President Hans van Baalen MEP has called for an international Interim Administration to guide Haiti through the crucial period ahead. Van Baalen aims at improving the situation for Haitians, since the recent catastrophe has left the country without the expertise to see it through its troubles. According to President Van Baalen: “International organisations and individual countries are more concerned with their image than with the effects of their assistance. The feel good factor at home dominates over helping victims on the ground. Money seems not to be the problem; how to spend it is. This sets a poor example for joint reconstruction efforts which are needed as soon as there is some form of stability in Haiti. It is clear that what is left of the Haitian government lacks the expertise and crisis management skills to lead and plan the initial reconstruction process. Nor can it prevent fraud, corruption and favouritism”. The proposed Interim Administration should be led by the UN, and should include Haitian representatives, says Van Baalen.

 

 

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LI President holds first Bureau Meeting of 2010

LI President Hans van Baalen MEP assembled the Bureau of Liberal International on 29 January in London to discuss his views to move forward for 2010 and beyond. Continuing to advance the strong agenda presented to the LI Congress in November 2009. President Van Baalen discussed the current and future political implications of his November 2009 trip to Central America as well as potential upcoming trips, similar in nature, to push the liberal message worldwide. The Bureau also discussed the full slate of events for 2010, including the upcoming Cadiz Conference celebrating 200 years since the first usage of the word “liberal” in a Constitution. Bureau members were also tasked with specific regional responsibilities and a renewed dedication to ensure a more focussed communication with the Secretariat to guarantee maximum exposure of the liberal message. As a new initiative, all staff members were present, granting them an unprecedented view into the workings of the Bureau, in the newly refurbished Conference room in the LI Secretariat. 

 

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LI Deputy President meets the leader of Swiss Liberals

At a jointly organised visit toZurich with the European Liberal Democratic and Reform Party (ELDR), Liberal International Deputy President Juli Minoves met with Fluio Pelli, the President of the Free Democratic Party — the Liberals (FDP. Die Liberalen — FDP-DL). At the meeting that was attended by Annemie Neyts, ELDR President, Emil Kirjas, LI Secretary General and Stefan Brupbacher, FDP-DL Secretary General, special attention was given to the recent developments in Switzerland in the light of the global economic crisis and the changing political environment in the region. LI Deputy President Juli Minoves, who spent part of his life in Switzerland, emphasised the importance of coordinating policies among liberals as “in the world today it is hard to distinguish local from global issues, especially on crucial topics like the economy, the human rights and the environment”. The leader of the Swiss Liberals accepted the invitation to join the upcoming meetings of the LI Executive Committee and the ELDR Council in order to fortify the links with the peers and colleagues in the international and European liberal family.

 

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RELIAL Think Tanks Rank High in Latin-America

In the most recent ranking of global “Go To Think Tanks”, a list of influential think tanks produced by the International Relations Program at the University of Pennsylvania, LI cooperating organisation RELIAL saw its affiliated organisations strengthen their position as some of the most authoritative voices on politics in Latin America. The ranking placed eight of its members in the top 40 of Latin American and Caribbean think tanks. Notably, CEDICE in Venezuela was ranked 4th and Libertad y Desarrollo in Chile 6th. Other organisations that fared well were the Fundacion Libertad of Argentina and Instituto Libertade from Brasil. Odile Gaset, director at RELIAL, said "We are very proud to have all these remarkable and valuable organizations in the RELIAL network and it is our pleasure to work together for the promotion of freedom of ideas in Latin America, a tough job nowadays." LI is pleased to see these important channels of liberal opinion grow and affirm their role as globally appreciated organisations with a positive impact on policy-making in their region.

 

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PJN leader a candidate for Lima Mayoral Elections

Jaime Salinas, leader of LI Full Member Partido Justicia Nacional, has announced his candidacy in the forthcoming mayoral elections in Lima, Peru. Salinas' goal is to form a democratic coalition to defeat Alex Khouri, the Fujimori family's chosen candidate, in a bid to avoid returning the dominant right-wing political group to power in Lima. His candidacy is backed by the UPP (Union for Peru), with significant support across the country, and Salinas hopes that more parties across the democratic spectrum will join the coalition: “What we are witnessing in Peru is an emerging coalition of democratic and freedom-supporting forces opposed to the political structures that we have seen in the past taking Peru into dark times. We can't allow that to happen, and I will do my best to make sure that such a coalition is created and turns victorious at the next local elections”. The Partido Justicia Nacional was officially accepted as an observer member at the 55th Congress of Liberal International in Belfast and became a full member last fall at the 56th Congress in Cairo.

 

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El-Ghad leader Nour to run for Egyptian Presidency

Ayman Nour, leader of LI observer member El-Ghad has announced his bid for the Egyptian Presidency, standing against long-time President Hosni Mubarak who has ruled the country since 1981. According to Mr. Nour: “It is necessary for everyone of us to act now to rescue the future of this country…Egypt's future is in danger and a quick action is required if this country is continued to hold.” Mr. Nour ran against President Mubarak in the last elections in 2005, finishing a distant second in an election that was far from free and fair. Following the 2005 elections, Mr Nour was jailed for four years, during which time his health severely deteriorated. Early this year, LI Past President Lord Alderdice heralded the release  of Mr. Nour as “…as an inspiration for liberal and democratic forces in Egypt”  The El-Ghad party was officially accepted as a member at the 56th Congress of Liberal International, hosted in Cairo from 29-31 October 2009. In a resolution adopted by the Congress, LI praised the Democratic Front Party (LI full member) for hosting the Congress as well as expressing support for all liberal forces in Egypt

 

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Swedish Centre Party debates Central Asia, appoints new foundation leadership

On January 29-30 LI full member The Centre Party, in cooperation with the Centre Party International Foundation, arranged a conference on possibilities and challenges in Central Asia. The purpose of the conference was to increase knowledge and awareness of the region and what is happening there. Among the speakers were Hans Olsson, Swedish ambassador to Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kirgizstan and Sascha Tamm, Friedrich Naumann Foundation in Moscow. Besides providing a general picture of the situation in the different countries, the conference touched upon topics such as liberalism in the region, what it is like to work politically in the region, women's rights and the situation for women as well as challenges to freedom of speech. Prior to the conference the Centre Party International Foundation also nominated a new secretary general, Catherine Isaksson. Upon her nomination Isaksson said “It's really exciting and challenging to help develop the Centre Party International Foundation and intensify the work I've done so far on profit basis”.

 

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