Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08SANTODOMINGO518
2008-04-14 12:51:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Santo Domingo
Cable title:  

INVITATION FOR HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI

Tags:  PGOV ECON DR 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXYZ0030
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #0518/01 1051251
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 141251Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 0487
UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 000518 

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR AND H

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ECON DR
SUBJECT: INVITATION FOR HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI


UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 000518

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR WHA/CAR AND H

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV ECON DR
SUBJECT: INVITATION FOR HOUSE SPEAKER PELOSI



1. This is an action request for WHA/CAR; see para. 3.


2. On April 7, the Ambassador met with Congresswoman Minou
Tavares Mirabal (PLD-Santo Domingo),Chairwoman of the House
Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Committee.
Tavares delivered an invitation to the U.S. Congress to
participate in the XXXth Annual Forum of the Parliamentarians
for Global Action. The Forum is entitled "Reinforcing
democratic institutions, accountability, and the rule of
law," and will be held concurrently with the Vth Session of
the Consultative Assembly of Parliamentarians for the
International Criminal Court. The events are being hosted by
the Dominican Republic and will be held October 30-31, 2008.


3. Action request: Post requests that WHA/CAR work with the
H Bureau to deliver the letter of invitation to House Speaker
Pelosi. Post notes that the Forum will be held shortly
before the U.S. presidential election. An Embassy
translation of the letter follows; the original in Spanish
will be sent by e-mail to WHA/CAR. Begin letter:

U.S. Embassy Translation

(National Shield)

National Congress of the Dominican Republic

Santo Domingo, National District
10 March 2008

The Right Honorable
Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House of Representatives
UNITED STATES

Honorable Madame Speaker:

We have the honor to extend to you a cordial invitation for a
delegation from the Congress of the United States to
participate in the XXXth Annual Forum of the Parliamentarians
for Global Action entitled Reinforcing democratic
institutions, accountability, and the rule of law, as well as
the Vth Session of the Consultative Assembly of
Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court, which
we will host in Santo Domingo on the 30th and 31st of October
of 2008.

PGA is a global organization that encompasses more than 1,300
legislators from 118 parliaments, whose objective is
promoting peace, democracy, justice, human rights, and
sustainable development. The PGA Forum is the point of
annual meeting of legislators who wish to address problems of
international concern which single countries by themselves
cannot resolve. This year the Annual Forum will be organized
together with the Vth Session of the Consultative Assembly of

Parliamentarians for the International Criminal Court
(CAP-CPI),the only global forum that brings together
legislators from around the world who are concerned with
international justice.

Since 1989, the members of PGA have promoted the establishing
and operating of an independent and universal criminal Court
which prevents and punishes the gravest crimes afflicting the
conscience of humanity: the crime of genocide, crimes against
humanity, and war crimes. Along this path, PGA has observed
the powerful effect of international justice on the
strengthening of democratic institutions and accountability.
With the objective of increasing this potential and
identifying the mechanisms through which legislators can
favor the various dimensions of national life based on the
principle of equality for all before the law and the struggle
against impunity, this event will bring together legislators
from around the world, as well as representatives of
international agencies, governments, civil society and
academia, in order to contribute to this important
discussion. The discussions of the Annual Forum and CAP-CPI
will be conducted in Spanish, English, French, and Arabic,
and will include panels addressing the role of international
cooperation and parliamentary action in the building of the
state, including the promotion of democratic institutions; in
the struggle against impunity; in the promotion of the
universality and effectiveness of the International Criminal
Court; as well as the preventive impact of criminal justice
and its contribution to peace, stability, and democracy.

The Congress of the Dominican Republic is a proud partner of
this initiative, and hopes to be honored with the
participation of a delegation from the Congress of your
country in this conference, which is expected to be a step
towards parliamentary mobilization that will provide
solutions to the complex and multi-dimensional challenges
facing democracy, justice and accountability under the Rule
of Law. This conference will seek for participants to
contribute to an Action Plan that can be transformed into
concrete actions to be carried out on the national level when
the participants return to their respective congresses.

I beg you to notify the Executive Coordinator of the Forum,
Mrs. Ana Cecilia Helena in Santo Domingo
foropga.sd(at)gmail.com and fax (809) 532-3016, and Mr. Brian
Kett (PGA in New York) brian.kett(at)pgaction.org before
September 30, 2008, of the confirmation of participation by
an ideally multi-party delegation from the United States to
the XXXth Annual PGA Forum and the Vth Consultative Assembly
of Parliamentarians for CPI and the Rule of Law.

We remain

Yours very truly,

Reinaldo Pared Perez
President of the Senate of the Republic


Julio Cesar Valentin
President of the Chamber of Deputies

(U) This report and additional information can be found on
Embassy Santo Domingo's SIPRNET site,
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/
FANNIN