XII Conference of IPSP on Security of the Mediterranean 25-26 September 2004, Palermo/Italy

Conference about security

It’s arrived also time of XII conference about security on Mediterranean, organized by International Parliament for Security and Peace, intergovernmental organization of States, that for some years has his seat right here in Palermo. A State in the State? No, absolutely. For being clear and exact it’s good to make a step backward in the time of orthodox archbishop Makarios III, Cyprus 1975.

History of the parliament - The International parliament for security and peace was born on the 15th December 1975, as an association of States, for initiative of orthodox archbishops Viktor Busà - that assumed the life chairmanship of it - and the late Makarios III, already president of Cyprus republic, that was the first general secretary. After his death, in 1977, succeeded to him Sypros Kiprianou, new president of republic of Cyprus, that assumed the vice-chairmanship. In 1987 the International parliament of States signed the cooperation agreement with university of peace of United Nations under the chairmanship of Rodrigo Carazo Odio, head of State in Costa Rica.

Chief purpose of International parliament is peace defence of all people around the World, for security in each World Nation in conformity with the international law of people. All States that agree are bound to each other lend help and cooperation. The International parliament, as a States association, must lead moral, political, diplomatic, cultural, religious, economical and social support to all governments of Nations, to their people and to respective parliamentary institutions. All Nations are members by right and are represented by respective heads of State, of government, by Foreign ministers and by parliaments presidents. Chiefs of state propose to lord president of International parliament some personages that they must represent: plenipotentiaries, delegates, business agents and diplomatic counsellors, all safeguarded by public international law norms of Vienna agreement, 18th April 1961.

The International parliament for security and peace is an intergovernmental organization of states, formed by two branches: the high Chamber, that consists of four hundreds of senators and eight hundreds of deputies. They’re elected every five years - with parliamentary counsellors - by a proper supreme council of chairmanship and they enjoy the parliamentary immunity according to international law set of rules.

The Parliament organizes the conference about security on Mediterranean every two years in Palermo, seat of international chairmanship, with participation of diplomats and politicians coming from all over the World. During the demonstration, lord president Viktor Busà hands the Peace trophy, only over heads of State who particularly distinguished themselves defending peace, justice, social security, freedom. Between heads of State that received the coveted trophy We can count eminent names like Mikhail Gorbaciov, ex-president of the USSR, Sese-Seko Mobutu of Zaire, Carlos Menem, president of Argentina, Nelson Mandela, president of South African Republic and the Guinea president, Lansana Conté. In absolute coherence with principles of Constitution, the International parliament for security and peace nearly attended all international hotbed of war and diplomatic crises, like encounter between Turkey and Cyprus, the crisis between Somalia and Ethiopia, conflicts in Uganda, Central African Republic, Mali and Chad, war in Middle East, civil war in Rwanda, crisis and conflicts in Congo, Angola, Mozambique and Zaire; against the racism in South African Republic, civil war in Moldavia, war between Russia and Chechnya, between Ecuador and Peru. Against all racial and ethnic violence around the World and against nuclear experiments restarting in France. It officially joined some international conferences organized by United Nations. It cooperates with the Latin American parliament and with other national parliaments.

How is it possible to define lord president Viktor Busà? A visionary or simply a person out of time. I don’t exactly know where to place this eminent personage, but for sure he has a lot of vitality, effectiveness and charisma. He’s like all orthodoxies, or nearly all: behaviour in social activities always characterized their church, to the point that Metodio and Cirillo - of Bulgarian origin - appropriately created a new writing that is commonly called "Cyrillic method" (I cannot imagine with what kind of fantasy) for mantening unimpaired promises of the Church. This alphabet is in use in some Slav people of Christian orthodox religion, Russians, Ukrainians, White Russians, Bulgarian and Serbian. It derives from ancient Greek alphabet in its uncial shape (IX century) and took the name by Saint Cirillo from Tessalonica, who with his brother saint Metodio, according to tradition, created it in IX century.

Makarios III (Michail Christodhulos Muiskos). Cypriot prelate and politician (Ano Panaghia, Pafo 1913-Nicosia 1977). Initiated to the ecclesiastic career in Orthodox Church, studied in Athens and join the Greek Resistance. Appointed as bishop of Kitium, he returned in Cyprus and served for the island union with Greece, becoming metropolitan (archbishop with also civil functions) of Cyprus, with the name Makarios. In 1956 was exiled with accusation of support to Eoka (national organization of Cyprus combatants) strengthening. In February 1959 he took part in negotiations Great Britain, Greece and Turkey and on 1st March 1959 he could return in Cyprus Republic, becoming president. The precarious coexistence between Greek-Cypriot and Turkish community created enervating internal and international crises. Many times first minister, Makarios was elected the last time in 1973. In 1974 escaped a coup d’état accomplished by fascist persons, near to Athens colonels, taking shelter overseas. When He returned in Cyprus, in December 1974 only, by that time the island partition was said and done tried to imagine the way this International parliament for security and peace could conceive a vision so complex and extremely actual of two problems, “security” and “peace”, that by now daily trouble the World. XII conference, meeting point for heads of State - it’s a mere nothing - and eminent persons. Mentioning everyone can be just a list, a note that maybe means little, so I will mention just one, two, that according to my point of view are between the most significant ones.

In the monotonous letters appearance of conference subjects, from a bystanders considerable number, stood out the Sheik Mamoud Ahmed’s Iraq intervention. Iraq is today the key position, where words “security” and “peace” find checking in every sense. Sheik Mamoud Ahmed speaks in Sorbonne university French language and with radiant eyes keep under control the audience, that fall silent just listening: “All West policy of my Country is wrong!”. Who’s Sheik Mamoud Ahmed, I wonder, and also other people wonder something similar about him: a fanatic, an extremist, a manager or the usual chatterer on duty, that it’s possible to find everywhere? He introduces himself “... I’m the chief of a 18 million Iraqi tribe, chairman and general director of a big oil company, maybe I will be president or vice-president, if elections will hold in January 2005. “Now, We consider facts. The reason of Iraqi war is evident: oil, black gold, wealth that brings bad luck only to my people, always somehow oppressed. I don’t speak haphazardly, if today still existed absolute monarchy my family was regent and maybe I was a king”.

“At first there was Saddam Hussein that embezzled Country wealth and impoverished Country masses. Today we have coalition forces. Oil costs 8 dollars for a barrel at source, up to 30 dollars is the basis for big digging out companies, and from 30 upward is holding companies profit”. Those who were present faces begin to be serious. “We need new armies, increasing coalition forces, we need peace, and for peace it’s necessary that Iraq belongs to Iraqi and themselves with autonomy determine their life and hope for future. We ask, and I’m here as a guarantor and as a bearer of this word: concrete helps, medicines, investors that want create new workstations with rebuilding”. If there was some doubts about Sheik Mamoud Ahmed’s weighing into carats, with this hard, rude, but realist intervention any doubt about Iraq is clarified.

“My intervention isn’t for saying that troops must be retreated by coalition. On the contrary, in this moment it’s necessary to complete the defence work against terrorist groups that for the most part are not Iraqi and recreate structures of an erroneously demobilized army. For that I thank Italy in the name of my people for technical supply and humane comprehension in all fields, Croce Rossa in primis”. This intervention can be the keystone of all the conference. The rest of the report is foreseen. The convention signature, precisely called “Palermo agreement” for the Palermo new legislation about civil defence and territorial security, seals the will of facing the problem. But with what resources?

16th October 2004

Prof. Giacomo Spartaco BERTOLETTI
Country Representative of IBSSA for Italy