Embassy News 2007
U.S. Delegation attends NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Reykjavik
Eleven members of the U.S. House of Representatives participated in the NATO Parliamentary Assembly's Annual Session held October 5-9 in Reykjavik. The delegation, led by Rep. John Tanner (D-TN), attended sessions covering NATO's operations in Afghanistan, missile defense, relations with Russia, the future of Kosovo, and other matters. While in Iceland, delegation members and U.S. Ambassador to Iceland Carol van Voorst also met with NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who provided an overview of the issues facing NATO now and in the near future.
Significantly, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly session in Reykjavik also featured presentations by Icelandic Prime Minister Geir Haarde, Foreign Minister Ingibjorg Solrun Gisladottir, Minister of Justice Bjorn Bjarnason, and Minister of Industry Ossur Skarphedinsson on Iceland's relationship with NATO in a number of fields and the ways in which Iceland contributes to the Alliance. This is the first time Iceland has hosted a session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, which brings together parliamentary representatives of the 26 NATO countries as well as 27 associate and observer delegations from Central and Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Russia, the Mediterranean, and other international parliamentary institutions.
For more information on the NATO Parliamentary Assembly, see www.nato-pa.int