To ensure proper delivery of this newsletter, please add newsletter@eldr.eu to your email address book.“Russia: A part of Europe or apart from Europe” On 24th January 2008 the ELDR Party held a conference to discuss the nature of EU-Russia relations. The focus was on EU trade and business with Russia, civil society and political parties in Russia and EU foreign policy with regard to Russia. Chairing the debate, ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck said that “EU-Russia relations can be compared to a marriage. It can be ended by one of the entity involved, but it requires the commitment of every partner in order to function and to remain meaningful”.Mikhail Kasyanov, candidate in the Russian presidential election of 2008 (scheduled to be held on 2nd March), argued that “Russia should unconditionally accept European values, democracy and freedom of people. This will be the only base to build a strategic cooperation between Russia and the European Union”.Kristiina Ojuland, MP and Vice-President of the Estonian Parliament, added the following concerns about the future Russia-EU relations: “Today we face an undemocratically elected Parliament in Russia and the coming Presidential election does not look better. I am afraid that the EU is in the situation to start redefining its relations with undemocratic Russia”. ELDR President meets Taiwanese Health Minister On Friday 18 January 2008 the Taiwanese Minister of Health and his delegation met with ELDR President Annemie Neyts and ELDR Secretary General Federica Sabbati at the ELDR headquarters in Brussels. They discussed the consequences for global health of the absence of Taiwan in the structures of the WHO. Informed of the fact that it has become increasingly difficult for the Taiwanese authorities to obtain accurate and swift information from WHO on health crises, ELDR President Annemie Neyts stressed that this is unacceptable. “If only for the sake of universal health Taiwan should be made part of the world health community”, she said and added that the Taiwanese authorities and people deserve praise for their continuous contribution to the improvement of world health and sanitationELDR influence grows  The European Liberal Democrat political family is continuously growing and right now counts six Prime Ministers in Europe: Anders Fogh Rasmussen in Denmark, Calin Popescu-Tariceanu in Romania, Pintat Albert in Andorra, Matti Vanhanen in Finland, Guy Verhofstadt in Belgium, Andrus Ansip in Estonia and Ivars Godmanis in Latvia. ELDR has 8 of 27 European Commissioners, 102 MEP in ALDE, and 100 liberal members participate in governments in 13 European countries: Andorra, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Romania, Sweden and Switzerland. Successes for liberals in the Balkans  After the first round of the Serbian Elections (the 21st of January), Èedomir Jovanoviæ, leader of Liberal Democrat Party, got a very good result under the slogan “Život je zakon!” (“Life Rules” or “Life is the law”). The second round of elections to the National Assembly will take place on 14 February. Leader of the Liberal Democrat Party in Serbia, 36 years old, pro-European, defendant of Nato engagement in the Balkans, and the most popular candidate in the neighbouring countries of the former Yugoslavia, Jovanoviæ is supporting the independence on Kosovo and his opinion that Bosnian Serb ties with Belgrade should effectively be severed.The Croatian Social-Liberal Party, ELDR member joined the new Croatian government coalition. Together with Croatian Prime Minister Ivo Sanader (HDZ) and the president of the Croatian Peasants’ Party (HSS), Josip Friscic, HSLS President Djurdja Adlesic signed a coalition agreement defining the means and principles of functioning of the new Croatian government. Adlesic was elected Vice-president of the new Croatian government and is responsible for internal affairs.Gjergj Dedaj, leader of PLK, has been appointed deputy Minister for Work and Social Welfare in Kosova. Welcoming this news, ELDR Party President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck said: I strongly believe that these new presences in the Balkans governments will push forward the reforms for a conscious and rapid realization of a status of independence for the region. Slovenia EU Presidency and the challenge of Western BalkansDanilo Türk, Slovenian President and head of EU for the next six months will have to work towards one of the key challenges for 2008: gathering consensus about the Western Balkans question. “Our European presidency – said Jelko Kacin, Liberal Slovenian MEP and European Parliament's rapporteur on Serbia - has to move on the road to a more stable and prosperous neighborhood situation. We have to create the atmosphere to think about investments, business, to invest in the future, to have a future oriented to the aspirations about the people”. “This is our challenge and duty – added Kacin - and I am sure that our EU Presidency will do more in this direction. And finally, about the Western Balkans situation, as a Slovenian I would be very happy if we will fill the space between Ljubljana and Thessaloniki”. VVD 60 anniversary  ELDR Party joins the celebrations of the Dutch liberal party (VVD) 60th Anniversary and the National Executive Board for the new branch of VVD in London. The celebration will be held on January 26th 2008 in Hotel Krasnopolsky Amsterdam (the same location where the VVD was founded). Liberal successes in the Netherlands and Europe will be the central theme of the evening: Mark Rutte, its political leader, has just announced the establishment of a London branch. “I am always pleased to see one of our member parties reach out beyond its national borders and embrace and help to strengthen liberalism on a European scale”, said ELDR President Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck, who will be present at the anniversary. “I believe this is a very good way for the VVD to mark the beginning of its 60th anniversary year”.New chairman for LIBE committee The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs (LIBE) appointed Gérard Deprez (ALDE) as its new chairman on 22 January 2008 in Brussels. This appointment follows the resignation of Jean-Marie Cavada (ALDE, France), the head of the committee since 2005. Cavada will keep his mandate as an MEP. He explained his gesture by his commitment to the municipal election campaign in France in March. Deprez’s candidature received a large consensus within the committee and did not need to be voted on. Next Events01/02/2008 : 15th ANNIVERSARY LIBERALES FORUM AUSTRIAThis 1st February the Austrian liberal party, the Liberal Foum will mark the 15th anniversary of its foundation. We would like to take this opportunity to the next 15 years of liberal politics in Austria and Europe.Off course we would also like to celebrate this anniversary with our european liberal friends and partners and use this opportunity to strenghten the ties between the austrian liberals and your organisations. We would therefor be very pleased if we could welcome you as our guests for this anniversary event in Vienna.The official part of the event will take place on the 1st of February between 11:00 am to 01:00 pm in the parliament in Vienna, our keynote speaker will be Mr. Gerhart R. Baum, former minister for interior in Germany who will deliver a speach on „Liberals – Driving Force of Freedom“.We would be pleased if you would be able to attend the event!For registration please contact our international office. Please note, that there are no travel cost reimbursements budgeted for this event. Kyrill LapinInternational OfficerLiberales Forum11/04/2008 : ELDR Council 11-12 April 2008, Tallinn, EstoniaOur annual Council meeting will take place from 11 to 12 April 2008 in Tallinn, Estonia. More information will follow on due course.24/05/2008 : European Movement 60th Anniversary CongressEuropean Movement 60th Anniversary CongressFor more info:http://www.europeanmovement.com  ELDR Partyrue MONTOYERstraat 31 (7th floor)1000 Bruxelles BelgiumT +32 2 237 01 40F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.orgwww.eldr.orgwith the support of the European parliamentClick here to unsubscribe

To ensure proper delivery of this newsletter, please add newsletter@eldr.eu to your email address book.L’ELDR partage la peine et la colère du peuple pakistanais«Favorite aux législatives Benazir Bhutto incarnait le rêve d’un Pakistan libre et démocratique, d’un Etat respectueux des droits de l’Homme et de ceux des femmes, sans concessions face aux islamistes qui aujourd’hui le gangrènent, alors qu’ils n’ont pas obtenu plus de 15% aux dernières élections libres», a dit Annemie Neyts Uyttebroeck, Président ELDR. L'espoir d’un Pakistan moderne et démocratique, promis sans relâche par Benazir Bhutto dans ses discours enflammés, leur a donné ce courage. Un courage nécessaire pour vivre et parler dans un pays coincé entre un état militaire et le terrorisme militant.Les libéraux appellent les gouvernements du monde libre à exercer toutes les pressions qu’il faudra sur le régime pakistanais afin que des élections équitables soient organisées aussi vite que possible sous le contrôle croisé de l’Union Européenne, des Nations Unies. L’ELDR souhaite aussi qu’on puisse constituer une commission d’enquête internationale. L’icône anti-islamiste du PakistanSauvagement assassinée avant même les élections du 8 janvier, la candidate du Parti du Peuple Pakistanais, Benazir Bhutto, était l’icône anti-islamiste du Pakistan. En 1988 elle devint la première femme à la tête d’un Etat islamiste, elle reçut l’année suivante le Prix pour la liberté de l'Internationale libérale, et fut après elle fut emprisonnée à plusieurs reprises en tant que leader de l’opposition. Vous trouverez ci-dessous, une vidéo dans laquelle elle dénonçait une tentative d’attentat raté dont elle fut victime peu avant. http://fr.youtube.com/watch?v=UnychOXj9TgIl est important de remarquer que l’attentat suicide total a coûté la vie était un attentat suicide et qu’il a eu lieu pendant un meeting électoral. De nombreux Pakistanais ont perdu la vie lors des deux attentats qui visaient l'ex-Premier Ministre. Comme elle, ils avaient parfaitement conscience des risques qu'ils prenaient mais n'ont pas résisté à l'attrait de ses meetings, autant de parenthèses démocratiques entre la propagande du régime et les prêches mortifères des islamistes.  2008: Kosovo imbroglio is still intricateThe strong opposition of the Serbian President, Boris Tadic, who is rejecting the official proposition toward a bigger flexibility in the Kosovo’s issue, still moves against an easier European integration process. After several earlier resolutions on the status of Kosovo, the ELDR Congress in Berlin has adopted one more resolution supporting and understanding the will of the people of Kosovo for independence and integration into European and international institutions.“The Liberal Party of Kosovo and Kosovo’s democratic institutions will advocate for respect of all democratic rights of Serb minority in Kosovo - Gjergj Dedaj, Chairman of the Liberal Party of Kosovo said- making Kosovo new and democratic European country for all citizens. In the future Kosovo and Serbia can be together in EU, UN, NATO and other institutions if today all parts work for this better future”.Chine toward reduction of death sentence? Amnesty International (AI) has “strongly condemned” this week's announcement that China was expanding the use of lethal injection, calling on the country instead to move towards abolishing the death penalty.In the other side, Jiang Xingchang, vice-president of the Supreme People's Court (SPC), told China Daily that lethal injection would eventually replace shooting in all executions ordered by intermediate courts.But human rights organizations estimate China executes more people each year than the rest of the world combined. The organization said it had welcomed the SPC’s review of all death sentences passed in China, which came into effect in January 2007, saying the change was expected to result in a reduction in the number of executions. “Even China – said Marco Cappato MEP ALDE, Nonviolent Radical Party, condemning the lack of transparency – which strongly opposed the UN General Assembly resolution for a worldwide moratorium on the death penalty worldwide, will have to face the annual report by the UN Secretary General on the monitoring of its implementation in the member states”. “This is the important political outcome also for an EU engagement toward an implementation of the moratorium”. In the year of the Olympics Marco Cappato believes that China cannot afford to carry out the same number of execution as in the past. Liberals in the new Belgian GovernmentThe new Belgian government coalition includes Liberals and Christian-Democrats from both sides of the language border, as well as the French-speaking Socialists. It continues to be led by Guy Verhofstadt as ad interim Prime Minister. This government works on the basis of a limited work programme and is designed to tackle pressing issues such as the mounting energy and food prices as well as to reduce the international interest in the political crisis, which is believed to be detrimental to foreign investment.On the other hand, Mr Yves Leterme - appointed twice by the King to form a government – is set to take over from Guy Verhofstadt after Easter but has made himself deeply unpopular in the south of the country by making a series of gaffes.A new liberal Prime Minister in LatviaAfter the five-party negotiation came to agreement in the end of December to form a coalition government, Latvia’s parliament approved a new centre-right government with veteran leader Ivars Godmanis at its helm. The new government comprises 15 of the 19 ministers of the previous government, which resigned amid a series of scandals earlier this month. Godmanis replaces the embattled Aigars Kalvitis, 41, who quit after his attempts to dismiss a top anti-corruption investigator prompted street protests. Godmanis was Latvia's first post-Soviet prime minister. He was interior minister in the previous coalition.The 100-member parliament backed his government by 54 to 43 votes. His government is Latvia's 14th in 16 years.  26/01/2008 : VVD anniversaryThe VVD will celebrate his 60th birthday in the Hotel Krasnapolski in Amterdam.For more info: www.vvd.nl   11/04/2008 : ELDR Council 11-12 April 2008, Tallinn, EstoniaOur annual Council meeting will take place from 11 to 12 April 2008 in Tallinn, Estonia. More information will follow on due course. ELDR Partyrue MONTOYERstraat 31 (7th floor)1000 Bruxelles BelgiumT +32 2 237 01 40F +32 2 231 19 07 info@eldr.orgwww.eldr.orgwith the support of the European parliamentClick here to unsubscribe