Warsaw became a true multi-national city Sunday when presidents and prime ministers from 46 countries made their way here for the third Summit of Heads of State and Government. Festivities began at 1 PM with the Schuman Parade which brought an orange speckled crowd through the center of town and up to the Palace of Science and Culture. A great concert mixing rock and hip hop groups from Poland, Ukraine and Germany entertained residents and parade participants. At 9 PM, Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski, Ukraine President Viktor Yushchenko, and Lithuanian President Valdas Adamkus and Terry Davis each spoke, marking the end of the welcome party.
The previous summits held in Vienna and Strasbourg, each with their respective aims, did not have the same unifying factor that the Warsaw Summit brings this year. It will be the first to bring together all the countries of Europe, with the exception of Belarus, and thus has been named the “Summit of European Unity.”
Warsaw, a highly symbolic city and one of the crossroads of the European 20th century, is considered an ideal location for the summit because of the strength it displayed during its troubled recent history. The city suffered greatly during World War II particularly at the hands of the Nazis, became the capital of resistance to Communism and the Solidarnosc movement, and was among the first of the central and eastern European countries to join the Council of Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The purpose of the Council of Europe Heads of State and Government Summit is to address the challenges to come in the new century and define the Council’s priorities and goals. Specific goals for the Summit include:
- Confirm the Council’s mission to promote human rights, democracy, and the rule of law over the continent;
- Cultivate pan-European political dialogue in all levels of the institution;
- Reform of the European Court of Human Rights, making processes more efficient;
- Strengthen Council of Europe aims to promote social cohesion, intercultural dialogue, and democratic citizenship;
- Vitalize relations and co-operation with the European Union, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the United Nations.
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