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MONDAY,
1 JULY
Although
Graham Watson will be in Strasbourg for a week-long
session of committee meetings and parliamentary debates,
he will be in contact with the European Liberal Democrat
conference organising committee which meets in London
today.
The conference, to be held in Bath in October, is
expected to bring more than £3/4 million into the
region’s economy.
Graham is leader of the Liberal Democrats in the
European Parliament.
Graham
is to propose a motion in the European Parliament
criticising the US government for seeking to undermine
the International Criminal Court by insisting on
immunity from prosecution for its troops for war crimes.
He said: “Military personnel of no country
should be above the law.”
TUESDAY,
2 JULY
Graham
Watson will have a breakfast meeting with Sir Nigel
Sheinwald, the UK’s permanent representative to the EU
to discuss the agenda of the incoming Danish presidency
which will mean that all three major EU institutions,
the Commission, Parliament, and the Council, are under
Liberal Democratic leadership.
At
a press conference in Strasbourg, Graham will be
proposing a new EU strategy towards Asia and greater
recognition of Taiwan.
He said: “Taiwan has been a democracy since
1987 but is still spurned by other democratic nations
who let themselves be bullied by the vile dictatorship
of the People’s Republic of China for fear of losing
trade.”
Graham
will be meeting Wim Duisenberg, president of the
European Central Bank, to discuss the growing success of
the euro in the world’s financial markets.
Parliament
will debate the labelling and traceability of food and
feed products produced from genetically modified
organisms (GMOs).
WEDNESDAY,
3 JULY
Parliament
will be debating issues including protection for
timeshare purchasers, combating racism and xenophobia,
and the Common Fisheries Policy.
THURSDAY,
4 JULY
In
Strasbourg, Graham Watson will be meeting Valery Giscard
d’Estaing, president of the Convention on the future
of Europe, to discuss progress on plans for EU reforms
ahead of enlargement in 2004.
Graham
will later be flying to Paris to meet French political
leaders following the recent elections and to discuss
potential moves to the ELDR group by some French MEPs.
FRIDAY,
5 JULY
Graham
Watson will be in London for meetings before returning
to his constituency where he will meet Brian Cotter,
Liberal Democrat MP for Weston-super-Mare.
At
6.30pm, Graham will be speaking at a meeting of Liberal
Democrats at Dulverton Town Hall in Somerset.
SATURDAY,
6 JULY
Graham
Watson will be in Bodmin, Cornwall, to speak at a
conference of Liberal Democrat councillors from Devon
and Cornwall.
Graham
will later be meeting Sir Michael Lickiss, chairman of
the South West Regional Development Agency, and Geoffrey
Wilkinson, the agency’s chief executive.
In
the afternoon, Graham will be guest at a Yeovil
constituency Liberal Democrat garden party at West
Coker.
In
the evening, Graham and his family will attend a Liberal
Democrat barbecue at Wells hosted by Ralph Clark, former
chairman of Somerset County Council.
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