Political leaders to form Asia’s counterpart of European People’s Party

Leaders of 10 political parties in Asia are converging in Manila on Friday to form the Centrist Democrat International-Asia Pacific, the counterpart in this region of CDI’s European People’s Party.

The CDI Asia-Pacific launching and the global interfaith dialogue on the same day were organized by CDI International and the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats upon the initiative of ruling party’s three senior leaders, President Arroyo, Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr. and former President Fidel Ramos.

The President chairs Lakas. Ramos is CDI honorary president, while De Venecia is Lakas president and also CDI vice president.

Top leaders of CDI, former Christian Democrat International, and senior European parliamentarians are arriving in Manila to witness the launching of CDI Asia-Pacific and to hold the regular CDI executive committee meeting, which will be convened by former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, CDI president.

Besides Lakas, the regional political groups that would compose CDI Asia-Pacific are Indian National Congress, Thai Rak Thai Party of Thailand, Uri Party of South Korea, Pakistan Muslim League, United Malay National Organization of Malaysia, Funcinpec Party and People’s Party of Cambodia and Golkar and Democratic Party of Indonesia.

De Venecia said the key element in the formation of the regional group "is its centrist ideology."

"We are a party of the center, we are the middle forces," he said.

Besides Mrs. Arroyo, Ramos and De Venecia, regional political leaders expected to attend the event are Thailand Deputy Prime Minister Surakiart Sathirathai of Thai Rak Thai; Shri Murli Deora of the Indian National Congress, who is a member of parliament; Prince Norodom Ranariddh (Funcinpec) and Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister Sok An; Sen. Mushahid Hassain Sayed of Pakistan; and Theo Sambuaga, deputy chairman of Golkar.

Members of the CDI executive committee are also attending the global interfaith dialogue, one of the major advocacies of Lakas to resolve ethnic and politico-religious conflicts.

Mrs. Arroyo and De Venecia relentlessly pursued this advocacy until its formal adoption by the United Nations General Assembly in November 2004. Months before that, the President and the Speaker presented the proposal to US President George Bush at the White House during Mrs. Arroyo’s visit to Washington D. C.

Besides Aznar, European parliamentarians flying in for the Manila meeting include Pier Ferdinando Casini, president of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, CDI vice president and new president of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; Wilfried Martens, president of the European People’s Party and former prime minister of Belgium; Kjell Magne Bondevik, former prime minister of Norway; and Antonio Lopez Isturiz, CDI secretary and secretary general of the European People’s Party.

Two conferences, one on economic development and the other on women and human rights, are among the CDI activities lined up together with the interfaith dialogue, which will be attended by representatives of major religions of all over the world.

Founded in 1961, CDI has 110 member parties worldwide.